Girls soccer/Scouting U-46 schools
Bartlett Hawks
Coach: Heather Thomas (5th season)
2010 record: 15-8, 6-4 Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Seniors Trish Donlon (forward-midfield), Amanda Zindel (midfield), juniors Lisa Palmer (midfield-defense), Nicole Gobbo (forward-midfield)
Key newcomers: Freshmen Alex Cappello (defense-midfield), Kedra Videckis (midfield-forward)
Outlook: The Hawks have plenty of scoring returning from last year. Gobbo had 16 goals and 8 assists, while Donlon had 13 goals and 4 assists. Palmer scored 8 goals and had 5 assists, while Zindel had 4 goals. “We have a great group of returning players that have notched quite a few goals for us in the past couple of season,” said Thomas. “They are bringing great experience back with them this season. We are quick up top and if we can get it to their feet we have the potential to break down great defenses.”
Thomas noted the team will be equally strong in the back. “Our back line is very tough and difficult to penetrate,” she said. “Most of our defensive line are returners that have experience against the tough teams we are going to be facing this season. Hopefully, the tenacity and scrappiness of our defense will keep opposing teams from breaking us down.” Bartlett returns 12 players this season. “We have a tremendous amount of experience despite the fact we’re fairly young,” said Thomas. “We have 12 returners that have great chemistry and knowledge of the game. The four newcomers are eager to learn and gain from the experience of the older girls. Overall, we just need to work harder than our opponents.”
Elgin Maroons
Coach: Sarah Marks (1st season)
2010 record: 2-18, 1-8 Upstate Eight Conference
Top returning players: Sophomores Missy Roberts (midfield), Fabiola Ramirez (defense)
Key newcomers: Freshmen Kayla Rodriguez (goalie), Jennifer Lopez (midfield), Tanya Welch (midfield)
Outlook: First-year coach Marks has a youthful squad that is full of promising talent. “We are looking to utilize the speed of newcomer Jennifer Lopez and the aggressiveness of Tanya Welch to lead our offense this year,” said Marks. “Both are new to the school and raise our level of competitiveness during practice.” Rodriguez has also been impressive in the early going. “Kayla Rodriguez is aggressive and not afraid to explode off her line and attack the ball,” said Marks. “She looks forward to tackling one-on-one situations and we are looking for her fearlessness to be contagious to the rest of the team.
Ramirez will be the team’s sweeper this year. “Fabiola has strong foot skills and a good sense of the game,” said Marks. “We are looking to utilize Fabiola to ignite our attack from out of the back with overall speed. Missy Roberts’ tenacious sense of hunting the ball down and aggressively marking stronger opponents will be essential in holding off the opponent’s attack.” Elgin has just 1 senior on the team (Riti Chokshi). “We have a lot to work on and improve upon,” said Marks. “However, the emphasis is that this is a new year. We have a group of eager girls who are committed to learning the game of soccer and becoming more proficient in both their skills and their knowledge of the game in order to change the reputation of Elgin High School to a more positive one. We want people to take us seriously and know that we are working on becoming a team to be reckoned with while learning positive lessons both on and off the field.”
Larkin Royals
Coach: Ken Hall
2010 record: 1-17-2, 0-9-2 Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Juniors Diana Hernandez (goalie), Amanda Lane (center-mid), Abbi Alvarez (center-mid), sophomore Stephanie Leon (defense)
Key newcomers: Freshmen Jaci Bridgers (forward), Liz Granada (forward)
Outlook: Hall has switched things up on defense — which he feels will be one of the team’s main calling cards. “Our strength is going to be more of our defensive work,” said Hall. “A key for us is going to be whether we can score or not. We’re coming along on defense. We’re playing four in the back and the girls are getting used to it. We’ve got a ways to go, but I’m happy with what I’ve seen. What we’ve accomplished so far, I’m real happy with.” Bridgers and Granada will help in the offensive department. Hall pointed out Larkin lost 8 games a goal last season. “We lost a number of 1-0 games,” he said. “We have to score goals. If we can score, hopefully we can have a better year than last year.”
South Elgin Storm
Coach: Tiffany Disher (5th season)
2010 record: 13-9-1, 4-5-1 Upstate Eight
Top returning athletes: Seniors Erica Williams, Kelsey Fitzpatrick, juniors Dana McElwain, Lauren Vedrine, Jill Ellison, Emily Young, sophomores Andrea Walsh, Natalie Castro
Key newcomers: Sophomores Janette Salas, freshman Savannah Uvegas
Outlook: Disher’s team returns a nice chunk of talent from last year’s squad that went 4 games over. 500. “Our goal is to finish with a record of .500 or better,” said Disher. “To be successful during any point in the season our team must be cohesive, focused and dedicated. Teamwork is crucial to our success and it starts in practice and continues throughout the year. I feel that our team will be well-balanced between offense and defense due to the return of several key veterans and some new players. Our weaknesses will be to overcome some early-season injuries and chronic existing ones. We will also have a challenge of seeing which players will work best with each other since we are adding so many new ones to the mix.” Disher feels the teams to watch out for in the division include St. Charles North, Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley.
Streamwood Sabres
Coach: Chelsea Lloyd (2nd season)
2010 record: 5-16-7, 3-7-0 Upstate Eight
Top returning players: Senior Sara Kemp (defense), junior Stephanie Brown (midfield-forward), sophomore Sharice Ellenwood (midfield)
Key newcomers: Sophomore Kimberly Jimenez (forward), Daniela Sanchez (defense)
Outlook: Kemp was an all-conference pick last year, while Brown and Ellenwood earned all-conference honorable mention accolades. “Offensively, we have speed up top that we did not have last year,” said Lloyd. “We are good at working the ball in through the middle to our outside wings, which creates more opportunities.” Lloyd is also impressed with the team’s speed on defense, “which should enable us to stay with our marks,” she said. Lloyd is looking forward to improvement this season. “I am happy with the depth and range of talent that this team has brought to the table,” said Lloyd. “These girls are working hard in practice. It’s exciting to see their aggression and determination. This program continues to grow and is bringing in girls that are ready to play and be committed. Having more depth within our team should enable us to come out of the gates strong.”