St. Francis picks up where it left off
The 2016 St. Francis girls soccer team scored goals early and often en route to a fourth-place finish in Class 2A.
Starting this season Thursday at Glenbard North, the Spartans needed only a little more than two minutes to strike.
Sophomore Hannah Rittenhouse used her speed to break free and convert the breakaway lead pass from sophomore midfielder Jill DiTusa.
"I was ready for it," Rittenhouse said. "It was really good. It was good to get back out there and score. It kind of built the team momentum and just kind of kept us going."
The Spartans went from there to earn a 6-0 victory in Carol Stream. Sophomore Katherine McKee and junior Sarah Maller also scored for a 3-0 halftime advantage. In the final 11 minutes junior Anna Valaik scored twice and sophomore Michaela Corrigan added a final goal. Juniors Erin Peck and Adeline Shaw and Corrigan provided assists.
"The more we can get that (offense) spread out, the better it is for us," St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. "I thought once we did that, then we settled down. The ball stayed on the ground more."
The Spartans are committed to more midfield ball control to complement their speedy attack often fueled by Peck and junior Kendra Pasquale, who had 26 of the team's 88 goals in 22 games for 2016. Pasquale did not play Thursday after recently taking a blow to her head and might be out for a couple of weeks.
With one-goal losses in their final two 2016 games, Winslow waited until Thursday to record his 100th coaching victory with the Spartans. Starting his seventh season, he is 100-26-4 and coached the 2012 Class 2A champions.
"I don't really pay much attention to that. I've been very fortunate to have a lot of good kids here," Winslow said. "This is as good a group as I've ever had. The junior class is deep. It's talented. The sophomore group is good. And I've got a good group of freshmen. The two that played tonight (reserves Ava Hensley and Bella DeFeo) did a nice job."
Not one senior started for either side. The Spartans only have four and the Panthers only one available, Valeria Mayorga. Emma Martinez should be active soon after coming out late.
"We're still trying to figure out where to best position the girls. It's a work in progress," said Glenbard North coach David Stanfield, who also has just three juniors. "(We're) very young but a bit more skilled hopefully this year. I'm more concerned about making sure we get a few concepts nailed down and the team sticks together. This team can grow the next few years."
St. Francis also only started three of six returning starters from last year's state third-place game - Peck and juniors Kaitlyn Joniak and Claire Hensley in the midfield.
Besides Pasquale, senior goalie Tammy Syron replaced junior Courtney Kozak at halftime and saved both shots on goal from more than 40 yards out. Senior McKenzie Douglass, the only returnee from the defensive line, is expected to return in mid-April from her torn ACL.
"We're just trying to get better. We're trying to win state," Rittenhouse said. "We've just got to get after it and work hard and play hard every game."
The Spartans could have scored more if not for great goalkeeping by sophomore and returning starter Karissa Chalus. She made 10 saves, including several point-blank stops, and the Spartans hit the post three times. McKee scored 25:40 before halftime for a 2-0 lead by rebounding Rittenhouse's blast off the left post.
Stanfield also praised defensive work from Hannah Arista and Aurelia Carulli, who alternated between central defense and midfield.
"(Chalus) was excellent. She had to be," Stanfield said. "We told them to treat it like it was 0-0 at halftime. I'm glad to say for a good part of the second half we were pretty competitive."