Girls soccer: Tinley Park shuts down Maine West

The PepsiCo Showdown opener didn't go as well for Maine West as the club had hoped for.

The Warriors conceded three first-half goals, two in the first half hour, and were forced to chase Tinley Park the rest of Saturday morning in a 5-0 loss at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.

"We did a lot of defending today which wasn't the plan, and even though we have a young, and inexperienced roster, that was not the best effort of the season from the girls," said Warriors coach Jeff Bishop. "Although we were missing five starters today, that's no excuse for the effort we gave at times. So that's something we'll have to address when we get back training next week."

The Warriors' (0-2-1) starting lineup featured five sophomores and one freshmen against a Titans' side which entered this contest with a 6-4-0 overall record. They are led by a pair of talented seniors in the middle, Stephanie Nichols and Caroline Carillo, who were both a force for 80 minutes.

If it wasn't Nichols running the show and attack, it was Carillo who put a handful of quality shots on frame, including her last two of the day that found the back of the net for the Titans.

Tinley Park took a 3-0 advantage into the break on goals from Emily Lilly, Yasmia Vela and Nichols, who against the run of play was allowed enough time to tee-up her 25-yard attempt before going past Maine West keeper, Anibeth Bravo in the 37th minute.

"We have a brand new backline this season so it's going to take some time for us to get used to playing together but we the potential to be very good," said senior Ellie McCabe, who is also the Warriors' captain this season.

Maine West's attack was at its best when it targeted, and found sophomore Ally Block, and her teammate, Dylan Van Fleet, who together up top were dangerous at several times going forward.

Van Fleet went wide with her left-footed shot at 32 minutes after Natalie Trytko set the freshmen free,

Moments later, a terrific individual effort from Block resulted in a Warriors' corner, in which Tinley Park defended quite nicely.

Just after the break, sophomore Vanessa Reyes rattled the bar with a wicked 22-yard blast.

Tinley Park added its final goal on a brilliant strike from Carillo, who finished things up in the 63rd minute with her second of the day.

"We played really well the other day during a 0-0 draw against Niles West," Bishop said. "But we just didn't have much today."