Abate's goal lifts Bartlett to victory
The Bartlett Hawks and Oswego Panthers girls soccer teams tangled with each other on a brisk afternoon at Millennium Field Thursday and the result was a 1-0 victory for the Hawks.
The Hawks' goal came off a penalty kick made by junior Fran Abate at the 33:12 mark of the second half.
The kick was set up by a handball off Emily Swanson about 20 feet in front of the Panthers' goal.
Abate steadied herself and hit a dribbler that skipped off to the right of Panthers' goalie Courtney Seffrood (5 saves) for the games only score.
"I stood dead on with the ball so I wouldn't give where I was going with the shot away," said Abate. "It was nice to have that opportunity and good to get our first win."
Bartlett (1-0-1) goalkeeper Erin Zaideman (5 saves) made some stellar saves to protect the 1-0 lead.
"When the game is so close you really have to keep your concentration to block out the pressure," said Zaideman.
The Hawks spent the first half having difficulty dealing with Oswego's flat back four formation.
They made some adjustments at halftime which allowed them to get more opportunities in front of the goal.
The Hawks just happened to be in the right place at the right time thanks to pressure the change in strategy created.
"The formation Oswego (0-1) was playing us in is not one that you normally see at this level," said Hawks coach Heather Thomas. "The adjustments we needed to make had to be as team rather than individually. This team is mature enough to understand that and adjust."
Oswego coach Margaret Fehrenbacher was happy with the way her team fought but disappointed in the fashion in which it lost.
"We're learning a new formation," said Fehrenbacher. "We have a mixture of young and seasoned players. Considering those two factors I thought we played pretty well. It was just disappointing to lose the way we did."
Cary-Grove 7, Lakes 0: Lakes High School never had a chance.
Cary-Grove dominated in all facets of the game. Scoring 5 goals during the first 16 minutes of the game, Cary-Grove opened the 2008 season with an easy 7-0 win over Lakes in a nonconference girls soccer game at Cary-Grove High School Thursday afternoon.
"We came out aggressive and with a lot of positive energy," said Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal. "We were just excited to be outside and playing in a game. The results weren't that important. This is a very close group. They do everything together. I liked our effort for a first game. We did a lot of good things."
The Trojans (1-0) didn't waste any time in getting on the scoreboard. Off a nice feed from 4-year starter Kelsey Passaglia, junior Sally Tashjian scored with only 1 minute, 17 seconds elapsed in the contest to give the Trojans an early 1-0 advantage.
Cary-Grove, which outshot Lakes 20-2, scored 5 more times in the first half.
Passaglia scored 3 goals, while Kelli Anderson added a goal and Tashjian tallied her second goal of the afternoon as the Trojans led 6-0 after 40 minutes of play. Passaglia and Anderson also added assists during the Trojans' dominant first half .
Anderson scored Cary-Grove's lone goal of the second half at the 19:04 mark.
"After not playing Tuesday, we were really pumped to play today," said Passaglia. "All the girls played with a lot of energy and we came out very strong. We are a very young team but this team has a great bond. We played with a lot of confidence and are looking forward to the season."
Lakes goalie Jessica Schroeder registered 8 saves in the nets for the Eagles (0-2).
"We were certainly at sleep at the wheel to start the game," said Lakes coach Kevin Kullby. "We have to start games better. Cary-Grove is a very good, speedy team. They have the whole package. We played a much better second half. We did a better job on defense. But, we certainly have to shore up the defense."
Cary-Grove junior goalie Alex Holland only needed to make 1 save in the game. Lakes' freshman Emily Mason had the lone shot on goal for the Eagles.
-- Dave Hess
Elgin Academy 5, F.W. Parker 0: Behind a strong offensive showing from Kate Burnham, who scored 2 goals and assisted on 3, Elgin Academy (1-1) earned its first win of the season with this 5-0 Independent School League win.
Lauren Steimle found the back of the net once while assisting two of Burnham's knocks, and both Allison Clark and Kristin Cella added single goals.
Bianca Swegler defended the Hilltopper net recording 17 saves en route to the shutout, and Alyssa Pena came off the bench to add excellent defense.
Sycamore 1, Burlington Central 0: Despite a 12-save performance from Kim DeRaedt in goal, Burlington Central (0-1) dropped this nonconference season-opener against Sycamore.