Warriors open season with a win
By Darryl Mellema

After waiting 10 months from the end of their 2011 campaign to the start of preseason practice, it was tough to keep Lincoln-Way West’s players from eagerly anticipating the start of the 2012 season.

That season got started Tuesday night and Lincoln-Way West won the Bolingbrook-Romeoville Invite contest with Willowbrook 4-1.

“From Day 1, were all like ‘how many days before our first game? How many more days?’” Lincoln-Way West junior Cori Brennan said. “(Monday), they told us ‘it’s tomorrow’ and we were all pumped for it and so excited to play.”

Lincoln-Way West attacks in the same manner as a hawk advances on its prey. The Warriors spread their wings and stream forward at great speed. When the ball comes back into the middle, that is when the team goes for the kill, with a number of forward-minded players heading toward the goal.

“This year, we have a really good offense,” Brennan said. “With her in the middle, playing balls in the middle and the defense getting it outside for us. It’s great.”

“Her” refers to freshman Emily Wyskiel, who had great impact on the match from a forward midfield role. Wyskiel also scored one of her team’s goals.

“I’m a freshman and they’re inviting me to this team and they welcoming to me,” Wyskiel said. “I couldn’t wait to get out here and to start playing soccer with them. We work so hard in practice. I couldn’t wait to come out here and play.”

Although high school soccer fans got their first look at Wyskiel’s skills on Tuesday, Lincoln-Way West coach Jeff Theiss has been aware of her talent for some time.

“Since she was in sixth grade, she’s been coming to my camps,” Theiss said. “We’ve had her kicking around with the varsity girls since then. She’s ready to go. We got to see her with the West varsity in last year’s summer league and there’s no question in my mind that she was going to step up huge.”

That offense flowed throughout the match, though it took 15 minutes for Lincoln-Way West to score.

“We’ve been talking all through preseason practice,” Theiss said. “We want them to take a touch away from pressure and then to switch the field. The outside mids do a good job, not only showing and making proper runs, but they’re demanding the ball. It was nice to see that counter.”

Lincoln-Way West (1-0) led 1-0 through a Katie Brncich goal after 15 minutes of play in the match. Brncich took a Brennan pass and scored.

And with Lincoln-Way West dominating possession and keeping the ball in Willowbrook’s penalty are for much of the first half. Brncich’s goal was still the only one of the match as halftime approached.

Willowbrook tied the match seven minutes before halftime when Natalie Wolski hit a shot from the top of the penalty area that caught everyone wrong-footed and went in at the right post. The goal, Willowbrook’s first of the season, brought the match fully to life.

While not a 30-yard thunderbolt, Wolski’s goal had the same impact as every goal does – it changed the complexion of the match.

“They don’t have to be pretty,” Willowbrook coach Pete Montgomery said. “They all count the same. That’s a great first goal for the season for us. It shows us that it’s not always going to be the perfect shot that goes right into the upper corner. You can take an off-balance shot and it doesn’t have to go 100 miles per hour. As long as it goes where the keeper’s not going to be, it’s in.”

Lincoln-Way West found a response two minutes before halftime when Brennan took a throw-in, turned on the ball and ripped a shot into the net. The goal was the 32nd in the junior’s Lincoln-Way West career.

“All the forwards, we had shots and we were shooting,” Brennan said. “We had to test the keeper. I just kind of focus on the goal and go for it.”

Lincoln-Way West opened the second half strongly and advanced its lead in the second minute of play when Jenna Serrano hit in a rebound. Wyskiel’s goal came 15 minutes into the half from a Brennan pass.

“It feels good,” Wyskiel said. “I’m out here in my first game and I scored one. I missed a PK, but I had to come back and get a second chance. I got it and finished it and it feels good.”

Serrano is another of Lincoln-Way West’s impact freshmen, as is Natalie Tannura, who had an assist in the contest. Another freshman, Alyza Hopkinson, played all 80 minutes in a holding role defensively.

With a goal and two assists, Brennan showed her importance to Lincoln-Way West’s attack.

“Every day, (Brennan) grows,” Theiss said. “She came in here as a wide-eyed freshman and she put 14 in the back of the net. Last year, she had 17, and she continues to improve. She works hard in the offseason.”

Lincoln-Way West has two seniors on its roster: Colleen Kinsella, who was injured on Tuesday and Alyssa Capecci, who was a starting defender in her first varsity match.

“(Capecci) came out – this is her first season with us.” Theiss said. “We talked her into coming out and she’s a great addition to the program.”

Lincoln-Way West’s speed forced Willowbrook to adapt. Romeoville’s artificially-turfed field is only 100 yards long, so players were within shooting range quickly if they got through the midfield.

“We had to adjust a little bit,” Willowbrook senior Louisa Reese said. “We have some fast players too. We just had to make sure that, on defense, we stepped off them a little bit so if we had to attack their first touch, we could do that.”

Despite the result, Montgomery saw encouraging signs from his team. Top of the list was the manner in which the Warriors (0-2) responded to Lincoln-Way West’s quickness.

“That’s one of the things we tried to establish in practice, was that speed of play in a good varsity game against a good varsity opponent,” Montgomery said. “We haven’t had much luck with that. These first games are a learning experience for us about how aggressive we need to be, how fast we need to play and how quickly we need to be able to make decisions and to release the ball. I think that we responded pretty well.”

Willowbrook continues Bolingbrook-Romeoville Invite play on Thursday and Saturday and has nonconference matches with Streamwood and Glenbard East before its conference match with West Suburban Gold power Downers Grove South on April 3.

“This is what you want from the first games of the season,” Montgomery said. “It’s about learning who you are and learning what you have. I’m glad that we could put up the fight that we did. If that makes (Lincoln-Way West) a better team in the season too, that makes it good for both of us.”

Willowbrook has a core of experienced players as it enters the 2012 season.

“We have a good number of seniors this year,” Montgomery said. “This is the pinnacle for them. (Reese) is a four-year varsity starter and Claire Criscione is a four-year varsity starter. (Seniors) Marissa Yepez and Jessica Nolen are three-year varsity players. So they’ve got a lot of experience and leadership on the field. Those four girls are captains for us.”

Reese likes what she has seen through preseason practice and then in the two matches so far this season.

“I think it’s a good start to our season, being aggressive,” Reese said. “That was one of the things I think we needed to do as a program. I think we have a more well-rounded team than in the past.”

Reese is a four-year varsity player who has watched the program develop, and she likes her team’s prospects for the season.

“I really think we can do a lot this year,” Reese said. “We have a lot more soccer knowledge on the soccer field this year and I think there’s more confidence as well. Not losing a lot of players last year, I think we were able to come into this year with a base.”

Reese said she has already seen evidence that the Warriors are ready for 2012.

“It’s been nice to see the consistency on the field,” she said. “It’s been fun to grow within the team and to become a leader. I just want to see my team do well.”

Montgomery said players like Reese are the core of the squad. There  is balance, however.  Willowbrook has three sophomores on the roster and two of those – forward Lindsey Peterson and Lauren Carroll – started on Tuesday. A further two freshmen have made the varsity – including goalscorer Wolski and fellow starting midfielder Jamie Colella.