Dukes dominate their way to win No. 11

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By Gary Larsen

Finding York’s best player on the field is like searching for Bigfoot.

“A lot of people ask who our best player is but truthfully, we all need each other,” York coach Rachael Shepherd said. “I know that’s a common theme but at York, everyone has to play. This year we have a very balanced group.”

At least one of York’s best players recently returned to the pitch. Senior defender Katie Gratzianna sat out 8 games with an ankle injury this year, but could be found controlling the outside of the Dukes’ back line during York’s 6-0 home win over visiting Hinsdale South.

“It’s so nice to have her back,” Shepherd said. “(Defenders) Meryl Cripe and Taylor Navarro have done an awesome job, and Gratz has a level of speed and tenacity – it hurts when she’s not out there.”

Gratzianna spent her time on the bench well. “I just tried to put my word in wherever it could help,” she said, after playing in her second game back. “I can tell when my ankle is painful and when it’s just sore, and it’s just sore right now. But it feels good to be back.”

York (11-2) got a hat-trick on Thursday from Christina Ordonez, a sophomore that figures to give area teams a massive headache for two more years.

“She’s a very special player,” Shepherd said.

The Dukes’ Ally Wilkins and Courtney McHugh scored before halftime in Elmhurst to help York to a 5-0 lead at intermission. Danielle Vujovic added a second-half goal.

After filling in nicely in back during Gratzianna’s absence, Wilkins slid into the midfield versus the Hornets to help York deal with the absence of injured starters Sam Luke and Ellie Ordonez.

“Abby did a really nice job. She was huge back there,” Gratzianna said of Wilkins’ play in her absence. “She went out of her comfort zone for us.

We definitely have players that can step into situations when we need them to. We play as a family, we all give a hundred percent, and we push each other.”

For a team that has now scored 42 goals and only given up 14 in 13 games, York has played well on both sides of the ball. Freshman goalkeeper Anna Bell Lansdowne continues to develop the swagger that all good keepers need to have, while central defender Cripe has played at a high level again this year.

“Anna Bell is doing a great job,” Shepherd said. “She’s working and learning, figuring out our system and really trying to develop into a good sweeper-keeper because that’s sort of how we play.”

“And Meryl Cripe has held the middle for us for two years. And we had Taylor Navarro at outside mid and sometimes up front, but she’s just so aggressive and tenacious that we put her in the back. She has done an awesome job.”

Gratzianna also likes the promise she sees in Lansdowne, who naturally had to overcome the initial jitters of being a varsity keeper as a freshman, and acclimate to the idea of bossing upperclassmen around.

“I think she’s getting over it,” Gratzianna said. “Goalkeeper is a huge position for any player, even a senior, but I think she has stepped into it nicely. Her whole thing was communicating, and shouting and yelling. We had to tell her that it’s okay to tell us when we’re wrong and scream at us if she has to.”

For Hinsdale South, there was one factor as responsible as any for the Hornets’ undoing against York.

“They were a lot faster than I thought they were,” Hornets coach Pat Wolf said of the Dukes. “Rachael does a nice job. She’s some numbers, young kids, and speed.”

Wolf was unhappy with his squad’s ability to clear defensively on York’s first three goals, but happier with the Hornets’ response to a halftime talk that included a plea to their pride.

The Hornets only gave up one goal during the second 40 minutes.

“We had more energy in the second half. I just said some things about being more competitive,” Wolf said. “It’s less about the score than about how they responded, and we did play a little better in the second half.”

One bit of good news for the Hornets was seeing Wolf send Meagan McPherson into the game. McPherson saw her first action since an injury suffered against Stagg more than a month ago.

“She probably played too much out there. I should have probably taken her off sooner,” Wolf said. “But it was good to have her out there.”

“I thought Sarah Fazal brought a lot of energy for us. I have two senior captains, and in the off-season they did a nice job of bringing us together, bringing the enthusiasm in practice, and demanding things. (Fazal) was out there really hustling and playing hard.”

Ordonez scored from 14 yards out in the 5th minute, from 17 yards out in the 8th minute, and the sophomore scored on an Angela Bianchi assist one minute later. McHugh’s goal came in the 26th minute, and Wilkins’ rip from 20 yards out made it 5-0 in the 35th minute.

Vujovic finished the day’s scoring in the 57th minute.

York heads to the Tournament of Champions in Burlington, Iowa for games on Friday and Saturday, then returns for games next week against Hinsdale Central, Proviso West, and St. Ignatius.

“We have some depth and for me it’s just about continuing to build and get to our fullest capacity by the time we hit the playoffs,” Shepherd said.
 
“In the last four years this is probably our most technically-talented group, and they’re fast. We’re starting to get into the flow of really working the ball around.”

Hinsdale South plays Downers Grove South and Addison Trail next week before playing in the Lemont Invite next weekend.

“I have to keep reminding myself that I have a freshman keeper, freshmen girls on the outside, and we’re young,” Wolf said. “I think at times we expect more than they can deliver, but the effort has been there.”

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