Young Rams show progress in 2-0 defeat to Red Devils

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By Curt Herron

While Wednesday's conditions certainly weren't conducive to a high level of play, there were still lessons to be learned from simply competing.

Such was the case for both Hinsdale Central and Glenbard East when they met in a nonconference match on a cold and blustry afternoon in Hinsdale.

Both the Red Devils and Rams still have plenty of questions about themselves since they had only played two times apiece heading into this match.

And while Hinsdale's 2-0 victory at Dickinson Field certainly won't provide all of the answers, the match pointed out positives for both sides.

For Red Devils coach Skip Begley, a squad with a mix of veterans and new faces is coming together and finding that it has some scoring potential.

That was seen as Hinsdale controlled possession, had plenty of good shot attempts and prevented the visitors from generating much of an attack.

Meanwhile, Rams coach Kent Overbey was able to walk away encouraged after seeing his young squad put up a good fight against a quality program.

As for the match, the Red Devils collected scores early in both halves and recorded their second shutout in three matches to claim a 2-0 victory.

Eryka Hawkins put Hinsdale (2-1) up for good with a score in the 13th minute while Katie Camden added the host's other goal in the 52nd minute.

Freshman goalkeeper Riley Glenn only had to make one save, thanks to the efforts of defenders such as Jackie Gutman, Casey May and Meghan Schick.

The highlight for the Rams (1-1-1) was the play of sophomore keeper Veronica Fairbairn, who did a nice job of halting numerous Red Devil threats.

With Mallory Feinstein and Darby Moran also getting into the act offensively, the hosts had another dozen attempts stopped by the Rams keeper.

Hinsdale, which fell 3-1 to Naperville North on Saturday, hosts Downers Grove South, Neuqua Valley and Lincoln-Way Central in next week's DGS Tourney.

"We played a little better than we did on Saturday," Begley said. "We moved the ball a little better, did a good job of controlling the pace and our defense kept them shut down well, and that's always a concern when you have a freshman keeper out there.

"Jackie Gutman, Meghan Schick and Casey May have been playing centrally on defense and we've been running people wide like Kate Shea, Mary Cefaratti and Lily Chetosky. They played better today and it's always good when you can hold somebody to zero goals.

"If we can get Eryka and Mallory to both put balls in the back of the net, that will make us dangerous. We've got some goal scorers, but the key will be can we shut people down. We have good depth and so far we've played all 19 people in all three games.

"We're looking forward to the tournament since we'll play three good teams and that will give us a good idea of where we're going. You can build on one game to the next and build on some momentum as you go into the season."

After not threatening during the opening 10 minutes of play, the Red Devils turned up the pressure and collected the only score that they would need.

In the 11th minute, Moran had a short attempt deflected away by Fairbairn but just over a minute later she assisted a more successful scoring try.

On that second effort, Moran found Hawkins, who sent a shot from one side of the field to the opposite corner of an empty net to make it a 1-0 score.

"We had a rough game on Saturday but we picked it up today and definitely in the first half," Moran said. "We're only three games into the season so I think we'll come together after we have our spring break.

"I like the attitude that everyone has on this team. Nobody comes to practice thinking that they want to do it and we all stay positive and we work together well as a team. So far, we're off to a good start."

Following that initial score, the Red Devils had numerous other chances, especially during the opening half when they had the wind at their backs.

Over the next few minutes, Feinstein was denied on a short attempt and then Moran suffered the same fate, following a pass from Feinstein.

The Rams' best first half chance came in the 22nd minute when Erin Mrazek sent a corner to Laura Davis, who fired a shot off of a defender.

A short time later, Hinsdale had a couple of good opportunities on free kicks but attempts from Feinstein and Drea Issleib were unsuccessful.

During the final five minutes of the first half, Feinstein was denied on two more attempts while Hawkins also had a shot stopped by Fairbairn.

Hinsdale looked like it scored right before the break but a Feinstein attempt that found the net was ruled to have been made after the buzzer.

The Rams, who allowed no goals in an opening win over Addison Trail and one in Monday's draw with Morton, felt fortunate to be in the match.

"Hinsdale Central is not just a good team, it's a good program," Overbey said. "Every year this is kind of our barometer at the beginning of the year. We're getting better and doing the things we need to do to try to slow down a team that's good offensively.

"We had a couple of mental lapses but we're happy with our play today. We're a lot more consistent than we've been in the past so we're moving in the right direction. We've got a young group and we're still trying to find the right positions for our players.

"This is Veronica's first year on varsity and we've been very impressed with her and she kept us in this game. I was also pleased with Erin Mrazek and Jessie Grumstrup in the center midfield and Lindsey Paganucci, who moved to outside back in the second half."

The initial 10 minutes of the second half were much like their equivalent in the first half with the Red Devils stymied in their shots on goal.

On its first chance of the new half, Hinsdale managed to capitalize when Feinstein sent a corner kick to Camden, who connected from close range.

During the 54th minute, Glenbard collected its only shot on goal of the afternoon when Mrazek sent a line drive that Glenn managed to haul in.

Following attempts by Hawkins and Feinstein that were stopped by Fairbairn, the Rams had one last good chance, but Megan Nelson's try was wide.

"The defense has been making my life so much easier," Glenn said. "Jackie, Meghan and Casey have all helped me out in the back and when we get a shutout, it's their work.

"I think we're playing well as a team. A lot of people are still kind of nervous but we'll get settled as we go on. Everyone gets along well and that makes it fun to play."

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