Corsairs kick off spring break with a 7-0 win

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By Gary Larsen

For Carmel, the plan going in against visiting Bishop McNamara on Monday was clear.

“For us it was to come in, finish early and leave no doubt,” Carmel’s Lauren Bowles said.

Bowles’ hat-trick spearheaded a dominant win for the Corsairs, to be sure. But they didn’t start quite as fast as they would have liked against an undermanned Fightin’ Irish squad from Kankakee.

Just because you win 7-0 and control play doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.

“I thought we could have come out of the gate a little stronger,” Carmel coach John Halloran said. “We took care of it, but we came out slow.”

“One of the dangers of that is that you get some chances early and think those chances will be there for the rest of the game. Sometimes they are, but sometimes against good teams there are momentum swings and those chances disappear.”

Carmel senior Leah Einarsen agreed.

“We got a little sloppy, and we have to stay completely focused no matter who we’re playing” she said. “When we’re not staying organized we can play to their level, and it took us a little while to get going today.”

At 4-0-2 to start the season, program expectations are again high at Carmel. The Corsairs have now beaten Prairie Ridge, Warren, Antioch, and Bishop McNamara, and tied Hersey and Lake Forest.

“We have a lot of potential individually, and we’re starting to mold into a team,” Bowles said. “We’re getting better with pattern play and connecting more. I think we have a lot of potential of going far. And we have really good team chemistry.”

She wasn’t called to action much on Monday, but Carmel senior keeper Maddie Allen notched her third shutout this season, one year after helping the Corsairs post a .55 goals-against average.

For Halloran, Allen’s development as a varsity keeper has been a pleasure to watch.

“She’s been really good for us. Last year we had a senior-dominated defense and it was her first year in net so it worked out really well,” Halloran said.

“This summer was the first time we’d played with those seniors gone. We got broken down a lot but Maddie came up big time after time for us. So we’ve really seen her evolution from somebody who was glad they weren’t shooting at her to someone who – when the shots were coming – you knew she was going to be okay.”

Allen’s back line has a pair of Shannons keying her protection in the middle – junior Shannon Kouba and sophomore Shannon Jung.

“It’s kind of hard because they’re both named Shannon,” Allen said. “But (communication) has been going really well. And we all get along off the field, too. We’ve bonded, so it’s easier to communicate. I can criticize them and they don’t take it personally.”

“They’re very strong in back, and the two girls on the outside are always working hard to get open for passes.”

There’s arguably no player in soccer that gets less glory than an outside defender, as Halloran was quick to point out.

“One of the players for us that has gone unheralded so far this year is Kelly Trillhaase,” Halloran said. “She was playing at right back today and as the game wore on you saw that she’s still overlapping. It’s nice when your backs are making runs into the attacking third.”

“She has played strong all year, and it’s nice to see players like (Trillhaase) come up through the ranks and have an impact.”

Carmel played Monday’s game without the services of Kassidy Brown, Lauren Lehman, and Jessica Gilstrap, so Halloran brought up a quartet of lower level players in Kathleen Queenan, Caitlin Murphy, Claire Ogrinc, and Elizabeth Bream.

All Queenan and Murphy did was score a goal each in the second half against the Fightin’ Irish.

“We’re going to need them in the years to come and maybe even later on this season,” Halloran said of his younger players. “I liked the way they all played. They knocked the ball around well and competed well.”

 Einarsen and Sarah McHugh rounded out Monday’s scoring for Carmel. Einarsen and Gilstrap have keyed the central midfield thus far, along with Maggie Karich.

“We can’t just kick it, which we’ve had some trouble with,” Einarsen said. “As midfielders, we’re the ones who have to set people up, and realize we might not be the ones scoring and getting all the glory.”

“It’s a work in progress,” Halloran said. “Getting our holding mids to do what we want them to do is important and it’s coming along. We have good kids there, and your holding mids are the key to your team. You’re going to live or die by your holding mids.”

“They’re all solid possession players, they’re all competitive, all soccer smart, and that’s what you need there.”
Bowles’ scoring binge on Monday also showed what she’s capable of in terms of finishing.

“It’s always a work-in-progress with your forwards,” Halloran said. “Lauren Bowles knows she left some chances on the field today, but she’s one level of sophistication away from being one of the best players in the area.”
  

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