Spartans give defending state champs all they can handle

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By Gary Larsen

Recently-retired St. Francis coach Tim Dailey was there, sitting anxiously in the top row of the bleachers at Elmhurst College. He was there watching the program he launched nine seasons ago battle valiantly against defending state champion Wheaton Academy in a girls’ soccer game.

Afterwards, he was asked if the Spartans had ever fielded a better team or put forth a better effort against local rival Wheaton Academy.

“No,” came Dailey’s simple answer.

In years past, the difference in skill level, size, and athleticism between the Spartans and Warriors was notable. Wheaton Academy soccer has two state titles and a long and proud tradition in the sport.

But while the Spartans ultimately lost in a shootout to the Warriors on Thursday, they showed throughout that they’re prepared to match Wheaton Academy stride for stride this season.

Once upon a time, first-year Spartans’ coach Meg Boler played for Dailey at St. Francis, so she too is well aware of the history of the rivalry, which intensified this year as both play in the newly-formed Suburban Christian Conference.

Boler has all the fire in her belly you expect from a young coach, and her expectations are high for her talented squad. But she was clearly pleased with what she saw from her side on Thursday.

“I’m good, for the most part,” Boler said. “I’m just glad that hopefully we’ll get them at sectionals. I’m crossing my fingers. If this is what we brought this game, hopefully we’ll only improve for the next one.”

I thought we outplayed them in the first half and should have put away more than we did. But we came out a hundred percent and I have nothing negative to say about that. They weren’t intimidated or scared. They played aggressive.”

St. Francis (11-8-1, 6-2 in SCC play) came in aiming for a piece of the conference title, and attacked well into the wind in the first 40 minutes. Wheaton Academy (14-3-1, 9-0 in SCC play) always plays quick, cohesive soccer but struggled to match the Spartans, who closed quickly on every ball and played passes with purpose throughout.

“This is the fifth time I’ve seen St. Francis this season and I thought this was their best performance,” Marksberry said. “They put a lot of pressure on us, they were very dynamic, they moved the ball well, and they were creative with how their strikers moved.”

Taylor Bucaro sent a shot on net on a feed from Sydney Fox in the 32nd minute, and Meagan Gitchell sent a through-ball forward that Fox couldn’t quite catch at the end line a minute later.

The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute on a Crystal Thomas free kick that bent with the wind and spun under the crossbar.

Gitchell tied the game in the 57th minute, locating a ball near the goalmouth and hammering it home. The play was set up by a Fox corner kick.

“I told Sydney that the wind was going to kill it so she had to hit it back, and she did,” Gitchell said. “Katie Bucaro headed it, I looked for the ball, and I just hit it and it went to the back of the net.”

With a roster of 20 that features 7 freshmen and 2 sophomores, the Spartans have worked all year in gaining the confidence to play against power programs and larger schools. Of their 8 losses, 6 have come to Class 3A programs and they’ve lost by a single goal in 5 of those games.

Gitchell was one of the seniors getting her young team ready to face Wheaton Academy, which annually battles well against 3A competition.

“We were just telling the freshmen to play with confidence,” Gitchell said. “There were a lot of nerves so we were calming them down a bit, but also telling them to keep the intensity and play hard.

We’ve been talking about this game since the beginning of the season, and we were definitely ready to go.”

Both sides tried to end the tie in regulation. Bucaro was just late sliding onto a Fox serve sent to the far post in the 74th minute. And Spartans’ defender Yasmeen Mahmud broke up a dangerous play in the 78th minute.

Two scoreless, 5-minute, sudden victory overtime periods ensued before the Warriors won the game in a shootout.

Fox and Andi Matichak worked their tails off in the attack for the Spartans, and Boler credited senior defender Diana Matusiak for her strong performance throughout the contest.

“She stepped when she was supposed to, and got back when she was supposed to,” Boler said. “Andi (Matichak), again, I thought played well. It’s a rare occasion that she doesn’t play well. I also thought our midfielders stepped up today.”

Gitchell and the girls in the middle connected the defense with the frontrunners well all day. “You have to be up, you have to be back, and you have to be there for everyone,” Gitchell said. “The key was playing confidently, marking up, getting back, communicating with the defense and pushing up as a unit on offense.”

There’s a good chance that Thursday’s battle stood as a preview of a sectional title game to be played on May 28. Wheaton Academy is the No. 1 seed of the Elmwood Park sectional, and St. Francis is seeded second.

“(Marksberry) complimented us afterwards, and said we’re a very solid team, and that’s very good to hear,” Boler said. “It’s all the girls. I coach them, but they’re the ones working hard. I’m very proud of them even though the outcome isn’t what we wanted.”
 

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