Fillies Soccer Season Off to Fast Start

Consecutive 1-0 victories to open the season has the Fillies starting off on the right foot, and a header, too.

After beating Glenbrook South (last year’s fourth place finisher in state) 1-0 off a header from a sophomore during the March 14 opening season match-up, it was a different underclassman coming through in a big way offensively for the Fillies a few days later. 

On Wednesday, March 16, with Barrington and Naperville North deadlocked at zero, it was a freshman scoring the lone goal off her right foot late in the second half to record the Fillies' second straight 1-0 victory to start the season.

The Fillies (2-0) are starting their 2011 soccer campaign with a stretch of five straight home matches and play seven of their first nine contests in Barrington. Fillies’ coach Ryan Stengren knows the importance of a good solid start from the team. Especially if they hope to duplicate last season's success that saw the team post an impressive (24-3-3) record, and had the team finish as MSL, regional and sectional champs before falling at the super-sectionals (2-0 to St. Charles North).

Having lost six players from last year’s run at state, including MSL player of the year Amy Johnson, Stengren will be relying heavily on a delicate balance of talented senior leadership and athletic underclassman to propel this year’s team.

"This is a good group and the seniors have them heading in the right direction," Sengren said. 

Barrington opened the 2011 season with a 1-0 win over Glenbrook South by utilizing a combination of stingy physical defense and solid goal tending from four-year varsity goaltending senior Kelly Pedersen.  One of the Fillies’ goalies from last year (worked in a platoon with graduating teammate Liz Burzynski), Pedersen helped Barrington to a remarkable 0.56 goals-against average and assisted the Fillies to 19 shutouts in their 30 matches. 

But it wasn’t just defense from one of the senior leaders (Pedersen) that secured Barrington’s first victory, but a healthy dose of team defense spurred by underclassmen (freshman) Mia Calamari.

“Mia plays with such composure,” Stengren said of the underclassman that hardly plays like one.

As the defense did their job, it was a big offensive play from one of the many talented underclassmen that are currently energizing the team.  With the score knotted at zero, sophomore Molly Phieffer managed to poke one in off a header that would give Barrington the victory to open the season.

In Wednesday’s match, Barrington’s defense continued their strong focused play and held the Naperville North Huskies to a limited number of shots on goals barely testing Pedersen.

“We talk about defending with ten, not just the back four,” Coach Stengren said.  “The team did an excellent job and although Kelly [Pedersen] hasn’t really been tested, her senior leadership is a really a calming influence for the team.”

With eerie similarities to their opening contest, Barrington again utilized solid goaltending combined with a fast dominating defense that disrupted the offensive flow of the Huskies keeping them off the scoreboard. 

And although Barrington's offense appeared to be falling into the same fate the Huskies faced, especially after an earlier goal was called back for off-sides, it was freshman midfielder/defender Elli Ackermann finding separation from her opponent.  After making a move to get deep into the Huskies zone Ackermann, while falling, managed to send a sharp kick from her right foot that went directly past the diving Huskies goalie (17:35 in the second half) into the far side of the net giving Barrington a 1-0 win.

“[Elli’s] goal was awesome,” Stengren said.  “Elli just returned from being out sick (virus) and missed most of our preseason; she isn’t even at one hundred percent, or where we envisioned her to be, and she is only going to get better as she gets more comfortable."

Even with Barrington having only scored a combined two goals to open the season, against two very tough opponents, Stengren isn’t the least bit worried about a perceived lack of offense this early in the season, especially when you take into account the steady play of the teams’ defense and Pedersen (recorded her second straight shut-out).

“[Scoring] is not a concern yet since we are getting good opportunities during the game; plus we are a little short handed right now dealing with some injuries,” said Stengren of the Fillies who averaged 1.51 goals per contest last year.  “Our main concentration has been on defense and we are just now starting to work on our offense.”

Barrington looks to continue their fast start to the season and move to (3-0) with their next match which will be home against powerhouse Neuqua Valley on Saturday, March 19, starting at 11 am.

“We expect to win every time we step on the field but told the girls that this is a tough start and if we go 3-0 don’t get to high and if we went 0-3 to not get down on ourselves,” Stengren said following Wednesday’s victory.  “We’re trying to build on what we do and build towards conference and playoffs.”

“Our goal is to ‘go home’,” Stengren continued to say coyly of the team’s mission for this year.

When asked to elaborate, a tight lipped Stengren simply said that the senior leaders have a vision and would give no further details but to say, “Our goal is to go home!”