Fenwick High School senior girls soccer forward Grace Kapsch has achieved plenty during her career, having been named to the All-State Team last year and playing an important part in the Friars’ back-to-back sectional championships the past two seasons, along with a fourth-place finish in the 2022 IHSA Class 2A tournament.
But one thing was missing for Kapsch and her fellow seniors: a victory over East Avenue rival OPRF. On March 26, Fenwick crossed that item off its checklist, blanking the host Huskies 4-0.
“It feels especially good since we beat them at their house,” said Kapsch, who scored two goals. “They beat us the last few years, so it feels good to get our revenge.”
Fenwick coach Craig Blazer lauded his team’s effort, indicating that it was one of the best of this early season for the Friars.
“The girls played exceptionally well,” he said. “Defensively, we did well to keep Oak Park in front of us and not really allowing them dangerous opportunities. It was a great team win, and we’re very happy.”
It took just over five minutes for Fenwick (5-0-1) to get on the board. Senior midfielder/defender Fiona Roche sent a ball into the middle of the box, and Kapsch headed it into the net past OPRF senior goalkeeper Jackie Bollinger.
“I was able to get a head on it because I knew it was going to be placed perfectly,” Kapsch said. “I just used my strength.”
Twelve minutes later, the Friars doubled their lead on a well-designed free kick play. On the restart, two Fenwick players circled the ball, then senior forward Caroline Henige booted it past Bollinger from 30 yards out.
“I saw the defender was off the line a little bit and not paying attention, so I thought I’d chip it over her,” said Henige, a Marquette University signee. “We’ve been working on that a lot in practice, so it’s good for it to pay off.”
“It felt really good to get the first two goals in the first 15-20 minutes,” Kapsch said. “It really helped us build up the momentum.”
After Henige’s goal, OPRF (2-4) picked up its play and controlled the ball the rest of the first half and into the second half. But the Huskies weren’t able to generate prime scoring opportunities, and Fenwick gradually regained control of the match.
“[Fenwick] was winning the 50-50 battles,” said OPRF coach Lauren Zallis. “They were very aggressive when it came to winning balls.”
In the 65th minute, Fenwick’s Kiera Mullarkey was tackled in the box, leading to a penalty kick. She beat Bollinger to the right, giving the Friars a commanding 3-0 lead.
Then Kapsch put the icing on Fenwick’s cake in the 73rd minute, taking a feed from Susie Shank and heading it into the net.
“I think we’re doing well as a team,” Henige said. “We’re working together, and I think we’re only going to improve from here.”
While Fenwick has established a culture of success, Zallis is trying to build one of her own for the Huskies. She feels matches like Fenwick can be valuable learning tools.
“We’re in a growth phase and we’re going to continue to face adversity and challenges like this,” she said. “The best thing we can do is to take this and learn from it; if you don’t come out with an intensity that matches what the other team brings, you set yourself back.”
On March 30, OPRF dropped its fourth consecutive match, 5-1 at St. Charles East. Genevieve Simkowski had the Huskies’ only goal, assisted by Abby Cockerill.
Fenwick visits IC Prep in Elmhurst on April 6 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, OPRF opens West Suburban Silver play at York, April 9, at 6:30 p.m.