The Oak Park and River Forest girls soccer varsity put together an impressive start this season, with three consecutive victories in the Windy City Classic.
The Huskies (3-0) opened the season on March 18 with a 5-2 victory over Mother McAuley at Argo. Sophomore Daphne Mason scored twice. Senior Genevieve Simkowski had a goal and an assist, and sophomore Branka Chiprich and senior Abby Cockerill each had an assist.
On March 20, OPRF notched a 2-1 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor, also at Argo. Cockerill scored on a penalty kick and Chiprich also scored for the Huskies, with senior Malie Cassel getting an assist.
In the quarterfinals, March 22 at Reavis, goals from Chiprich, Simkowski, and senior Maddy Vizzone gave the Huskies a 3-2 victory over Lincoln-Way West. Chiprich and Vizzone each added an assist.
With 12 returning varsity players from last season, there’s plenty of experience for OPRF to rely on. Second-year head coach Lauren Zallis believes that knowledge has allowed the Huskies to enjoy early success.
“We have a lot of senior returners,” she said, “and having them on varsity already, they understand the culture we’re trying to create. There’s a certain level of intensity they experienced last year that they expected this year.
“The other part is when you have that many returners, there’s a lot more cohesion between the players. It doesn’t feel like we have to teach a brand-new system; rather, we’re able to get more in-depth with what we created last year.”
Junior Ana Sofia Mrotzek, who has committed to Loyola University Chicago, had eight goals and five assists last year while making the West Suburban Silver All-Conference Team. Cassel and Simkowski also had eight goals each. Simkowski will play collegiately at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, while Cockerill is an Emerson College commit.
Other returning Huskies are seniors Addison Bliss, Evie Derhammer, Tea Dassinger and Paulina Simkowski; and juniors Maisee Champaneri and Lilly Wright.
Sophomore Lila VanderGriend and senior Scarlett Simkowski are competing for reps as they replace the graduated Jackie Bollinger at goalkeeper.
OPRF’s other varsity newcomers are seniors Campbell Beasley, Anna Breuer, Zoey Fejes, and Alexis Meagher.
The Huskies are busy again this week with the WSC Silver opener at York, followed by the Windy City Classic semifinal at Reavis versus Andrew (after deadline).
“Knowing how to help the players recover and reminding them of that is important,” Zallis said. “But we also have the depth this year to be able to rotate subs without decreasing the intensity of our game. We’re looking to spread out minutes in a crunched-up week like this.”
Fenwick
Fenwick has a victory and a draw in its first two matches this spring.
“It’s a good start,” said Fenwick coach Craig Blazer. “Those were two very good teams we played against, and [it was] good to see our mix of young players and upperclassmen working well together.”
In the opener against Deerfield at the Fenwick Priory in River Forest, March 18, freshman midfielder Lila Gaddipati had an impressive debut, scoring both goals in the Friars’ 2-1 victory.
“Lila’s a talented player who’s attack-minded,” Blazer said. “She has a very good shot, and she’s done very well her first two games. We’re looking for more from her.”
Freshman Keira MaGee and senior Kiera Mullarkey each had an assist.
On March 20, senior midfielder Finley Dondlinger’s goal gave Fenwick a 1-1 draw with visiting Glenbrook South.
“I give our players a lot of credit. We went down first in both games,” Blazer said. “It’s great to see them have a lot of confidence and play well in these four halves, and I think our better games are ahead.”
Dondlinger and Mullarkey are captains. The Friars’ other top returnees are sophomore Mia Carvalho, juniors Mary Brunick and Lola Martinez, and seniors Alex Ballinger, Emma Maria Bassett and Keira Kapsch.
Besides Gaddipati and MaGee, Fenwick’s top newcomers are freshmen Lola Avila and Quinn Sansone, sophomore Lucy Gruber, and senior Jacqueline Keller, a University of Minnesota signee, who is splitting time at goalkeeper with Carvalho.
“The combination of [Carvalho and Keller] has been outstanding,” Blazer said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to learn from each other, and it’s great to have two outstanding goalies.”
Fenwick’s next match is April 1 versus visiting Chicago University High.
