In front of a large and vocal standing-room-only crowd at the Fenwick Priory in River Forest, April 5, the Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity girls soccer team maintained its hot start with a 3-2 victory over the host Friars.
“It was super-exciting having all the fans there supporting us, and it really helped bring energy to the game,” said OPRF senior Malie Cassel. “It was a little nerve-wracking playing on the side with everyone because it was very loud and they were sitting so close to the field.”
“The atmosphere was awesome,” Fenwick coach Craig Blazer said. “Two really good teams, and that’s exactly what you want: tons of fun.”
OPRF (7-1) notched the opening goal 6:15 into the first half when after a scramble for a loose ball in the box, Ana Sofia Mrotzek passed to Cassel, whose shot got past Fenwick goalkeeper Mimi Carvalho.
“Téa [Dassinger] kicked a really good long ball that Ana was able to get her head on and hit the ball over the goalie and defenders,” Cassel said. “Then I ran onto the ball and kicked it in. It felt really good to score on them first.”
Fenwick (2-2-1) tied the match nearly 11 minutes later as Lila Gaddipati scored off of a free kick just outside the box, beating OPRF goalkeeper Scarlett Simkowski. But OPRF went back ahead with 5:12 left in the half. Mrotzek was tripped inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick. Mrotzek rocketed her shot to the right side of the net past a diving Carvalho and in, giving the Huskies a lead they would never relinquish.
“That was a world-class shot,” OPRF coach Lauren Zallis said. “She’s a junior who’s already committed to [Loyola University Chicago].”
Early in the second half, OPRF seemed poised to start pulling away when Genevieve Simkowski picked up another loose ball in the box and found Maddy Vizzone, who beat Fenwick goalkeeper Jackie Keller for a goal that gave the Huskies a 3-1 lead.
“Sometimes [with] those ugly goals, you’re left shaking your head,” Blazer said. “[But] give a lot of credit to our team, they just kept fighting back.”
Indeed, Fenwick refused to yield and pulled back within a goal as Gaddipati scored again off a free kick from 30 yards out. The freshman midfielder has a team-high six goals for the Friars.
“She’s terrific,” Blazer said. “We have other good players, but Lila did really well [today].”
Fenwick freshman Lila Gaddipati (#12 in black) fires a shot against OPRF in a girls soccer match at the Fenwick Priory April 5. Gaddipati scored twice, but the Friars fell to the Huskies 3-2. (Courtesy of Carol Dunning) 
Fenwick senior Kiera Kapsch (#29, in black) shields an OPRF player from the ball during a girls soccer match April 5. The Friars lost 3-2 to the Huskies. (Courtesy of Carol Dunning) 
Oak Park-River Forest’s Malie Cassel (left, in white) kicks the ball past Fenwick goalkeeper Mimi Carvalho (in blue, diving) April 5 in a girls soccer match at the Fenwick Priory. The Huskies edged past the Friars 3-2. (Courtesy of Carol Dunning)
Fenwick then cranked their intensity up and kept possession largely on the OPRF side of the pitch. But the Friars could never find the equalizer as Gaddipati’s bid for a hat trick sailed just over the OPRF net with about 16 minutes remaining in regulation time. The Huskies were able to gradually regain control of the match and largely kept Fenwick pinned in its own end as the final minutes melted away.
OPRF is off to its best start in some time, and Zallis feels the veteran presence has been important to the Huskies’ early success.
“Honestly, it feels good to win,” Zallis said. “That helps with motivation. They’re starting to accumulate all these wins and see they’re a team to be reckoned with.”
“Our team has such a special bond and we’re all super-close,” Cassel said. “I think that, especially, has helped us because we all want to win for each other, and at practice we all work hard together, which creates such a good community of support and competitiveness.”
Fenwick has dropped two consecutive matches: the Friars lost to visiting Loyola Academy 1-0 on April 3. But Blazer still has confidence and belief in his squad.
“Our [players] never give up and they’ve played good in every half so far this season,” he said. “We look forward to more quality games. … We’ll be all right (and) will learn from this.”
OPRF participates in the Plainfield North Classic this week, with games against Bartlett April 12, Downers Grove North April 14, and Plainfield North April 16. Fenwick has home games with IC Catholic Prep April 10 and Whitney Young April 14, with a match against Lincoln-Way Central in the BodyArmor Series at Waukegan Sports Park April 12.