Rooks End of June Recap
The end of June for the Rooks was filled with action, suspense, and a whole lot of wins.
Women’s First Team vs. DeKalb County United (USASA Amateur Cup) 1-0 WIN
Women’s First Team vs. Indiana Union (UWS): 4-1 WIN
Women’s First Team vs. Chicago Rush (UWS): 9-1 WIN
Men’s First Team vs. FC Select (ISSA State Cup): 2-1 WIN
Men’s First Team vs. Rockford FC (MWPL): 2-1 LOSS
Men’s First Team vs. AFC Roscoe (MWPL): 3-1 WIN
Men’s U23 vs. Billings FC (U23 State Cup): 2-1 WIN
Men’s U23 vs. Chicago Ghost FC U23 (GCSL): 3-1 WIN
Men’s U23 vs. CKS Warta U23 (GCSL): 2-1 WIN
Women’s IWSL Team vs. Schwaben A.C. (IWSL): 5-0 WIN
The Women's First Team pose after their match against Indiana Union. Credit: Ruben Urquiza
Women’s First Team
The Women’s First Team ended the month of June on a high note, winning every one of their games including a USASA National Amateur Cup match to remember.
On June 20th, the women’s squad traveled to DeKalb, Illinois to face DeKalb County United to determine who would advance to the USASA Amateur Cup Region 2 Final. In a heated affair that lasted late into the night, the Rooks managed to earn a 1-0 victory in extra time through their hardwork and determination to keep themselves in the tournament.
The first two halves had both Edgewater and DeKalb deadlocked; no matter the strategy, both the Rooks and United’s defenses were strong enough to prevent any goals. Clashes in the midfield persisted as well, with neither team being able to create scoring opportunities. After a physical 90 minutes, the game bled into extra time with both sides exhausted.
What looked to be a repeat of regular time in extras soon was upended when Courtney Sengstock scored at the 100th minute. Running past DeKalb’s defenders with her squad, Sengstock slotted the ball into the net past the keeper quickly to secure the 1-0 lead. With the Rooks defenders putting up their part of the bargain, the Rooks went on to beat United to secure their spot in the Region 2 Final against Rockford Raptors.
Success also followed the Women’s First Team during their UWS campaign, winning convincingly against Indiana Union and Chicago Rush at home.
In a rematch to remember at the Fire Pitch, the Rooks looked to get revenge on Indiana Union after a tough loss away earlier on in the season. Thanks to consistent pressing and defending, the Rooks would garner what they hoped, beating Indiana 4-1.
Courtney Sengstock continued her goal-scoring ways early on in the game with a brace. Scoring a screamer of a goal at 6’ thanks to an assist from her sister Cameron, Courtney woke up Union. Shortly afterwards at 12’, Union’s pressing would force a handball-causing penalty score to tie the game, but Sengstock remained unphased; snagging the ball in the midfield, she would launch a long shot right past Union’s keeper at 19’ to cause a 2-1 lead and to net her brace.
Kily Egan would also have a productive night, scoring another brace to land the 4-1 final victory. Tapping the ball in at 35’ off of an error from Union’s keeper after blocking a shot from Cameron Sengstock and launching a long ball right at 83’, Egan would dampen Union’s resolve and boost the Rooks’ morale. The goals were echoed by the Rooks’ midfield tactics, which gave them the strategy needed to maintain the constant possession needed to shut down Indiana Union’s offensive capabilities and give them the win.
The confidence from their win against Indiana Union seemed to be on full display the week after when the Women’s First Team had a dominating 9-1 win against Chicago Rush in their last home game of the UWS season. With their game at the Fire Pitch this season on the cards, the Rooks as a team looked to make it a memorable one with 7 different players scoring goals.
Courtney Sengstock opened the door early, scoring a hattrick in under 20 minutes. Piling the pressure on Rush’s defense, she scored at 4’, 13’, and 15’ in a flurry of strikes. Rush’s defense didn’t seem to know how to repel her and the rest of her squad, with Sengstock and the Rooks maintaining possession and punishing Rush wherever they could.
Sengstock wasn’t the only one taking advantage of Rush’s weaknesses. Paige Macchiato would score at 37’ to end the first half, and Saige Bingman would also land another at 59’. Rush would net a goal at 62’ to make the score 5-1, but Jackie Tamas would clap back only 6 minutes later with her first goal of the season; stripping the ball from a Rush defender close to net, Tamas would curve the ball just ahead of her to sneak it in past Rush’s goalkeeper to keep the Rooks’ goals coming.
The dying embers of the match were also a delight for the Rooks fans in attendance. Kris Bos at 79’, Cameron Sengstock at 82’, and Amanda Buechel at 90’ all had a slice of the goals, showing that the Rooks across the roster were keen on scoring. At the final whistle, the blistering 9-1 final made the Women’s First Team’s final UWS home game of the season one to celebrate.
The Men's First Team huddles before their match against FC Select. Credit: Ruben Urquiza
Men’s First Team
The Men’s First Team also had success, finding wins in both their cup tournament and their regular season.
In the ISSA State Cup quarterfinal the night of June 26th, the Rooks beat FC Select in a tight 2-1 victory. Edgewater would score first thanks to their players’ teamwork; Herbert Carerra would score at 13’ thanks to a strong pass made to him by Enzo Dagatti. Dagatti would continue to help maintain possession in the midfield in a standout performance, managing the game through both his communication and playmaking abilities. Despite the strong possession, however, FC Select would soon sharpen up to prevent the Rooks’ chances, keeping the game tight at halftime with the Rooks leading by only a goal.
Continuing the pressure, FC Select made the game a tie at 50’ with a sly ball left that slipped past Rooks goalkeeper Anton Omarov. Not letting the goal startle them, however, the Rooks pressed onward and forced a penalty kick at 55’ off of an FC Select defender; with the weight of the game on his shoulders, Jake Krueger shot the ball left just past the keepers reach to make the game 2-1.
The race was then on for both the Rooks and FC Select. Bouncing possession back and forth from each other, both sides were locked away from scoring thanks to strong persistent strong defending. Snatching the game from the jaws of defeat, the unwavering spirit of the Men’s First Team allowed them to advance to the semifinal of the ISSA State Cup competition.
In the MWPL, the Rooks would also face tough opposition in their quest for promotion.
On June 22nd, the Rooks away in Rockford, Illinois lost against Rockford FC in a tough 2-1 loss. Although Rooks striker Murtadtha Kamil would net the ball once past Rockford’s defensive line, the ongoing press that Rockford FC enabled overpowered the Rooks defense, leading to the game being largely in their hands. Losing to them for the second time this season, the Rooks suffered a tragic blow to their promotion aspirations.
However, on June 29th, the Men’s First Team would bounce back from this setback with a 3-1 win against local rivals AFC Roscoe. Starting the proceedings early, defender David Abidor would strike first, claiming the first goal at 18’. Keeping the pressure going in the first half, striker Matthew Andrusko would bank another at 25’ to keep the Rooks at a safe 2-0 lead.
Holding the lead going into the second half, the Rooks looked confident with the ball in their bid to beat the top team of the MWPL Heartland Division 2 competition. Winger Jostein Blindheim extended the lead 3-0 at 69’, giving the Rooks the go-ahead to play a defensive game for the rest of the 90 minutes. Roscoe would net a goal of their own at 75’, but with the Rooks possession mounting the effort was merely a consolation in the grand scheme of the matchup.
Men’s U23
The Men’s U23 Team continued their excellence this season, winning all of their games to close out an unforgettable June.
In another tight 2-1 cup game, the U23s advanced in the U23 State Cup by defeating Billings FC 2-1. Maintaining the style of play they have developed under head coach Al Stankovic, the Rooks were able to control the game to lead themselves deeper into the competition.
The team also were dominant in their play against both Chicago Ghost FC’s U23 squad and CKS Warta’s U23s, winning both games 3-1 and 2-1 respectively. The developing Rooks’ talent has been impeccable as the squad as a whole has yet to lose a game this year, with them extending their winning streak to 5 games in a row.
Be sure to catch the U23s next game as they square up against KICS FC Talara’s U23s July 12th at 8:45 PM at Foster Turf Field.
Women’s IWSL Team
The Women’s IWSL Team have also been incredible, increasing the length of their dominating run of the IWSL First Division with a 4-0 win against Schwaben FC June 21st at Foster Turf Field. Early goals by Dani Schalgasser and Corinne Cole set the tone early, and strikes by Jennifer Rodriguez and Jordan Webb at 82’ and 89’ respectively ended the game on a high note. The Women’s IWSL team have also not lost a game yet this season, winning 3 games in a row.
The IWSL squad are set to meet FC Barrington on July 14th at 9:00 AM at Ron Beese Park.
Written By: Gareth Mullins (https://www.instagram.com/garithimo/)