OP_030917

opprairie.com sports
The orland park prairie | March 9, 2017 | 47
fastbreak
Girls Soccer
Eagles looking to continue tradition of success
22nd Century Media File
Photo
1st and 3
More Sandburg
sports starting soon
1. Badminton
After a year of
second-place finishes
in conference and
sectional, the Eagles
badminton squad is
looking to use this
past season’s experiences
to excel on the
court in 2017.
2. Girls Water Polo
While this week’s
issues features a preview
of the Sandburg
boys water polo team
on Page 45, the
girls also start soon,
though on the road
in dangerous waters
at New Trier for an
invitational.
3. On deck
Despite tryouts having
passed for both,
baseball and softball
start later in March
than many of their
spring sport counterparts.
Fans can
expect more preview
coverage in next
week’s edition of The
Prairie.
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
Katie O’Connell is entering
her third season as coach
of the Sandburg girls soccer
team. And to say the Eagles
have been successful under
her leadership would be underselling
it.
Sandburg, which is slated
to open the season Monday,
March 13, on the road against
Plainfield East, is 29-9-5 over
the past two seasons, a .726
winning percentage.
“We’ve been very fortunate,
and I have to give so
much credit to these players,”
O’Connell said. “They come
in after working super-hard
in the offseason. They are
playing tons of club soccer,
and they come in ready and
excited for the Sandburg season.”
In 2016, the Eagles went
18-2-3, including 6-0 in the
SouthWest Suburban Conference
Blue, before falling in
penalty kicks (2-1 recorded
score) to Lincoln-Way North
in the sectional title game.
“I think anytime you lose a
heartbreaker like that, it just
motivates you more to get to
that next level,” O’Connell
said of this past year’s seasonending
loss. “Give credit to
North; they were a great team
last year. [The Eagles] have
kept working hard, and these
seniors, I think, would like to
go to the super-sectional [this
season]. That’s always your
goal every season — to make
it one step further.”
The Eagles lost nine players
from that squad to graduation,
but they are returning
10 — the type of program
depth that many teams covet.
Chief among the returning
players are senior midfielder
and Purdue University recruit
Kylie Hase (9 goals, 5 assists
this past season) and senior
defender Sydney Rudny (1
goal, 1 assist in 2016).
Hase was an All-State selection
this past season, while
Rudny earned All-Sectional
honors. O’Connell said Rudny
will be “the anchor” of
Sandburg’s defense.
“We have a lot of seniors
this year, and most of them
have played on varsity since
at least their sophomore
year,” O’Connell said. “They
are an amazing group of kids,
and we have an amazing
group of parents who have
been very supportive of the
program.”
Isabella Strolia, a junior,
also will be returning this
season on the back line.
“We couldn’t have been
happier with [Strolia] last
year as a sophomore,”
O’Connell said. “This year,
with her being a year older,
she’s taking on a little bit
more of a leadership role. She
will be a big asset for us.”
Up top, returning players
Paige Pappanastos (senior)
and Maddie Manzke (sophomore)
will lead the forwards.
“We’re excited for Manzke
this year,” O’Connell said.
“She’s a year older, and she
started [this past year] as a
Five to Watch
A closer look at five key matchups for Sandburg girls
soccer
4:30 p.m. Monday, March 13 – at Plainfield East
The 2017 season kicks off with a nonconference clash,
as the Eagles head northwest.
6:15 p.m. Thursday, March 23 – hosts Tinley Park
The Eagles return to Orland Park for their first home
game of 2017, squaring off against a team that
advanced to a Class 2A sectional final this past
season.
Noon Saturday, March 25 – hosts Wheaton North
The Eagles host to a program that always is in the mix
at the end of the year.
6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 4 – at Lincoln-Way East
This conference clash is certain to be one of the most
anticipated games of the season.
6:15 p.m. Monday, April 17 – hosts Andrew
In a Consolidated High School District 230 rivalry
game, the Eagles take on an Andrew program that has
been on a roll.
freshman. Hopefully, she will
have a very successful season
for us.”
Meanwhile, after losing
two senior goalkeepers from
this past season’s squad to
graduation, a new duo has
emerged: sophomore Courtney
Hiler and senior Maria
Marzullo.
“It’s very nice to have these
two coming in,” O’Connell
said. “These two are battling
every day for the starting
spot.”
O’Connell said she hopes
her squad grows as a team
each day.
“We have 10 returning
players, but that also means
we have half of a new team
coming in,” she said. “So,
each day, we will be working
on team bonding. By the end
of the season, hopefully we
will all be on the same cylinders,
ready to go.”
Competition should surely
help the team grow, as well.
In the past, O’Connell has
scheduled perennial power
Plainfield North early in the
season. This year, the scheduling
did not work out. But
she still wanted to find a competitive
team to play early.
“We added Wheaton North
at their place,” she said.
“They are always a very
strong team, so we’ll get a
challenge right away, which I
love. It will help us see where
we’re at, what we need to improve
on and things that are
working for us.”
The Eagles also are slated
to play in the Naperville
North Invite, which will pit
them against the likes of
Neuqua Valley. O’Connell
said she thinks that by playing
tough teams early, it helps
prepare the Eagles for the
level of competition they will
see in the postseason.
“You always want to see
how you match up against
some of the best teams in
the state,” she said. “You
also get to see what needs
to be improved upon. Some
of the things you may think
are working, all of a sudden
you see that you may need to
switch some things up here
or there. We do love playing
the top teams. They give us a
challenge.”
And SWSC play should be
competitive this year, as well.
“I think it is up for grabs in
this area,” she said. “I think
anyone can take the sectional.
Obviously, Lincoln-Way
East will be a great team to
watch, because now they
have those North girls who
were on a great team last year.
I feel like Stagg and Andrew
always come out strong. And
you can never forget about
Lockport. I think it’s a pretty
equal playing field this year,
so it will be an exciting season.”
LISTEN UP
“It was the story of the year. Our defense was good all year; we
just struggled to score. The kids battled and played hard. They do
everything we ask, but this [game] was a microcosm of the season.”
Todd Allen — Sandburg boys basketball coach, on his team’s struggles in the regional
semifinal
What 2 Watch
Badminton — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16
• The Eagles open their 2017 season on
the road, but they are slated to return
to Orland Park next week to face Joliet
Central.
INDEX
43 - Athlete of the Week
43 - This Week In
Compiled by Editor Bill Jones, bill@opprairie.com.