OP_032620

38 | March 26, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie sports
OPPrairiedaily.com
Sandburg soccer plays the waiting game with rest of the state
JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor
5
Last spring might have
been the most miserable
spring in recent memory
regarding the weather.
Cold weather. Rain. Ice.
Snow. Lightning. Stifling
humidity.
It was awful. It was a
mess.
But there are a lot of
athletes out there in Illinois
who would trade this
year’s circumstances for
last year’s lousy spring
weather.
“I would make that trade
in a split second,” Sandburg
senior Ella Hase said.
Hase is on the Eagles
girls soccer team, a team
that has realistic goals of
winning a state championship
after returning a ton
of experience from last
year’s 16-5-1 squad and
adding five talented club
players who will be making
their varsity debuts.
But one of the biggest
opponents that the Eagles,
and every other spring
team in Illinois, will face
is a possible season shutdown
amid coronavirus
concerns. The Illinois
High School Association
is in a holding pattern right
now, with the postponement
of spring sports but
could make a decision on
March 31 regarding the future
of the sports.
The Eagles had one
week of practice, and it
was a good one.
“The last time I saw the
players as a group, there
was a lot of uncertainty,”
Eagles coach Tom Kubowicz
said. “A lot of girls
were asking questions
about what I thought was
going to happen. They
wanted to know if the
season was going to be
canceled or if they would
Sandburg’s soccer team, shown lined up before a game last season, could be a state contender if spring sports take place.
JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
let them play. We had a
lot of those questions going
around at the beginning
of practice. But even
with all of the uncertainty,
as soon as it was time to
practice, the girls were
into it and focused. I just
hope they get a chance to
play this season, because
that first week of practice
we had was one of the better
weeks of practice that I
have ever been around.”
New club players are
seniors Kiera Fullick and
Allison Kallberg, juniors
Kristiana Pappanastos,
and Alyssa Marzullo plus
sophomore Kari Ferguson,
“They will all have an
immediate impact on the
team,” he said. “They can
make us better.”
Without them, this already
figured to be a pretty
tough team to beat.
Hase returns as the defending
SouthWest Suburban
Conference Blue
Player of the Year after
scoring seven goals and
notching eight assists, and
was a Team 22 First Team
member. Bella Corluka,
Rosie Richardson, Erin
O’Connor and Arienne
Monteclar were honorable
mentions.
Other members on this
year’s roster who figure to
make an impact are Shelby
Fuller, Grace Corluka,
Madeline Pertle, Katherine
Barrios, Jelena Vasiljevic,
Alyssa Palacios, Daniella
Iraci, Maggie Manthey,
Selwa Abdelhadi and Alana
Galvin.
One of the club newcomers
is crossing her
fingers this group of talent
will get to show the state
its abilities.
“I wish we could play
right now,” said Pappanastos,
who verbally
committed to Illinois
State University. “But
we will see when we get
back. Whatever happens,
happens. I’ll still be working
to try to play for next
year at least.”
During the off time, the
players were encouraged
to continue to stay in shape
and work on their game,
even though practices
were not allowed.
“We didn’t provide them
with anything,” Kubowicz
said. “They all played soccer
for so long and they
know the type of drills they
can do for their foot skills.
They know what they can
do in their basement or
their back yard. We just remind
them to keep touching
the ball and stay active,
because if we’re allowed
to go back out there and
play, we will have to get
right into it. There won’t
be a lot of time to prepare,
so having two weeks off,
it’s on them to take it upon
themselves to go out and
work wherever they can.”
Pappanastos said she
has been working on her
game at a local park with
members of her family.
Hase said a small group
has gotten together for fitness
drills.
Hase, a Northwestern
recruit, has a feeling this
team can be special.
“This is super, super, super
different,” Hase said.
“We have talent and the
coaches are putting us in
a mindset where we have
one goal, and that is to win
state. We want to put everything
into our practices
to try to make that possible.”