Sophomore Soccer Loses a Close One to Regina

By Zach Brennan

The sophomore ETHS girls soccer team lost 1-0 on May 1, in a well-fought game to Regina Dominican High School.

After an evenly matched first half, Regina countered numerous ETHS offensive attacks and was able to slip the ball past ETHS goalie Michelle Ludwig midway through the second half. Although Michelle made one diving save and one nice leg save near the two-minute mark in the second half to give the Wildkits chances to tie the game.

This loss comes after two losses last week to Glenbrook South (2-1) and a disappointing loss to rival New Trier (6-1). The Wildkits still hover around .500 with a 6-8 record.

Katia Hunt and Leslie Robin led the Wildkit offense with speed down the right- hand side of the field, but they were unable to finish any of their scoring opportunities in either half. But the Wildkit offense did force the Regina goalkeeper to make a few saves on well-struck balls.

Defender Erica Nelson and midfielder Annie Peterson also made a number of defensive stops late in the game to keep their team in it and advance the ball up the field to the their offense.

But even with two corner kicks by forward Alexa Bell, and one header that nearly missed the inside of the post, the Wildkits could not capitalize on their chances and ended up losing an exciting match to a Regina team that applied unrelenting pressure in the final minutes.

Wildkit Coach Brody yelled out positional reminders to his players as a light drizzle made the field slick enough to knock a few girls off their feet.

The wetness also seemed to affect how well the girls were able to make solid contact with the ball and a number of offside infractions also limited the Wildkits’ offense.

The girls have four games left in their season to attain a winning record, with two games away at Niles West and Oak Park and two home games against Waukegan and Sandberg.

Photo Caption: Goalie Michelle Ludwig staved off the Regina offense as best she could but the Kits lost 1-0.

Photo by Zach Brennan

Kits Fall to Wolves in Volleyball

By Todd Thomas

The ETHS boys volleyball team had their game faces on for a showdown with Central Suburban League South opponent Niles West April 26 in Beardsley gymnasium. On almost every play someone was on the floor diving for the ball as both teams gave it their all.

Unfortunately the Kits came up a little short in the three-game thriller of a match, losing two games to one to the Wolves.

With nicknames like "Serious Elevation" and "Thunder" it is apparent that the Kits plan to use superior athletic ability in addition to teamwork to win games.

The tactic worked well enough in the first game and the pace was furious as the Kits and Wolves battled at the net. Leads were tenuous and the score was tied several times. The visiting Wolves were resilient and maybe a little more patient in setting up teammates for scores. They won 25-19.

In the second game theWildkits jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back. When Niles West did threaten, the Kits came up with timely stops to squelch the Wolves’ momentum. Kits win 25-16.

The rubber game matched the intensity of the first game with powerful hits and spikes being the rule. After the first two games it was clear that the teams were evenly matched, but Evanston made several bad serves and also had an untimely infraction that set them back.

Kits’ player "Serious Elevation" came through with a few exciting spikes and they came back from a 17-11 deficit to tie the score at 20-20. The Kits serving failed them again at the end of the contest and Niles West eked out a 25-24 victory.

Girls Lacrosse Keeps Winning

The Evanston Township girls lacrosse team, coached by Dale Leibforth, headed into the game against Glenbrook North last week with a 12-3 record. Just days before – April 21 and 22 – they beat Vernon Hills as well as two Missouri teams, Rockwood Summitt and Lafayette, in the Windy City Tournament at New Trier.

Aly Austin and Sarah Marder-Eppstein each scored one goal against Vernon Hills: Jesse Cleveland added four more – for a 6-2 victory. Caitlin Guthrie and Jessie Cleveland had one save apiece, and goalie Colleen Speth had two saves. In the 9-3 game against Rockwood Summitt, Cleveland and Marder-Eppstein kicked in three goals each, and Julia Smith, 1. Smith also had two assists; Sara Pike, Tess Rielley, Cleveland and Austin had one assist each and Marder-Eppstein, three. Speth racked up five saves in that game.
In the 5-2 Lafayette game, Jessica Chukwu, Pike and Rielley scored one goal each and Cleveland added another two. Cleveland and Pike had one assist apiece, and Speth had three saves.

The following day, April 22, the Kits beat Culver Academy 6-3. Marder-Eppstein kicked in four goals, with Cleveland and Guthrie adding one each – and an assist for Cleveland. Speth racked up another five saves.

Even earlier, April 19, Evanston went 17-6 against Highland Park but fell 15-3 to Lake Forest. Against Highland Park, Cleveland scored eight goals; Marder-Eppstein, three; Chukwu, two; and Nora Graham, Austin, Pike and Guthrie one each. Goalie Speth had seven saves. Cleveland (2) and Marder-Eppstein (1) were the only scorers against Lake Forest; assists came from Cleveland, Graham and Marder-Eppstein. Goalie Speth had a whopping 16 saves.

May 15 Deadline for Fourth of July ECTA Tennis Tournament

The Evanston Community Tennis Association (ECTA) announces the entry deadline of May 15 for the 2006 Evanston 4th of July Tennis Tournament.

Play begins with self-arranged matches from May 20 up to the semi-final rounds on June 24. The finals are held on July 4 at Ackerman Park as part of the 4th of July festivities.

The tournament includes 17 events for adults and juniors in singles and doubles categories, including events for players with limited or no tournament experience. The tournament is open to all players regardless of residence. The entry fee for up to three events is $40 for adults (aged 19 and over) and only $10 for juniors aged 18 and under. The entry fee includes annual membership dues for ECTA.

To request an entry form, for the 4th of July Tennis Tournament including complete rules and instructions, or to request information about membership in the Evanston Community Tennis Association, visit www.evanstontennis.org or e-mail Richard Marberry at rjm.kidpower@comcast.net or call 847-328-9966.