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Chicago Tribune
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Loyola recruit Abby Sudkamp calmly scores goal to lead Lincoln-Way Central past Andrew. ‘That's just how I am.'
Lincoln-Way Central's Abby Sudkamp started playing soccer when she was 3. Erase those immediate thoughts of Sudkamp being a child prodigy as an athlete, however, because she was an emotional wreck every single time that she stepped onto the field. 'My parents got me into the sport and tell me about how much I hated it,' she said. 'I cried when I played. I cried during practice and I cried during games. I was a bad kid.' Now? The Loyola-bound senior defender loves everything about playing soccer. And when it comes to showing emotion on the field, she's like a poker player, according to teammate Jules Rafacz. 'She's aggressive, but she's also calm,' Rafacz said of Sudkamp. 'She's one of the calmest players on the ball. I think it's so great.' Sudkamp came through with a great finish Thursday night, calmly depositing a penalty kick into the right side of the net with 5:05 left to put the Knights ahead to stay in a 2-1 victory over Andrew in the Windy City Ram Classic championship game at Reavis in Burbank. Rafacz scored with 19:38 remaining to create a 1-1 tie for Lincoln-Way Central (5-0), which gained a measure of revenge after the Thunderbolts topped the Knights 2-0 last season in the sectional. Andrew (4-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead on a goal by Emily Crotty with 24:14 left in the first half. Oak Park-River Forest took third place in the 32-team tournament with a 2-1 win over De La Salle. At this stage of her career, Sudkamp said the crying episodes are long gone. She's been calm ever since and finds a low-key demeanor suits her well, even in a sport that thrives on emotion. 'I like to keep my composure on the field,' Sudkamp said. 'I definitely think that's one of my better qualities. That's just how I am. I try to keep myself calm and confident the entire game.' Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey, who said Sudkamp is a great defender, hopes she can mix in a little more offense moving forward. 'Abby is an absolute monster,' Fahey said. 'She's an incredible athlete and a great competitor. She's a leader and a great teammate, and I think this game was the first game we saw her step into a different role in the attack. 'For her to help shut down that Andrew front line is no easy task. She deserves to score the game-winner like that. She does so much dirty work on defense that it was good to see her score.' Off the field, Sudkamp had a roller-coaster ride with her college choice. She verbally committed to Loyola in January 2024. And like she does on the field, she kept her cool. Sudkamp was recruited by coach Barry Bimbi, who was fired in July, even though the previous January he inked a contract extension through the 2027 season. The Ramblers named Angela Staveskie as interim coach during the fall. Jon Sandoval got the job in December. While all of that drama was playing out, Sudkamp didn't waver on her decision. She waited to see what would happen and then met with the new coach. 'It was devastating because I had a good connection with him,' Sudkamp said of Bimbi. 'But there was nothing I can do about it. 'The new coach is younger, so he's not going anywhere any time soon. He started a life in Chicago, and I see a lot of positive things coming out of that.' In the same way, Sudkamp has done a complete 180 on soccer. The sport that once made her cry makes her happy. She describes soccer as being 'artistic.' 'People have their own way of expressing their skill in the field with the way that they play,' Sudkamp said. 'It's the same thing as being an artist. You have a painting canvas. 'And this is my painting canvas.' Originally Published:
Chicago Tribune
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Emily Crotty, whose sister plays for Coastal Carolina, takes on leadership role for Andrew. ‘Look up to her.'
As she embarks on her third varsity season, junior midfielder Emily Crotty knows what Andrew soccer is all about. Well, actually, Crotty had that knowledge before she ever stepped on the field in high school. She grew up watching her older sister, Leah, star for the Thunderbolts. 'Watching my sister for four years was great,' she said. 'I really look up to her. Coming to Andrew soccer games and knowing how they were as a team and a school, it was awesome because I know they all wanted the best for each other. 'It's definitely awesome to be a part of it now and see the positivity throughout the team.' And now, Crotty is one of the standard-bearers for the program. It's a role she's ready for. Crotty continued her hot start to the season Tuesday night, scoring her fourth goal of the year to lift Andrew to a 2-0 win over Oak Park-River Forest in a Windy City Ram Classic semifinal at Reavis in Burbank. North Central College recruit Paige Swaw added the other goal for the Thunderbolts (4-0), while Ella Karnezis tallied an assist and Annabel Walsh made three saves to record the shutout. Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit Sophia Ryan, Kaitlyn Gudyka, Abigeal Gallagher and Annie Lloyd led a dominant defensive effort in front of Walsh. Andrew advanced to take on Lincoln-Way Central (4-0) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the championship game of the 32-team tournament. The Knights earned a 6-1 win over De La Salle (3-1) in the second semifinal. Crotty, meanwhile, put the Huskies (3-1) in an early hole Tuesday night. She took a pass from Karnezis, raced down the middle of the field and buried a goal just over nine minutes into the game. 'We were all kind of talking on the bus about coming out strong and getting a goal kind of quickly to boost the energy,' Crotty said. 'I saw an opportunity. Ella played a very good through ball. I knew I had to put it away.' Andrew coach Loren Zolk has long known how talented Crotty is. But even though she scored 15 goals and dished out 18 assists last season as a sophomore, the Thunderbolts didn't need to lean on Crotty. Things are a bit different this spring. 'Last year as a sophomore, she was kind of more of a role player in the middle with Grace Wood and Taylor London in there with her,' Zolk said. 'Emily balanced them really well. But now as a junior who's been with us for a while, she's kind of taken over the middle. 'I've seen her take her game to a different level in terms of what she's allowing herself to do in the middle that she wasn't doing as much last year because she was kind of deferring to the two seniors a bit.' Lloyd, a Beloit recruit, has watched Crotty grow into a star. As one of the nine seniors on the team, Lloyd has no problem letting Crotty be one of the leaders as a junior. 'Emily's amazing,' Lloyd said. 'She always works so hard. She motivates the team, for sure. She always keeps everyone on track, and when we're goofing around, she makes sure we get focused.' When it comes to leadership, Crotty has always had a good role model in her older sister. Leah is heading into her senior season as a Division I soccer player at Coastal Carolina. 'She's always driving me to be the best player and the best teammate on and off the field,' Emily said. 'She's a leader, and I've always looked up to her for that. She's always communicating and looking out for her teammates, so I learned about that from her. 'I always look forward to talking to her before and after games because she always has something positive and some things that I can work on.' Originally Published: March 25, 2025 at 9:26 PM CDT
Chicago Tribune
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Out of the mix, Jaylin Sustr converts penalty kick as Lincoln-Way Central stuns Lockport. ‘You need full confidence.'
For Lincoln-Way Central's Jaylin Sustr, the finished product was just perfect. The senior midfielder scored the game-winning goal Thursday night on a penalty kick to stun Lockport, and all was well in the world for the Knights. But to get to that point? That's another story. 'We actually called out two other players' names to take the kick,' Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey said. 'Either they didn't hear or our captain, Abby (Sudkamp), gave it to her.' Despite the merry mix-up, Sustr successfully put the ball in the net with 21:17 left for the Knights, who held on for a 2-1 victory in a Windy City Ram Classic second-round game in New Lenox. Madi Watt also scored a last-second goal in the first half for Lincoln-Way Central (2-0), while junior goalkeeper Flynn Meyer came up with six saves, including one in the final minute. Sophomore Yuridia Hernandez opened the scoring for Lockport (1-1) with 15:06 left in the first half. Last season, the Porters won their first 24 games before losing in the sectional. The Lewis-bound Sustr, however, lifted the Knights past Lockport with her heroics. 'Jay has always been perfect on PKs,' said Watt, an Eastern Illinois recruit. 'She was feeling it, and she had a strong, powerful shot as always.' Sustr confirmed her teammates were asking who should take the shot and she volunteered. 'I said I would take it,' she said. 'You have to have full confidence. You can be nervous, but you need full confidence and I knew where I was going. Two seconds later, I made it.' Lincoln-Way Central, Lemont, De La Salle, Stagg, Lincoln-Way East, Andrew, Lincoln-Way West and Oak Park are also alive in the quarterfinals of the 32-team tournament hosted by Reavis. Watt's buzzer-beating goal to tie it at 1-1 loomed large. Watt also had a clutch goal in the closing minute of the second overtime of a 1-0 win over Lincoln-Way East in the sectional last season. 'The reality is we have a lot of new faces in a lot of new places,' Fahey said of his team. 'They are going to make rookie mistakes and they are going to learn from them. 'When that goal went in, that helped some of the new players because we were back to being even going into the second half and they were able to go back out there with a fresh mind.' Sustr, meanwhile, enjoyed the development of Watt's goal, which started at the 10-second mark and ended up finishing high into the net. 'I was like, 'Go Madi, go Madi, go Madi,''' Sustr said. 'I had full confidence she would make it — just like she did in the Lincoln-Way East game. 'It's like a one-in-a-million situation, and she's done it twice.' Although it's not planned, Watt loves being reliable for the Knights during crunch time. 'I'm just scrapping,' she said. 'Every ball I can get to, I'm trying to get a toe on it. It will either be a pretty goal or an ugly goal like that. Everything counts. Everything goes on the board the same.' Lincoln-Way Central also was missing three regulars due to injury, so beating a program like Lockport that was nationally ranked in 2024 while shorthanded is a good way to start the spring. Sustr had a big hand — or foot — in that. 'We've both been on varsity for all four years and I love her,' Watt said of Sustr. 'I know she's willing to work every single day. I have full confidence in her, and I know that she will put in 110% every single time. 'She's always there.' Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Originally Published: March 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM CDT
