Plainfield East, Sycamore play to scoreless tie to conclude Barb Fest

DeKALB – Caroline Dinnon, Kessiah Purnell and the Plainfield East offense kept firing at goalie Brooke Cutlip and the Sycamore defense.

But Cutlip and the Spartans turned away a steady barrage of scoring opportunities by the Bengals in a 0-0 tie to conclude Barb Fest on Tuesday.

“I told the girls they did well closing down,” Plainfield East coach Rebecca Ford said. “They were physical, won a lot of the 50-50 balls that allowed us some opportunities to score – which unfortunately we weren’t able to finish the opportunities that we had.”

Both teams finished with identical 2-0-1 records in the tournament, which ended up not having a medal round due to weather issues earlier in the tournament. The tourney concluded with pool play. The Bengals would have advanced to the championship game on goal differential, while the Spartans would have played for third.

Freshman Genesis Barrera had the first good look at the Spartans' goal in about the seventh minute for the Bengals (2-1-1), forcing Cutlip to dive to her right to come up with the save. There was no scoreboard at the auxiliary field, so exact times are unknown.

Barrera’s rocket set off a string of six good scoring chances over the next 10 minutes. Dinnon was in on two of those, including a rocket right at Cutlip in the 16th minute.

Purnell also had a pair of shots in that stretch that Cutlip also turned away.

“Communication is a big part of what we do,” Cutlip said. “And since we’re all really close and friends, I think our communication is just top-notch.”

Cutlip, a senior transfer from Ohio, moved with her family to Sycamore in May. The Spartans (2-0-1) were going to need a keeper with reigning Daily Chronicle Girls Soccer Player of the Year Tayla Brannstrom having graduated.

Sycamore hasn’t allowed a goal this year. Coach Kevin Bickley said he liked how Cutlip played Tuesday, catching almost everything and only allowing one or two rebounds.

“When I heard about it in the summertime, I wasn’t too sure that it was real,” Bickley said. “She was a big surprise. She showed up to orientation, I got to meet her for the first time, and really didn’t get to see her at her peak. I think today we saw what she’s capable of doing.”

For someone who really didn’t meet her teammates until a few months ago and hasn’t played in more than a year and a half (the Ohio girls' season is in the fall), Cutlip said she’s liking the fit in Sycamore.

“Once we started open soccer in the winter, that’s when I started becoming part of the team,” Cutlip said. “I just felt welcomed and like I’ve been here since I was a child.”

Cutlip wasn’t the only new goalie to pick up a shutout in the game. Bengals freshman Valeria Ramos picked up a blank sheet as well, although she wasn’t tested as much Cutlip.

The best scoring chance for the Spartans came in the second half when Izzie Segreti launched a shot at Ramos from the far left side.

“I think this was the best game we’ve played as a team so far,” Ford said. “We have a lot of young talent and we’re all starting to play together as a team.”

Sycamore was down four starters in the game due to spring break, two of whom were defensive starters.

Both Bickley and Ford said it was their teams' best game.

“They went and won the ball,” Bickley said. “The first two games may not have pressed us as hard. That’s something we need to work on, playing a little quicker and knowing that teams are going to be on you and making you uncomfortable.”