Kruczek Unfazed by New Surroundings, Uncertainty

PALATINE, Ill. – Harper women's soccer standout Nicolette Kruczek (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) knew she wanted to play soccer after high school. However, the opportunity to do so was challenging because the Woodstock North grad was not heavily recruited by four-year schools and the nearest community college, McHenry County College, did not have a women's soccer program.

So she took a bold step and choose to start her college career at Harper College, away from the comforts of home. With nine goals in the team's first seven games, Kruczek's choice is paying off for the Hawks, as she has been named the fourth Harper College Athlete of the Week for the 2013-14 school year.

Kruczek scored 10 goals her senior year at Woodstock North in 2012 and was named All-Conference for her efforts.  Over the past summer, she trained at a field by her house in preparation for her first college season, but she wasn't prepared for the fact that the Hawks' season would be in jeopardy before it even started.

At the end of the summer, she moved in with her aunt and uncle, who live in Arlington Heights.

At the beginning of the school year, Harper had to cancel its first two games because there weren't enough girls on the team to compete. One more cancelled game would likely mean no season. Kruczek described it as 'a stressful time', but her and her teammates sprung into action.

At the Harper Hullabaloo on Sept. 10, they set up a table with flyers and recruited girls to play on the team. The recruiting effort paid off, as they were able to get a few girls to join the team.

The next day, the Hawks opened their season with a 7-3 victory over Milwaukee despite dressing only eight players. Kruczek spent a little time in goal, but she did her damage out on the offensive attack, recording a hat trick in her first college game.

Three days later, she scored two more goals to lead the Hawks to a 3-1 win over Century College. The roster also began to grow in size and now stands at 18 players.

"She puts in the work, and every game she gives everything she has," said Harper head coach Dwayne Cruz. "She's one of the few kids over the years who just has a great work rate."

In Harper's most recent games, Kruczek netted two more two-goal performances – Sept. 25 in a 3-2 win over Triton and Oct. 4 in a 7-0 win over Milwaukee.  She missed the team's most recent game, a 4-2 loss at DuPage, due to illness but should be ready when the Hawks open postseason play and make another push for nationals.

"With the core group of players intact, we have a really good chance of going to nationals and making it far," Kruczek said.

The Hawks have made it to the region final the last five years. This year, it could once again be a showdown between Harper and DuPage to determine who goes to nationals.

"A lot of it will depend on us being healthy or not," Cruz said. "We were unhealthy the whole year last year until the playoffs, and we won the region as a result. We know what we have to fix for playoffs."

Kruczek is currently undecided on her major, but she's glad she choose Harper because it's giving her the opportunity to figure out her career path while improving her soccer skills, with the hope of getting looks from four-year schools. Cruz also thinks she would be a great fit at a four-year program down the road.

"She has the mentality, work rate and fitness to do it. We will keep working on her technical ability to get her ready for that," Cruz said.

Hawks Win in Straight Sets over DuPage

Alex Messner recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 15 digs. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

WHEATON, Ill. – Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) tallied a double-double for the Harper volleyball team on Thursday night, as they won in straight straights over N4C opponent College of DuPage (25-11, 25-23, 25-22).

Messner's double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs, her eighth of the season, helped the Hawks (20-15, 7-3 N4C) fend off the Chaparrals. In the first set, the Hawks jumped out to a 10-3 lead and won handily behind Messner's six kills and eight digs.

In the second set, the Hawks trailed 18-15 but took a 21-19 lead on another big kill from Messner. They held on for victory, and she was in a zone with nine kills and seven digs, completing the double-double in just two games. Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) added six digs and played a key role in the service game, going 9-for-10 with an ace in the set. Setter Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South)handed out 14 assists.

The third game was tied at 13-13 before Harper extended the lead to 23-19 before winning. Melina Villaber (Chicago, Ill./Taft) led Harper with six kills in the set while Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) had six digs.

"We played very well in this match tonight," said Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet. "It was a fun experience, and everyone on the team was able to play some in this match."

The Hawks are at the Lincoln Land Invitational in Springfield this Friday and Saturday. See who they play here.

Hawks Suffer 4-2 Defeat at COD

Lacey Richards scored a goal for the Hawks in the defeat. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. – The Harper College women's soccer team fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game, but College of DuPage scored two second half goals to beat the Hawks 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon.

In a rematch of the Region IV championship where the Hawks emerged victorious 2-1 over COD last October to advance to nationals, the Chaparrals got on the board first in the 13^th minute as Emily Plourde found Angela Toritto, who beat Harper goalkeeper Mikayla Nagle () to make it a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Plourde found Bianca Rivera for a goal to give COD a 2-0 advantage. Despite the early deficit, the Hawks clawed their way back into the game. In the 41^st minute, Harper's Jessica Cosentino (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) scored on a penalty kick to cut the deficit to 2-1 at halftime.

Just 10 minutes into the second half, Cosentino found midfielder Lacey Richards (Hobart, Ind./Merrillville), who beat Chaparrals' goalkeeper Christina Siddu to tie the game at 2-2.

COD went ahead 3-2 on a goal in the 67^th minute by Katie Rubright on Plourde's third assist of the game. Heather Muno beat Nagle in the 74^th minute to give the Chaparrals a two-goal lead.

Siddu earned the win in goal, stopping three shots. Nagle received the loss, making six saves in the game. The Hawks were outshot 10-5 on the day.

Hawks go Unbeaten at Harper College Invite

Harper's Lindsey Murphy nearly set a Harper assist record against Carl Sandburg. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4

PALATINE, Ill. – The sixth-ranked Harper College volleyball team continued their strong play over the weekend, winning all four of their matches at the Harper College Invite Saturday to complete a 5-0 week.

Harper vs. Elgin Community College

In the first match on Saturday morning, the Hawks (19-15) earned a straight sets victory (25-16, 25-8, 25-15) over Elgin Community College. 

In game one, the Hawks held leads of 5-2, 10-6 and 17-11 before putting away the Spartans. Melina Villaber (Chicago, Ill./Taft) and Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) each had six kills in the game while Murphy set the Harper attack with 11 assists.

In game two, the Hawks raced out to leads of 8-3 and 20-7 en route to an easy victory. Villaber and Madison Rodriguez (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) contributed four kills apiece, and Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) was a flawless 11-for-11 serving with three service aces.

In the third game, the Hawks maintained control throughout, holding leads of 13-7, 18-12 and 21-14. Murphy finished the match with 33 assists to go along with eight digs and four service aces.

Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) tallied her fifth double-double of 2013 with 10 kills and 11 digs.

Harper vs. Rock Valley

After splitting their first two matches in N4C play with defending national champ and seventh-ranked Rock Valley this season, the Hawks won a four-set battle over the Golden Eagles (24-26, 25-22, 25-13, 25-23).

The two teams were tied eight times in a back-and-forth first set before Rock Valley pulled out the win. Harper trailed 16-10 in the second set but finished on a 15-6 run to tie the match at 1-1.

The Hawks carried the momentum over to the third set, racing out to leads of 5-1, 14-7 and 21-10. Villaber and Rodriguez each contributed four kills. Harper emerged victorious in a tightly-contested fourth set, led by Villaber's five kills and libero Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove)'s seven digs.

Two Hawks – Lindsey Murphy (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Crystal Lake South) (14 digs, 39 assists) and Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) (13 kills, 19 digs) – recorded double-doubles in the win.

Harper vs. Carl Sandburg College

Harper needed four sets to take care of Carl Sandburg, winning 25-16, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-19.

The Hawks had control of the first set and were led by sophomores Hischke and Dabrowski, who had five kills apiece, made possible by the excellent setting of Murphy (14 assists).

Murphy added to her total with 13 more assists in the second set, but it wasn't enough in the narrow defeat.

Harper won a thrilling third set that was close throughout. With the two teams tied at 22-22, the Hawks won the final three points for the win. Messner was all over the court, recording six kills and 14 digs, and Spychala also played a big role for the defense with nine digs. Murphy once again put on a setting display with 16 more assists.

In the fourth set, the Hawks jumped out to a 16-10 advantage and didn't relinquish the lead. For the match, Murphy (11 digs, 54 assists), Messner (12 kills, 20 digs) and Hischke (15 kills, 18 digs) all tallied double-doubles. Murphy's 54 assists was one assist short of the Harper College record for assists in a four-game match.

Harper vs. McHenry County College

After dropping the first set, Harper rebounded to pick up a four-set victory over MCC (23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-13). In the second set, libero Claire Fluegel (West Dundee, Ill./Elgin Academy) led the defense with seven digs while right side Morgan Peterson (Roselle, Ill./Conant ) added six digs.

The Hawks held a narrow 19-18 lead in the third set before pulling away for the victory. Murphy led Harper with 16 assists.

In the final set of the weekend, Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) capped it off with three consecutive services aces to win the match and extend the Hawks' win streak to a season-high five matches. Dabrowski powered the Harper attack with 21 kills while Murphy had 37 assists in the victory.

All-Tournament Team

Outside hitter/middle hitter Veronica Dabrowski (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows) and outside hitter Alex Messner (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) were both named to the Harper College Invitational All-Tournament Team for their performances over the course of the day.

Thoughts from Harper head coach Bob Vilsoet

"The hard work in practice is paying off," he said. "I hope the players are as proud of themselves as I am of them."

Up Next

The Hawks return to action on Thursday as they take on N4C foe College of DuPage at 6:00 PM. Note the match will be played at the Central Athletic Center in Wheaton rather than on campus in Glen Ellyn.

Women's Basketball Looking for More Players

The women's basketball program is looking for more players to join the 2013-14 team. (Jim Cummins)

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College women's basketball team is looking for more players to join the winter 2013-14 team.

If you are interested, please contact head coach Jenny Turpel at 815-388-5063 or jturpel@harpercollege.edu.  To play, you must have a current physical and fill out the Athletic Physical Packet listed under "Athletic Department". The paperwork can also be picked up in the Athletics office in M building. 

Hawks Dominant in 7-0 Win

The Hawks controlled the game from start to finish in a 7-0 victory. (Jim Cummins)

Box Score

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College women's soccer team struck early and often against visiting Milwaukee Area Technical College Friday afternoon, dominating the action on their way to a 7-0 victory.

Nicolette Kruczek (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) put Harper on the board early as she found the back of the net on an assist from newcomer Nina Bednarz (/Barrington). A few minutes later, Kruczek found Maryanna Milanez (/GED), who did the rest and gave the Hawks a 2-0 advantage. Kruczek struck again with her ninth goal of the year to make it 3-0. Just before the half, Stephanie Hurwitz (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Fremd) scored her third goal of the season to pad the Harper lead.

In the second half, three Hawks – Vanessa Salazar (/Proviso West), Mary Cassidy () and Katherine Milla(Honduras/CEAD Christian School) – all found the net for goals. Bednarz added her second assist on Salazar's goal while Hurwitz assisted on Cassidy's goal.

Goalkeeper Mikayla Nagle () earned the victory in goal, making four saves on the day.

Up next, the Hawks travel to Glen Ellyn on Wednesday to take on College of DuPage in a N4C showdown.

Hawks Rout Milwaukee, 11-0

It only took Kevin Engebretsen (9) just over 34 minutes to yield a hat trick. (Jim Cummins)

OAK CREEK, Wis. – The Harper College men's soccer team put on an offensive clinic Friday afternoon at Milwaukee Area Technical College as seven different players scored in an 11-0 victory.

The Hawks (2-7, 2-6 N4C) scored early and often, as Ryan Murphy (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) scored the first goal of the game in the seventh minute on a pass from Starsky Correa (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove). Forward Kevin Engebretsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) followed with two goals of his own in the 14^th and 19^thminutes on feeds from Correa and Orlando Hernandez (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) to extend the advantage to 3-0.

Murphy followed shortly after with his second goal of the game, and it only took Engebretsen just over 34 minutes to complete the hat trick, scoring his third goal of the game to push the lead to 5-0. Aldo Figueroa (Wheeling, Ill./Buffalo Grove) found the back of the net in the 40^th minute to give the Hawks a 6-0 edge at halftime.

After the break, Rosario Militello (/Jacobs) struck for a goal in the 54^th minute on a feed from Eric Ayala (Hanover Park, Ill./Bartlett) and scored an unassisted goal seven minutes later to make it 8-0. Michael Rodriguez (/Hoffman Estates), Daniel Swiderski (Chicago, Ill./American School)and Benyoceth Juarez (Berwyn, Ill./Hersey) all found the back of the net in the second half, with Juarez's goal coming in the 83^rd minute, assisted by Andy Carrillo (Hanover Park, Ill./Schaumburg).

Goalkeeper Sean Cox (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) earned the victory, registering four saves on the day. The Hawks outshot the Stormers 23-4.