Johnston's hat trick helps Carmel stop Warren

Meegan Johnston is someone you should know, and if you're interested in girls soccer, you probably will soon enough.

Johnston scored her first-ever goal as a freshman for Carmel Catholic on Tuesday.

The forward didn't stop there. She added 2 more goals for a hat trick, including the game-winner, as the Corsairs got by visiting Warren 3-2 in a nonconference game in Mundelein.

"I really didn't expect to get 3 goals," said Johnston. "I thought the last one was the best, going upper-90 with my left foot."

Johnson broke a 2-2 tie in the 77th minute by sending the shot over Warren keeper Amanda Macuiba and into the corner.

"I did see someone run through - I couldn't get it there and decided to take the shot," Johnson said. "I did see the goalie a little too far up and decided to put it over her."

Carmel (2-0-2) put together a strong second-half effort after trailing 2-1 at the break. First Johnston curled in a corner kick which went off the hands of Macuiba in the 44th minute for the tying goal.

"We battled back getting the second goal and had a lot of heart for the third one," Carmel coach John Halloran said. "We worked the ball real well up top, a lot more than in the first three games. When we play the feet and the short 10-yard passes, then move off the passes and make space, we do a much better job breaking down their defense."

Warren (1-2) tallied the match's first goal in the fourth minute when Karly Moe took a loose ball and scored in front after Natalia Jovanovic initiated the sequence with a cross.

"It was nice to get (ahead)," Warren coach Jeff Knouse said. "It gave us confidence. We moved the ball around, started working the midfield and then stopped. We put together a strong 40 minutes, but we needed to put the rest together."

Johnston tied the game at 1-1 in the 22nd minute. Kassidy Brown broke through the Blue Devils defense and dropped a pass for Johnston, who found the open net.

The Blue Devils grabbed the lead back in the 34th minute when Kerry Eddy received a touch pass from Kelsey Armour and scored on a one-time a shot from the top of the penalty area. Eddy's shot deflected off a diving Allen and bounced off the post before going in.