Peterson extends family tradition at Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich senior center-A-wing Kristy Peterson is following in the family footsteps when it comes to lacrosse.

Peterson’s parents along with six other parents helped start the local Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club.

Plus, Peterson’s siblings also played the sport. Her brother, Jeff, is coaching with the Lake Zurich High School frosh-soph boys team, while sister, Kayla, played on the first girls team at the high school.

“They kind of sucked me into it,” Peterson laughed.

Playing up top requires plenty of focus, Peterson explained.

“You have to focus out there,” she said. “When you lose focus, it’s all downhill from there. It’s easy to lose the ball. You have to be upbeat. You can’t think negatively out there or you can’t get any better.”

Peterson is having a blast on this year’s Bears squad.

“We have a lot of great players,” she said. “This team works really well. We’ve had a lot of strong games together. We have a really strong team this year. Last year we had a lot of good players, but we didn’t mesh as well. This year, it’s been great.”

Peterson is going to continue her education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she wants to major in biology. Peterson sports a 3.8 grade-point average. Her father went to Cal Poly.

“I’m thinking about zoology, but I really don’t’ know. We’ll see where life takes me,” she said.

The Bears scored a key win last week over Stevenson and dropped an 11-5 contest to Lake Forest.

“It was a positive week,” Lake Zurich coach Julie Bryniczka said. “We’re doing well. Our transitioning and our passing and teamwork are getting better. They have really worked as a team to get better and that has made us much better.”

Bears’ goalie Alexandra Sopozy has been playing particularly well of late.

“She’s truly been the star of every game,” said Bryniczka. “She keeps the defense moving. She’s really good. She makes an incredible amount of saves.”

While the Bears lost to Lake Forest, Bryniczka was pleased with how the team competed against one of the top programs in the state.

“We played very well against Lake Forest. We did everything really well. We didn’t execute,” she said. “We dropped balls and did not make shots. I was extremely proud of them. They didn’t give up against a great team. The girls were not intimidated. They wanted to win. They gave 100 percent effort. We just couldn’t finish.”

Lake Zurich was 7-3 through late last week and was 3-1 in conference (second to Lake Forest).

Palatine update: The Pirates were 5-5 through their first 10 games with key recent wins over Fremd (9-6) and York (11-6).

Rose Silveira was leading the team with 30 goals through the first 10 games, including 6 in the win over York. The junior midfielder also had 4 assists. Senor midfielder Lauren Radtke had 17 goals and 2 assists, while junior attack Ashley Geraghty had 13 goals.

“We are really starting to clean up our transition game,” Palatine coach Leslie Schock said. “In our game against York, we did a great job of moving the ball around on offense and being patient. We are making better decisions with the ball. Also, our defense has really tightened up. Against York, I challenged them to hold them to 3 goals in the second half (they had 4 at halftime) and the defense held them to 2.”

Goalie Veronika Metanova has been making huge strides of late. She averaged 18.3 saves per game during a recent 3-game stretch.

“Veronika has improved tremendously over the past three weeks,” Schock said. “The first time she played goalie against Barrington (her time ever in goal) she had 8 saves. The second time we played them just a week-and-a-half later she had 25 saves.”

During a recent three-game run, Silveira averaged 5.5 goals per game.

“She is really starting to do a better job placing her shots and working the ball to get a good shot,” Schock said.

Senior attack Brittany Johnson was cited for clutch passing in recent games. She had 2 assists against York.

Pro-defense: Montini senior defender Alyse Suffield is a big fan of her position.

“I love it,” she said. “I played basketball and it’s very similar, which is why I picked up on it so easily. I like the contact and I like knowing I can stop people. If people get by me, it’s my fault. I like knowing that it’s my fault. Protecting the goalie is my job. I like the leadership part of it, too. If you let up for one second, the other team is going to get past you and everything you were working for is going to result in an error and a goal. I love the challenge of it. Pretty much anything can happen back there. It’s very hectic. Everybody has to be on their toes and has to be ready for someone to come through.”

Suffield will continue her lacrosse career at Augustana College next year. She’s one of a number of area players that will help get the program off the ground in its first year.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I’m going to college to play lacrosse. I can’t wait to be part of something like that.”

Suffield also tipped her hat to Montini co-coaches Virginia Kosenkova and Michelle Sebastian.

“It’s definitely been our coaching staff,” she said. “We’re so lucky to have coaches like them. They both played in college and they both know what they are talking about. They know how to motivate us and give us the determination to win. They have definitely been a big help.”

Waubonsie-Metea update: The Waubonsie Valley-Metea Valley co-op team earned its first conference win of the season, a 7-6 overtime triumph over Naperville North.

“That was a huge victory for us,” said Waubonsie-Metea coach Mike Wegrzyn. “That will give the girls some confidence. They saw all of their hard work pay off by beating a quality opponent like Naperville North. We had lost to them twice.”

Amanda Levin had the eventual game-winner in the first overtime. She scored with seven seconds left in the first overtime.

“In the second overtime we gained possession and stalled the clock out,” Wegrzyn said.

Kim Rowell had 3 goals in the game for Waubonsie-Metea.

“We were down 6-3 with 17 minutes to go and we were able to shut Naperville North out for the rest of regulation and in the overtimes,” Wegrzyn noted.

Goalie Halley Baker had 12 saves, eight of them coming in the second half and the overtimes.

In other action, Waubonsie-Metea dropped a 5-3 game to Naperville Central and lost 6-5 to Warren.

“When we play Neuqua Valley (today) and St. Charles on Thursday we’ll have more confidence,” Wegrzyn said. “We’ll have momentum going into those two games. Naperville Central is a tough team. We lost by 13 goals earlier in the year. Everybody on our team is growing. The girls are starting to buy into each other. They have confidence in each other. It hasn’t been just one girl. The whole team is improving.”

Waubonsie-Metea had five different players score goals in the Naperville North win.

“We’re a first-year varsity program. Most of these girls basically have two years of experience. This is the second year of the program,” Wegrzyn said. “We’ve made big strides.”

Stevenson update: The Patriots scored a 17-15 win over Benet Academy recently. Rachel Banas had 11 goals. Alyssa Gorenberg stopped 20 of 35 shots.

Stevenson also scored a 19-10 win over Warren and a 12-10 win over Vernon Hills. The Patriots’ only recent setback was a 15-11 loss to Lake Zurich.

Hinsdale Central update: The Red Devils were 7-4 through late last week with a key recent victory coming against Oak Park-River Forest.

Senior midfielder Dylan Voneiff was leading the team in scoring with 31 goals and eight assists. Senior attack Maggie Langhamer had 32 goals and 5 assists, while senior attack Betsy Arnold had 23 goals and 3 assists.

“Our speed and athleticism have helped us come up with some big ground balls and draw controls,” Hinsdale Central coach Lindsay Finocchiaro said. “We have improved our basic fundamentals and re-defending the transition.”

Katie Christian has excelled of late on attack, while Amanda O’Grady and Chelsea Boyle have been connecting the team in the midfield, allowing transitions to move faster.

Vernon Hills update: Cougars coach Bob Thompson was pleased with how his team competed in a recent 12-10 overtime loss to Stevenson.

“It was a great game,” Thompson said.

The contest was tied 10-10 after regulation. Stevenson led 10-7 with 6:25 left in regulation. Vernon Hills tied the game with less than a minute to play.

Lauren Hernandez, Erin Steele, Jihee Choi and Christie Currie starred on offense for the Cougars, while goalie Kori Cotteleer, Jessie Westman and Christina Pasquesi had strong games on defense.

Thompson noted the game with Stevenson will have implications on upcoming sectional seeding.

Through the team’s first six matches, Currie and Choi each had 17 goals. Choi had four assists, while Currie had three.

“Our defense has finally started to gel,” said Thompson prior to the Stevenson game. “Against Warren, our defense held them to just 16 shots and against Glenbrook North, we lost 12-9, but our defense held its own. Unfortunately, our offense did not score on some key free position shots which, if we would have scored, we could have defeated them.”

Westman, Pasquesi and Jaylin Lee have improved on defense.

“They have become a strong defensive trio helping each other by controlling the 8-meter,” Thompson said. “Jaylin has played at the low defensive position most of her high school career, but now as a senior has moved up to midfield and has contributed on the defensive side as always, but now has added attack to her contributions, although she has no goals, she has been instrumental in helping us keep the ball inside our attack zone by back-checking and with groundball controls.”

Choi had 4 goals in the Glenbrook North game.

“In the first 6 games the only game she did not score at least 3 goals was against Libertyville,” Thompson noted.

Currie scored two goals in the team’s game against Warren while the team was in stall mode.

“The defense would attempt to double her behind goal and she broke out of the double-team and scored, allowing us to not only get time off the clock but extend the lead,” Thompson said.

Naperville North update: The Huskies were 1-6 overall (0-3 conference) through late last week. The team scored a 4-1 win over York.

“It was a great all-around game by the girls,” coach Adam Washington said. “They were finally able to put together a complete game of lacrosse. We transitioned well and were very patient on attack. Our midfield and defense did a great job of keeping an athletic York team at bay.”

Sarah Osier stopped 19 of 20 shots in goal.

“Sarah had another stellar game,” Washington noted.

Senior attack Alex Novak was leading the team with 5 goals and an assist through late last week. Junior attack Kim Obergfell and senior midfielder Katie Scholin each had 4 goals.

Defense has taken a step forward for the team in recent times.

“Our defense has really stepped it up the last 2 games, only giving up 7 goals,” Washington stated. “Sarah continues to be solid in the net with a 60 percent save percentage. Katie Scholin, Megan Shoemaker and Sarah Schumacher have gelled well in the midfield, while Jana Sztuk, Nicole Pinella and Veronica Destefano have been helping Sarah out by slowing the opposition’s attack.”

The team also is making important strides on offense.

“Our attack is more patient. We are waiting for the other team’s defense to make a mistake,” Washington said. “Before, we would force the issue or try to make plays that we were simply not capable of making.”

Freshman Liz Goeden was recently called up to the big club.

“She had an immediate impact on our attack,” Washington said. “While she hasn’t scored a goal yet, she’s added athleticism and a little grit to the attacking unit. She set two amazing picks that resulted in goals against York.”

In the notable stats department, Novak had 7 ground ball controls against York.

Glenbard West update: The Rams fought through four games being cancelled due to the poor weather and notched a recent 11-8 victory over a strong Wheaton United squad.

“We continue to play solid defense and the attack has been moving the ball well to score goals,” Rams coach Bob Regan said.

Christina Letmanski continues to have a banner season for Glenbard West. She had 5 goals and 2 assists in a win over St. Charles and had 2 goals and 3 assists in a win over Fenwick. She added 3 goals and 3 assists in the Wheaton win.

Samantha Harkless had 4 goals and 3 assists against St. Charles, 5 goals and 3 assists against Fenwick and 4 goals against Wheaton United.

“Samantha has really turned it up in the last three games,” Regan said. “With a lot of teams now keying on Christina, it is nice to have Sam step up and add some extra firepower to the attack. Our other attackers and middies all contribute with goals and assists, so it becomes very hard to really key in on any one player.

Katie Fleming, Rebecca Abellera, Kelly Molloy and Elizabeth Simoneit were cited for strong play on offense.

“The ball and body movement, picks and plays that the attack run keeps opponents off-balance and opens up opportunities for us to score,” Regan explained.

Molly Streiker and Kylie Malonie have been stalwarts on defense for the Rams and are helped out by Ellen Wendte, Hayiley Walch, Fleming, Simoneit and Kirsten Ward.

“Our defensive unit plays very well together,” Regan said.

Goalie Clare Byrne also is a key component to the team.

“It also doesn’t hurt to have one of the best goalies in the state,” Regan said late last week. “The goalie is the last line of defense and Clare has 149 saves and a 71 percent save percentage, which leads the state. She’s let in only 60 goals so far this season. Clare is awesome between the pipes for us.”

Schaumburg senior attacker Myia Kerr will continue her education at Ohio State University after earning a full-tuition scholarship.

“I might play club lacrosse there,” said Kerr, who has a 3.7 grade-point average and is on the honor roll.

Kerr earned the scholarship after writing an essay.

“I wrote an essay for one of the diversity programs,” she said. “I applied in November and found out in March. My essay was about winning homecoming queen and what diversity means to me.”

Kerr noted she was Schaumburg’s first African-American homecoming queen.

“It’s been a big step for me,” she stated. “I used to be really shy and now I’ve broken out of my shell. I wrote about myself in the essay. Being named homecoming queen meant a lot to me.”

Kerr isn’t sure on a major just yet. She thought about chemistry at first, but now is contemplating pre-med to get on a path toward possibly being an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

On the field, Kerr has transitioned nicely from playing midfield to playing attack.

“It’s not that big of a difference,” she said. “You get to conserve more energy instead of running so much on the field. I like it better. The key with playing attack is timing. You have to know where your teammates are and you have to know how to work with them really well. You have to know the plays and you have to know how to run the offense. If you do all of that, you will be able to score.”

Kerr is in her fourth year playing lacrosse. A math teacher at the school who was coaching at the time was looking for more girls to play.

“I had never heard of lacrosse before,” she said. “I said I would try it and see what it was like. The first day of practice I loved it and I have been doing it ever since.”

Kerr likes the team chemistry on this year’s Schaumburg squad.

“I love my teammates,” she said. “We all mesh well together and we all know how to have fun. We can depend on each other in game situations. We’ve made a lot more progress this season. We’re getting more respect as a team because of how we are playing and because we’re winning.”

Kerr noted the team’s win over Fremd this year carried some significance.

“It was the first time we had beaten them and it was our first conference win,” she said. “It was a really important game.”

The Saxons were 3-5 through their first 8 games of the season. Schaumburg scored a recent 8-7 win over Nazareth. Stephanie Montiel scored with less than a minute to play to break the tie.

Kerr, a senior captain, was leading the Saxons with 14 goals and 6 assists through the first 8 games. Huber, a sophomore attacker, had 13 goals and 5 assists, while Montiel, a junior middie attack, had 10 goals and 2 assists.

“We’re learning to win the close games,” Saxons coach Drew Lazzara said. “Earlier this season, we experienced tough, last-minute losses to Fenwick and Palatine, but with our close win over Nazareth, we’ve turned a corner. This is a group of girls that was not necessarily used to winning prior to this season and they did not know how to close out games. The Nazareth win proved that they’re starting to understand what it takes to play a full 50 minutes of lacrosse and out-will the opponent.”

Huber started the season on the junior varsity team.

“Her move up to the varsity level has added a new scoring threat to the team,” Lazzara said. “She has a knack for getting to the net and putting shots on goal. In all three of our victories, she has had important goals, and although she did not play in the first two varsity games, she is the second-leading scorer on the team.”

Junior center Lynn O’Boyle also has been a big contributor.

“She has been playing outstanding for us all year,” Lazzara said. “She’s a former hockey player and those skills have translated well to lacrosse. Her efforts do not always show up on the state sheet, but she’s arguably the best defender on the team. She’s always in the middle of ground ball battles. She’s definitely one of the unsung heroes on the team.”

Junior goalie Samantha Kossack has been ranked in the top 5 in the state in save percentage throughout the season.

“It’s only her second year in goal, but she’s fearless and always comes up with a big save when we need it,” the coach stated.