McAuley turns back Fremd

Fremd coach Brian Newby summed up the Vikings’ foray in the state quarterfinals thusly: “That was a freakin’ beast of a defensive game.”

Which really came as no surprise, since Fremd and Mother McAuley had played to a 3-2 decision just a couple of weeks earlier.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, the outcome Thursday was reminiscent, in a monstrous way, to the first meeting.

McAuley again prevailed 3-2 and earned advancement into Saturday’s semifinal round against Fenwick, a 10-7 winner against Homewood-Flossmoor in the day’s first quarterfinal. The other semifinal will feature tournament host Stevenson, an 8-7 overtime winner against Stevenson, and St. Ignatius, which defeated Loyola 10-6.

Fremd scored first when junior Emily McCarthy threaded a nifty shot from the wing with 4:29 left in the second quarter. Victoria Arciniega tied it just before halftime with a sidearm shot.

Arciniega put McAuley (18-14) ahead 2-1 on a lob with 2:20 left in the third quarter, and near the end of the period, Samantha Matuszewski tied it up again with a shot from the 5-meter area that was deflected in front of the goal by teammate Sam Del Prado and her Mighty Macs defender.

On Fremd’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Arciniega got a steal on the wing and eventually took at shot that caromed off the crossbar. Adriana Izquerido was free on the other side of the net and stuffed the rebound in.

The remainder of the game was tense both ways. Fremd’s best chance to tie came with just under three minutes to play, just after Amy McEllen subbed into the game. She got free on a drive and drew an ejection, but Fremd’s 6-on-5 advantage did not yield a goal.

McAuley was able to get pressure more regularly on Fremd’s goal throughout the game, but exceptional goaltending from junior Julie Conrath made all the difference. Strong team defense and Conrath’s skills prevented McAuley from scoring on four 6-on-5 advantages in the fourth quarter, when allowing another goal would have made a Fremd comeback highly unlikely.

“She just covers so much of the goal,” said McAuley coach Vanessa Carroll. “I think that was the main reason we were shooting so high.”

The loss made for a disappointing finish to a stellar season for Fremd (24-5). They earned a fourth straight trip to the Elite Eight and completed a four-year run without a loss to a Mid-Suburban League foe.

Probably the best news is that so many players figure to return next season. The Vikings started just two seniors, Emily Orlowski and Megan Kennedy. Don’t be surprised if players such as Matuszewski, Conrath, Del Prado, McCarthy, McEllen and Lauren Zambelli show up in the Elite Eight again next year.

“I was able to look each one of my kids in the eye and tell them they are one of the finest teams I’ve coached,” said Newby. “Every single one of them did all they could to make this a great year for us.

“There were a lot of people out there who thought we wouldn’t be back (in the Elite Eight), and these girls proved them wrong.”