Krejsa powers Stevenson victory
Katie Krejsa needed just a couple of games to find her scoring touch again.
The senior netted 2 goals and led Stevenson’s soccer team past visiting Maine South 3-1 in Lincolnshire on Thursday night.
Jenna Weiner scored the Patriots’ other goal and added an assist, while Olivia Whalen also picked up an assist.
Stevenson earned its first win after a 2-0 home loss to New Trier in its season opener Tuesday.
Krejsa, who tallied 21 goals last spring, saw some better scoring opportunities against Maine South than in the opener.
“Both were pretty good balls that got through,” said Krejsa, who will play college soccer next year at Dayton. “I think that’s the reason I got 2 goals this game. Our offense was playing much better and we got things together. We were able to connect passes more and were playing to feet.”
Krejsa delivered her first goal in the 35th minute, breaking a 1-1 tie. She took a long service from Whalen off the left wing and scored into the top corner.
Krejsa added her second goal in the 61st minute off another long pass, this time from Weiner.
“We had a lot more space, and every team plays differently,” Krejsa said. “You just have to adjust and play according to what you see. With Maine South, we had to switch the ball more up top to get more open space on the opposite side.”
Maine South (0-2) opened the scoring with a goal in the eighth minute, catching the Patriots’ defense off guard.
Allison Curry scored an unassisted goal for the Hawks.
Weiner tied the game at 1-1 in the 23rd minute with a low corner kick that took a wicked bounce and found the corner of the net.
“We have the ability with our speed and aggressiveness to find goals,” Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. “I’m pleased with the results so far. Our defense did pretty well out there.”
The Patriots’ defense consisted of Anne Geocaris, Erin Bailey, Morgan Meyer, Molly Brandt and keeper Cori Calcaterra (5 saves).
“I like Stevenson’s speed,” Maine South coach JJ Crawford said. “They were smart by sending those through balls to their forwards. They were a tad bit faster than our fullbacks. I think it paid dividends for them.”