Prairie Ridge tops Burlington Central

BELVIDERE — Defense was the name of the game as Prairie Ridge and Burlington Central battled in the semifinals of the Class 2A Belvidere girls soccer sectional Tuesday night. Both backlines and both goalkeepers put on an exhibition, but the Wolves were able to find the back of the net late in the first half and held on for a 1-0 victory at Funderburg Stadium.

The Wolves (15-6-1) will face Freeport for the sectional title on Friday.

For the Rockets (16-7-2), it was a disappointing end to a successful season.

“We’re happy that we won regionals, but we wanted to try and win sectionals, too,” said Rocket goalkeeper Caitlin Solberg, who made 12 saves, several of the acrobatic variety.

“Solberg was amazing for us,” said Rockets’ coach Mike Gecan. “She makes more saves than any keeper I’ve seen all year. That game right there, she’s an all-stater.”

Prairie Ridge controlled the ball for most of the game, but the Rockets’ defense, led by sweeper Chloe Plum, kept the Wolves at bay.

“My defense has always been there for me, and I give credit to them,” said Solberg.

The Wolves did break through, though, with less than 5 minutes left in the first half. Allyson Walsh fired a cross to Bri Fenton, who fired it in from 5 yards away.

That was all the offense the Wolves would need. They held the Rockets without a shot on goal until the final 2 minutes.

“Obviously, the finishing piece was not there,” said Prairie Ridge coach Josh Iverson. “They’ve got a great goalie and back line. They hold back farther, they’re well-disciplined on their back 4. That’s soccer, right? You get one goal and that’s it.”

Still, Central had a chance to tie it at the end. A shot by Camille Dela Cruz appeared to be deflected, landed just in front of the goal mouth and stopped there. A slew of Rockets made a dash for it, but Wolves’ keeper Brooke Laibly fell on it first. That ended the Rockets’ last real threat.

“They needed it and we wanted it,” said Gecan. “There’s a difference. If you want to go far in the postseason, there has to be a part of you that’s willing to give everything you have. Unfortunately, for some of our girls, it was difficult for them to let go until the end of the game.”