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Scoreless draw gives Batavia tourney edge over BG

Batavia lifted a girls soccer tournament championship trophy Thursday night after playing defending champion Buffalo Grove to a scoreless draw in the Frizzelle Memorial Tournament on the turf at Lake Park High School's West campus.

Batavia had an edge in tournament goal differential over the Bison, who conceded 1 goal during the week-long tourney while coach Mark Gianfrancesco's club recorded 3 shutouts.

"We didn't win the tournament in spectacular style, but it felt good to finally beat a terrific team like Buffalo Grove which has kind of had our number here in the past," said Gianfrancesco.

The Bulldogs had gone 0-2-1 in recent matchups against the Bison (4-1-1), who were without four starters Thursday night, including two-time all-area midfielder Jessica Kovach. That absence forced BG coach Pat Dudle to make some last-minute changes.

"We put a different plan into effect on the bus ride over, and the girls did a great job of doing what we asked of them, especially in the first half when we attacked more and continued to defend in our own end when Batavia really came at us (looking) to put one into the back of the net," said Dudle.

The Bulldogs immediately put their opponents under pressure, thanks in part to a vibrant group in the midfield led by Olivia Callipari, Carly Simonian and Alexis Bryl. They frequently found the front-line duo of Megan McEachern and Karina Rosales during an impressive opening quarter-hour.

"We defended more than we would have wanted to, but with us having so many out of our lineup due to injuries, we had to move some people around, and it took us awhile to finally settle in," said Buffalo Grove senior Maria Hamilton, who kept her backline organized and under control while providing quality service out of the back as the Bison consistently targeted striker Sarah O'Connor, who stood alone up top in Dudle's 4-5-1 formation.

Gianfrancesco brought on Mackenzie Foster at 13 minutes, and the sophomore nearly found the back of the net on her first touch as the end of a well-played counter - one of several half-chances the Bulldogs created, along with a handful negated by the offsides flags.

"We were off plenty more times than we weren't, and that's just the way the game goes," Gianfrancesco said.

Simonian appeared to have driven home a goal in the 23rd minute, but the junior and her mates were unable to celebrate when the assistant referee raised his flag.

McEachern's attempt to squeeze her long-range shot from the right side just inside the far post went just wide to begin the second period, and moments later junior Sara Busse had a go at Batavia keeper Jenny Scara, who was called into the action for the first time of the night at 45 minutes.

Scara's counterpart Cassie Berman did well to come off her line to cut the angle on a hard-charging Rosales, forcing the senior to strike her shot from in close into the side netting. That sequence started a wide-open 15 minutes of play which included a couple of dangerous opportunities for both clubs.

"We created a lot of chances, but weren't as sharp as we should have been in the final third," said McEachern.

The all-action junior was brought down when Rosales put her through, but Bryl's subsequent free kick went over the bar in the 50th minute.

Moments later, McEachern steered a wonderful ball through the box from the near side onto Rosales' foot. If not for a strong tackle from Hamilton, the senior might have had a clear shot at the goal.

With Busse beginning to win more balls and having more time to distribute, BG's midfield play eventually got more of the action, which in turn would put the Bison in position to strike.

The best of the chances in the second period fell to O'Connor, who created a free kick opportunity for herself after being fouled just outside the box. But her attempt on frame went just over with nine minutes remaining in regulation.

"We fought hard to keep Batavia out of our net, and we played so much better as a team in that second half as we began to get more confidence on the ball and in our attack. Now we just have to get healthy," said Dudle, whose club travels to Mid-Suburban East rival Prospect on Monday.

"Even though we were unable to score tonight, some of the credit for that should go to (BG's) defense," said Gianfrancesco. "I really liked the way we attacked, moved the ball around, and created. It was a good effort throughout, and it's been good to see us progressing each time out as well."

Batavia is on the road on Monday at Metea Valley before opening play in the Upstate Eight against Streamwood the next day.

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