Strong finish for Conant nets win over Palatine
A 3-goal explosion in the second half, led by senior Leah Celarek and freshman Kaylin Feeley, helped the visiting Conant girls soccer team overcome a spirited first-half challenge from Palatine at Chic Anderson Stadium on Tuesday night.
It took the Cougars (4-1-0, 2-0-0) a while to get warmed up in the Mid-Suburban West contest on a cold and windy evening.
But once Celarek drove in her 51st minute strike, the 4-2 victory wasn't much in doubt as teammates Miranda Glennon and Sidney O'Keeffe fired in two more.
The Pirates (1-3-0, 1-1-0) pulled one back when freshman Sarah Clancy scored with six minutes left.
"It was an ugly first half of soccer for us," said Conant coach Jason Franco, whose club begins an important week of play with Buffalo Grove visiting Wednesday before a trip to Barrington on Friday for its biggest test of the young season. "I challenged (them) at half, telling the team it had to go out and prove it deserved some of the high praise it received in the preseason. And I thought the girls went out and played like I know they can with a much better, more lively 40 minutes."
"Franco gave us one of those 'motivation' speeches at the break, but we really needed it," said Celarek, who will follow former MSL stars Ann Marie Lynch, Molly Pfeiffer and Carrie Madden to Marquette next fall to continue to play, with plans to become a physical therapist. "We were really tested last Saturday against Waubonsie Valley, a team that plays with a lot of confidence and composure, and just real simple soccer.
"We got caught up in that and played too nervous and without much pace, like the first half. But we really found our game in the second half with our possession and quick touches and passing, so it was a great way to finish up."
The Pirates, who were coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to state power New Trier on Saturday, had the early energy in this match - especially in the last quarter-hour of the first half, despite conceding an opening score to Feeley at 36 minutes.
If not for some terrific vision from senior Katie Lomas, who on three occasions read certain trouble before moving in for a timely tackle, the Pirates may have been in on keeper Haley Anderson inside the 6-yard box. Clancy and sophomore Mackenzie Filian were mainly responsible for the late first-half resurgence in the Pirates' attack. Each won more than their share of 50-50 balls while distributing impressively up top to front-runners Kellie Reynolds and Michelle Raymond, who were targeted frequently throughout the opening 40 minutes.
Raymond and Marissa Glaviano were the architects behind the Pirates' equalizer at 40 minutes which was finished by Filian as it spilled free to the back post.
"We weren't very sharp toward the end of the second half," Franco said. "And Palatine, which can make you play the way they want you to, took advantage. They put one into the back of the net to send them into the break with a lot of momentum in their favor."
However, that bit of momentum soon gave way to a more measured pace and some much needed urgency from Franco's club.
When Feeley's wonderful early ball to Celarek allowed the senior to speed past the last defender for the go-ahead goal, the match turned sharply in favor of the visitors.
Lomas initiated the Cougars' third strike with a nice ball out of the back to Celarek, who watched Glennon deliver a one-timer past keeper Francesca Falato at 58 minutes.
Seven minutes later, O'Keeffe finished what Glennon and Celarek started. Soon after, Franco pulled most of his starting lineup for the rest of the night.
"It was great to see us create three great chances off the counter, and finish each of them," Franco said. "I hope that gets us ready for Buffalo Grove, which will give us another tough one before we meet Barrington at the end of the week."
Palatine will host Prospect in its next match.