Burlington Central falls to Deerfield in PepsiCo semifinals

Taking strides and going through a learning experience are the things the Burlington Central girls soccer team have picked up in the PepsiCo Showdown tournament.

The Rockets were a game away of reaching the finals of the Gatorade bracket on Saturday. But unseeded Burlington Central fell to No. 4 Deerfield 2-0 in the semifinals at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.

The Warriors (6-2-1) will move on to the championship game to be played at DePaul University on Sunday, April 26.

"The team we faced was definitely the most athletic team we faced all year," Burlington Central coach Jess Arneson said. "It really was good for us and will make us better. It was a tough loss, but it was such a good learning experience for us. We should take a lot away from it."

Seeing was believing for what the Rockets (9-2) could do on the field and what they can do for the future.

"Something I saw was our midfield starting to play so much more dynamically instead of playing slower in the midfield," Arneson said. "There was some nice combinations and I thought we gave (Deerfield) a run for their money at the end there. There were a couple of times that we got real close because our midfield started to put pressure on their defense and learn that we can do this. They know that they can do that against good teams. The best way to do that against good teams to keep it in their offense."

Burlington Central had some of its best chances of scoring early on in the second half as it had some shots go wide of the post and over the crossbar.

Deerfield scored its first goal during the first half in the 19th minute. Enya Horgan found the back of the net off an assist from Katie Marquardt.

Then, the Warriors added another in the 49th minute off a corner kick from Ashley Imyak which Jesse Holloway finished with a header for the other goal.

The Rockets didn't come out with their usual intensity that they've seen in recent games.

"I thought our team worked their best, but we might have come out a little flat in the beginning," Rockets' defensive/midfielder Cassie Ciganek said. "We all worked and really wanted to get a goal. (Deerfield) was a fast team and the most athletic team we've faced all year. It was a good matchup for us and it was good to have some good competition."