Grayslake North stays unbeaten with PK win over Vernon Hills
It was a battle that lasted past 80 minutes on the soccer field as Grayslake North tried to keep its unbeaten season going.
The Knights were pushed to penalty kicks, but still earned themselves another victory.
Kelley O'Brien made it happen with the final and fifth straight kick that netted Grayslake North the Lakes Tournament title. The Knights edged Vernon Hills 3-2 (5-4 on penalty kicks) in the championship game at Lakes on Saturday afternoon.
O'Brien said it was her first attempt at a penalty kick, and it helped that she had plenty of company.
"Seeing my other teammates make their kicks helped out a lot," O'Brien said. "I was pretty nervous with the championship game on the line."
Nerves or not, O'Brien behaved coolly, placing the ball into a lower right corner and setting off a celebration for her team.
The Knights improved to 14-0-2 overall and 4-0 in tournament play. They've already tied the program record for victories in a season set three years ago.
Grayslake North had beaten Vernon Hills earlier in the season on the road with a 2-1 result. Vernon Hills (8-7, 3-1) was hoping to turn the tables on the Knights.
"Vernon Hills put us on our heels a bit," said Grayslake North coach Adam DeCaluwe. "I'm just proud of the girls to put up a good fight."
It was a back-and-forth match as each team scored in the first half.
The Cougars got both of their goals from Natalie Orozco.
For Grayslake North, Sammie Villwock scored one (with an assist from Maddie Wilkinson) and assisted on the other, scored by Corryn Smith.
Vernon Hills won its final game in pool play 2-0 over Mundelein on Saturday morning to get into the championship.
The Cougars gave an all-out effort, sticking with their game plan against the unbeaten Knights.
"It really was a good game and we played well," Vernon Hills coach Vince DeLuca said. "It wasn't like we wanted to get back at them from the loss earlier in the season. Our kids off the bench just came in and played very well. "Grayslake North is a good team. They got the better of us in the PKs and deserved to win. I just thought we did well in the tournament. I'm not disappointed."
• Players that made the all-tournament team from Grayslake North were Sammie Villwock, Loren Davis and and Morgan Lyon. Vernon Hills' selections were Kristen Gugliemi, Amy Andrea and Kaitlin Gramins. Lakes' all-tourney players were Maya Schmitt, Alyssa Brey and Nicole D'Ambrose. Mundelein's selections were Megan Carroll, Katie Cauble and Jessica Schultz.