Hersey tops Buffalo Grove, earns return to MSL Cup
Hersey's girls soccer team will face Barrington in the 26th annual MSL Cup next week after a 2-0 victory over Buffalo Grove on Wednesday at Grant Blaney Stadium.
The hopes of the Bison (11-4-1, 7-3-0) took a hit four minutes into the match when Abby Wendell found the net, and again after Hersey keeper Claire Gritt saved a penalty kick attempt in the 37th minute, helping Darren Llewellyn's team into the May 13 championship match for a second consecutive year and a third in the last four seasons.
"Our goal from the very start tonight was to get that first goal, and when we did I had a feeling that things were going to go our way the rest of the way," said Llewellyn, whose club lost will look to avenge a 3-0 defeat in last year's MSL Cup.
"The real momentum-changer in this game was Claire's save on that PK, (which) I obviously didn't feel should have been called. But that whole sequence turned things in our favor from there on out."
Gritt's sixth shutout in league play gives the Huskies (13-3-2, 9-0-1) a league total of 28 points, one less than Barrington, which stands atop the MSL table after topping Hoffman Estates 4-0 on Wednesday.
The two MSL Cup participants will play Friday in Arlington Heights in what is now set as a tune-up for next Wednesday.
"We knew in order to keep our hopes alive that we needed a win tonight, so now that that chance is gone, we'll turn our attention toward our second season, which is the playoffs which begin in two weeks," said Buffalo Grove coach Pat Dudle, who appeared to have lost one of the top scorers in the area, Sarah O'Connor (19 goals) when the senior took a nasty tumble in the box to give the Bison a chance to equalize with a PK opportunity.
"Claire (Gritt) made a big save, and it proved to be a momentum-killer," said Dudle. "After that, even though we had a few spurts of quality play here and there, it just wasn't enough against a strong defensive club like Hersey."
The Bison's failure to defend a long throw from Wendell did them in when Kayla Knauss and sophomore Grace Kozurek kept things alive in the box, creating a scrum inside the 6 and allowing Wendell to steer in her close range shot past keeper Cassie Berman.
"Scoring the first goal of the game, and that early, was so big for us, because it allows us to play to our strength, which is defending," said the Knauss, a senior who along with her back line mates Sara Magnuson, Annie Korff and Claire Niemczyk were a stingy bunch, allowing just a couple of half chances at Gritt.
With Wendell sitting just behind the Huskies' midfield and Emma Slosar stationed a step or two in back of Wendell as the Huskies' defensive midfielder, BG's midfield group of Jessica Kovach, Sara Busse, and Georgette Topalis were unable to generate much going forward despite plenty of touches from the Kovach, a senior who along with Busse have missed a combined 11 games this season with their injuries.
"The plan was to keep those players from making a difference tonight, and I thought we did a good job of doing so for most of the game," said Llewellyn.
The same Huskies trio which generated the first goal was at it again as the visitors doubled their advantage six minutes into the second period.
After the Bison cleared a Wendell corner out of the area, Knauss' fearless header to send the ball back into the mix found Kozurek just in front of Berman.
Dudle then pushed three up top, with O'Connor alongside Busse and Maria Hamilton.
Busse forced Gritt to save a left-footed attempt at 59 minutes. Topalis had a chance with a header toward the back post, but the Huskies' defense took that shot off the line. And that was pretty much it for the Bison, who could not solve a Hersey defense which has made a living by protecting leads during its past two championship seasons.
"We don't have a true star player this year like we did last year with Lauren Gierman (now playing at NIU)," Magnuson said. "But everyone has stepped up to make up for her loss, and with the great team chemistry this group has, I am not surprised we're back in the MSL Cup next week."
Rolling Meadows 1, Schaumburg 1: Both teams scored in the second half as their MSL divisional crossover ended up in a draw.
Madeline Rebsamen had the goal for Rolling Meadows, and Brittany Reinhart scored on a penalty kick for the Saxons. Christina Kim and Sam Tyler combined to make 6 saves in goal for Schaumburg, and Kelsey Nallon made 5 stops for the Mustangs.
Fremd 3, Conant 2: Fremd's Jessica Kopek had a pair of goals and Sarah Aftelak had 1 to help the visiting Vikings pull out a victory. Sydney O'Keeffe scored with an assist from Katie Lomas in the first half, and O'Keefe assisted Zoe Shoro on Conant's second goal.
Barrington 4, Hoffman Estates 0: Ann Marie Niro scored the Fillies' first goal, then assisted on the next two as freshman keeper Samantha Schmitz made a pair of saves to earn a shutout.
Elk Grove 1, Prospect 0: Gabriella McDaniel's second-half goal helped the Grens net a victory in MSL East play.