Fank scores four, so WW South will play some more

Wheaton Warrenville South junior Anna Fank did what strikers are supposed to do.

She scored and scored and scored and scored again. She not only scored in bulk, but when the Tigers needed it too.

Fank finished with 4 goals and the Tigers claimed a 5-1 victory against West Chicago at the Class 3A Wheaton North girls soccer regional semifinals Tuesday.

The sixth-seeded Tigers (11-7-2) will meet DuPage Valley Conference and cross-town rival Wheaton North, the No. 2 seed, in Friday's regional final looking to avenge a 2-1 regular-season loss.

"We just knew that we had to some out super-strong," said Fank, who had never scored 4 in a game. "We didn't know much about West Chicago. We knew that Wheaton North was a possibility of playing them Friday, and we wanted to redeem ourselves against them. ... I just kept firing at the goal and making runs and people had their passes right to me, so it was great."

"They have one player who, everything," added West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez, whose Wildcats (8-12-2) were seeded ninth. "The perfect storm. Every bounce. But she knows how to finish. You have to give credit to her, she finished pretty much every opportunity she had."

Fank gave the Tigers the lead in the 18th minute off a Rachel Deeman assist. West Chicago evened the game in the 24th when Jessie Maldonado found Kayla Kirkwood with a free kick from 40 yards out for a header that Kirkwood knocked into the net for her 17th goal. It was the only time the Wildcats could beat goalkeeper Nell Rosenthal, though.

"It was a little nerve-wracking when they scored," Fank said. "I had confidence in my team and knew we could pull through and just get some more goals."

Just a minute after Kirkwood's goal, UIC-bound Tigers senior Alexis Jakuszewski put the Tigers back in front when she scythed through the West Chicago defense and scored from 15 yards out.

Fank made it 3-1 when she scored from a tough angle just 6.3 seconds before halftime, deflating the Wildcats.

"It boosted our esteem and got us pumped and got our confidence back and (we) just knew that we could do it," Fank said.

"Certainly with six seconds left on the goal that Anna scored broke them a little bit in spirit," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "I think they felt they were in the game, and as long as they stayed in the game and you have (Kirkwood), then you always have a chance to do something spectacular."

Fank added breakaway goals in the 49th and 51st minutes to leave no doubt about the game's outcome.

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