Bartlett topples Glenbard West

The Bartlett girls soccer team has been on a roll, and the Hawks kept on rolling in the Class 3A Bartlett regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Millennium Field in Streamwood.

Heading into the postseason, No. 10 seed Bartlett had won two of its last three games and the Hawks used that momentum to defeat No. 8 Glenbard West 2-0 to advance to Friday's final against top-seeded St. Charles East, which defeated No. 16 Elk Grove 7-0 in Tuesday's first semifinal match.

"East is a very good team," Hawks coach Ben Beary said. "They've got solid possession and speed, but we feel like we're playing well enough right now that we can play with a team like that."

Bartlett (12-9-1) had a couple late season call-ups who have already made an impact, one of whom is freshman Kayla Hare who's been up for 5 games now. She scored both of the Hawks' goals, one in each half, to make it three straight games with a score.

"It feels really good to make an impact right away," said Hare. "We've got great midfielders who do a great job moving the ball up and setting up our forwards, and that's what helped me score tonight."

Hare was set up on both scores by junior midfielder Mariela Alba, the first coming in the 31st minute. In the 65th minute, Alba played the ball up to Hare setting up a breakaway for the insurance goal.

Just a few minutes earlier, the Hilltoppers (7-8-4) had their best scoring chance as an attack from both Megan Kostolansky and Grace Burrello, two of six seniors on the team, helped pull Hawks keeper Nykia Wetterman (2 saves) away from the net. However, for the second time in the game, Molly O'Malley was able to race back and make a goal line clear to thwart the attack.

"I was really glad I was able to make it back in time to help preserve the lead," O'Malley said. "I was also glad that the rest of the team was able to get back and offer support after clearing the ball."

Tessa Jatczak also had 2 saves for Bartlett as she guarded the net in the first half, and Bailey Wallace made 9 saves for the Hilltoppers.

Glenbard West's roster featured 11 underclassmen, including freshman Emma Wallace, who had 3 of the team's 4 shots on goal, making this season a learning experience for most.

"We were fighting a good team," said Hilltoppers coach Maciej Kusmierz. "Having a very young squad, inexperienced squad, this was the first varsity playoff experience."

Kusmierz added: "I'm proud of the effort from my team, but Bartlett was the better team today."

For the Hawks, they advance to a regional title game for the first time since 2009 when they defeated Schaumburg.

"This senior group, this is the first time they've won a playoff game," Beary said. "I'm proud of them all; Shannon Brohan, Josie Dombrowski, Melissa Gal and Toria Tomasek. They've worked really hard, and I'm glad they were able to extend their season."