Carmel, Lake Forest battle to deadlock
Carmel Catholic and Lake Forest have won the last two Class 2A girls soccer state tournaments.
They've also seen each other frequently in the postseason, which helps explain why the matchup is turning into a pretty good rivalry.
They programs met up again on Thursday night in the final game of the Camel quad in Mundelein.
Fittingly, the match ended up in a 1-1 draw that left both teams with identical 2-0-1 records.
The Corsairs' Marquette-bound Erin Johnston tallied a goal, and the Scouts countered with one from Kylie Murray.
"I do like the way it played out," Carmel Catholic coach Ray Krawzak said. "We played hard out there, and so did (Lake Forest). With two talented teams, we deserved a tie in that situation. (Lake Forest) got their chances and we got our chances."
After a scoreless first half, Shannon Murphy dropped a ball for Johnston, who struck a 30-yard lofted kick under the crossbar, giving the Corsairs a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute. It was Johnston's second goal in three games.
Lake Forest had a few opportunities here and there throughout the game. But the Corsairs' defense did a pretty good job of denying direct shots on goal. Carmel keeper Tina O'Block made 6 stops, including a couple of point-blank saves.
The Scouts found a tying goal in the 72nd minute, when Paige Bourne served a ball into the penalty area. Murray made a run on it and sent the ball into the back of the net.
"We've been studying, and this was a test for us," Carmel coach Ty Stuckslager said. "It's not the end of the semester, and it's just a test.
"It's what we need to work on - and we did well. Some of our girls were not used to seeing a team like Carmel that was fast and strong. It was good to play against someone fast and strong. It's great to see to teams go at it like this."
• In the other contest, Hersey won its first game of the season and got past Von Steuben 3-0.
Allison Busby scored 2 goals and Claire Callahan had the other goal for the Huskies (1-2) as Hersey keeper Andrea Canon earned the shutout.