Girls soccer: Sycamore ousts Burlington Central

Sycamore's first goal in the opening 10 minutes of Friday's Class 2A Burlington Central girls soccer regional title match against the host Rockets didn't send shock waves through the teams, benches or fans. Early goals happen in matches all the time.

When the Spartans scored a second goal less than a minute later, things seemed worrying, but not ideal. Central still had more than enough time to rally.

But when Sycamore added a third goal to take a 3-0 lead with just over 71 minutes left, a pattern had been set: the Rockets were on their heels and the Spartans had fired a salvo that set them well on their way to victory.

Central battled the rest of the way, Sycamore was never able to coast, but that opening outburst was enough to see the Spartans to a 4-1 victory and a spot in next week's Class 2A DeKalb sectional.

"If we could take back that first 10 minutes, we'd have a different game, I think," Central coach Jessica Arneson said.

Taylor Meier scored Sycamore's opening goal 6 minutes into the match after Ella Holland rode a tackle and crossed to the center of the penalty area. Shortly after kickoff, Sycamore had a free kick. Callahan Carl took that kick from left-to-right to Ella Holland, who knocked the ball to Saydie Holland, who hit the ball into the net from close range. Ella Holland rolled the ball into the net from a quick break up the center of the field with 31:23 left in the half to complete the Spartans' goal rush.

"You always look right after a goal to go right back on them and to keep that pressure on them," Sycamore coach Dave Lichamer said. "We had great composure in and around the box for those goals, and for our one at the end too."

Central closed the gap with 3:18 left in the opening half when Alexis Rosa fed Jordan King, who hit a blistering shot that caromed off the crossbar and over the goal line. With the entire second half to chase the game, and with chances coming their way, the Rockets weren't completely dispirited at halftime.

"We've played a lot of games where we were coming from behind," Arneson said. "I've never had a team that responds this way. Many teams will just let it happen and let the rest of the game be the way it is. But they came back at hard, and for that, I'm proud of them."

But despite a series of chances, including a free kick over the crossbar by Megan Majewski and a Sydney Pryor shot that was saved, Sycamore mostly kept the Rockets rally from gaining traction. Playing in a deep defensive role, Carl was key both in her team's movement to attach as well as its defensive solidity.

"She does a great job of winning the ball, lifting her head and distributing it from there to start the play for us," Lichamer said.

Sycamore put the game firmly out of reach with 3:45 to play when Meier passed to Saydie Holland, who scored.

Without a senior on its roster, Central looks positively to the future now that the 2016 season is over.

"We'll come back bigger and stronger next year," Arneson said. "I think they learned how to be confident in themselves this year. That's still a process, and it's something every high school goes through in four years in high school."