Girls soccer: Harlem eliminates Larkin

Take away the first 10 to 20 minutes of Friday's Class 3A Streamwood girls soccer regional championship match and Larkin might have knocked off top-seeded Harlem.

Unfortunately, that opening span came back to haunt the fifth-seeded Royals (10-12) during their eventual 1-0 loss to the Huskies (15-10) at Millennium Field.

Harlem senior forward McKaela Schmelzer received a through ball from teammate Jordyn Burdick and slipped a left-footed shot off the inside far post and into the net less than seven minutes into the action.

Falling behind early wasn't what bothered Royals coach Ken Hall most.

"I don't think it's necessarily when they scored, it's how they scored," said Hall. "It was kind of our lack of aggressive play - standing there watching as one girl was surrounded by four of ours."

Searching for its first regional title since 2006, Larkin quickly regrouped and enjoyed the better of the scoring opportunities throughout the rest of the first half.

Late in the half, sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Baeza broke free from the defense and sent a tough-angle shot that Huskies keeper Madison Vicencio gathered.

Following a foul just outside the box a few minutes later, Larkin sophomore Maricruz Ortiz delivered a 29-yard direct kick that nudged off the crossbar and over the net.

"Our lack of aggression hurt us a little in the first 20 minutes or so," said Hall. "After that, we were a lot more aggressive and had the ball most of the time.

"But they count how many (goals) you get, not how often you have the ball."

Larkin controlled the action at the outset of the second half, as senior Sam Moreno blasted a shot that sailed just over the crossbar moments before sophomore forward Angela Smith's deflected attempt was scooped up by Vicencio (5 saves).

Royals keeper Haley Casebeer (9 saves) kept her team within striking distance with several big-time saves, including thwarting Harlem's Adela Pelayo from point-blank range midway through the second half.

Larkin continued to push for the equalizer, as a 30-yard direct kick from Yocelyn Sanchez narrowly missed the corner of the net, and Stephanie Nunez unloaded wide right in the final minute.

"I was proud of the way we played," said Hall. "We only had one senior so we're hoping to get better next year. Hopefully, this is a lesson for us and we learn from it. As disappointed as we are today, three years ago we wouldn't even be in this spot."

Harlem, which captured its third consecutive regional title, will face Crystal Lake South in Wednesday's sectional semifinals at Streamwood.

"They're very good," Huskies coach Brad Heidenreich said of the Royals. "I'm glad we got it (the goal) because we didn't have too many other chances."

Moreno, the Royals' lone senior, received congratulatory hugs from her teammates after the match.

"Other years, it never seemed like it hurt that much losing," said Moreno, who will play at North Park next season. "But this year, I actually felt like we had a chance.

"I'm kind of glad that I'm the only senior because they'll be familiar with each other but it does hurt being the only one to leave."