Girls soccer: Fremd wins at Conant for fifth straight MSL win
Fremd's girls soccer team made it five league wins in a row to take over the top spot in the Mid-Suburban League standings with a gritty 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon at wind-blown Conant.
The fifth shutout of the season for the Vikings (6-0-1, 5-0-0) gives them 15 points, tying them with the Cougars. But Fremd now has the tie-breaker advantage over Conant should that come into play later on.
"It was by no means pretty soccer out there today with the strong winds, plus the unusually hot temperatures, which, since we haven't experienced yet, took a lot of of the girls," said Fremd coach Steve Keller.
With a howling wind at its back, the visitors struck for the only goal when Julia Leonard steered in a far-post attempt after forward Emilijia Peleckas played a wonderful little layoff helper to set things in motion in the 12th minute.
Peleckas left with an injury in the 22nd minute and not return.
"Once we knew we would have the wind in the first half, our immediate goal was to score first, then just defend as much as we could for the entire second half," said Marta Cholewa, who along with freshman Lauren Burk and the rest of the Vikings' back line drew praise from Keller for a job well done.
When it appeared the wind would be an even bigger advantage than expected for the visitors, Keller made a tactical move that would pay immediate dividends. He opted for a 3-4-3 formation, which pushed Leonard up top alongside Missy Adrian and Angie Zara.
Less than five minutes after the switch, Leonard bagged the game-winner.
"Our roster gives us a lot of versatility this year," Keller said. "You saw it when we pushed Julia up top, then later when we went back to a 4-4-2 - still moving a few of the players around to get others rest, as well as trying to defend a little differently to match what Conant was trying to do."
Despite playing into a roaring wind, the Cougars (6-2-0, 5-2-0) managed to create a handful of chances, the best of the first half coming at 18 minutes when Kaylin Feeley a corner was taken off of the foot of Stephanie Mazurek by keeper Kelsey Stone.
Cougars defender Elizabeth Dolce, who was terrific during her 80-minute effort today, took one off the line after keeper Taylor Cyr made a magnificent save against Angie Zara.
The Cougars showed more energy, pace and purpose after the intermission, and with the wind now at their backs they flooded forward, creating a couple of half-chances along the way.
Mazurek went wide with her left-footer in the 45th minute, while a Dolce free kick missed as well.
Miranda Glennon sent a dangerous ball over the top, finding Emily Mazurek in full stride. And if not for Cholewa's wonderfully timed retrieving mission in the 70th minute, the Cougars forward could have been in on Stone.
"We really needed to get ourselves 3 points today to stay in the mix with Barrington and Fremd for the top spot in the division, and for the first 15 minutes of the second half, I thought maybe we had a goal or two in us," said Conant coach Jason Franco. "But Fremd defends really well, and that was the difference on a day like today."
The Cougars are next on the road for a contest at MSL East-leading Prospect on Wednesday.
Fremd begins a four-game work week by hosting crosstown rival Palatine at 7 p.m. Monday in the Celtic Cup matchup.