Girls soccer: Soukup strikes, and Palatine keeps Cup
Palatine senior Carolyn Soukup struck for the game-winner as Fremd's unbeaten start to the season ended with a 1-0 loss to the Pirates in the annual crosstown girls soccer contest at the Vikings' Hildebrant Field.
The Pirates (4-2-1, 3-0-0) will now hold the coveted Kinsella Cup, sponsored by the Celtic Soccer Club, for a fourth consecutive year.
"This was a big deal for all of us tonight, but for me, it was extra because my sister (Mackenzie) is a senior and playing in this game for the last time," said Palatine junior Kacie Filian, who along with her teammate, Sarah Clancy, were key figures in the Pirates' success.
"We obviously have a big rivalry with Fremd, and this year, with them coming into the game undefeated, we knew we had to do whatever we could to make them play our game - and not theirs," said Clancy.
With the Palatine duo winning nearly every midfield ball, the Pirates were able to keep the Vikings' attack largely grounded.
"It was an ugly game, and one that we got up in almost right from the opening whistle," said Fremd coach Steve Keller.
The loss wasn't the worst of it for the Vikings.
Fremd back-line standout Julia Szylke was helped off in the first half. So was terrific midfielder Katie Kiolbassa, whose return from club along with Julia Leonard this spring had sparked a 6-0-1 start to the season before Monday's defeat.
"There were times when the referee needed to call things tighter in order to keep control, and that's something we would have liked to have seen," said Keller. "But the referee wasn't the reason we lost tonight. It was our play that did us in."
Fremd was also without one of its top forwards, Emilijias Peleckas, who was forced out of the action in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Conant.
"We'll wait and see on all three girls," said Keller, "and hope we get good news on each of them."
This MSL West division game had the look of one that would need 100 minutes to decide the outcome.
Soukup ensured that would not be the case just before the hour.
That's when the Pirates created one of several corners put in play by Mackenzie Filian. Clancy kept it in the mix, sending it back to Soukop.
Carrying to her right, the senior unleashed a bending attempt into the upper left corner, giving Vikings all-state keeper Kelsie Stone no chance despite a valiant effort.
"That goal happens because Sarah did what she does so well, and that's keeping balls alive in our opponents end," said Kacie Filian.
Keller began pushing his players forward for the final 25 minutes. That included Leonard, who replaced Szylke in the center of his back line until the Soukop goal forced a tactical change by the home side.
The 3-5-2 formation added numbers for sure, but in turn, Pirates coach Willie Filian simply had his defenders sit deeper.
We did all we could to keep Fremd off the board tonight, and with some great work form our back line, as well as having our midfield winning so many balls right from the start, we were able to get out of here with a win," said Filian.
After a game at home against Wheeling on Wednesday, the Pirates begin pool play in the Naperville Invite against Loyola on Thursday. Next up for Fremd are matchups with Evanston and Hinsdale Central.