Girls soccer: Warren rolls by Rockford Lutheran in Glenbrook Cup opener
Warren, fresh off a draw against Mundelein on Thursday night in North Suburban Conference play, bounced back quickly.
The Blue Devils made the most of their scoring chances to open up play in the Glenbrook Cup on Friday night.
Warren started out 4 goals in the first half and bounced past Rockford Lutheran 6-2 at the Techny Fields in Northbrook.
The Blue Devils improved to 12-1-1, while their opponent Rockford Lutheran fell to 10-2. The Crusaders are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Class 1A Winnebago sectional.
Warren next faces Waukegan in the tournament quarterfinals at 10 a.m. Saturday - followed by the semifinals at 1 p.m. and the championship game set for 5 p.m., so long as the Blue Devils keep winning.
"It was good to get everybody in and for the girls who work hard every day in practice," Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. "I thought we connected our passes really well and it's something that we didn't do against Mundelein. The end result of connecting the passes was really nice."
Loyola-bound Lindsey Hardiman, who had a hat trick earlier in the week in a 5-4 come-from-behind win against Lake Zurich, scored a pair of goals.
"I feel a little more confident after getting those 3 goals," said Hardiman, who has 9 goals this spring. "I think this team does so well because we know each other very well outside of soccer. We know each other very well and know how to get each other motivated and know how each other plays."
The other scorers for the Blue Devils were Natalie McNally, Alissa Ramsden, Ayusha Ayalur and Kayla Malaker. Alliyah Parker and Kaitlyn Chomko both had 2 assists, and Lindsay Ditmars and Ellen Szostak assisted on the other goals.
Rockford Lutheran was expecting a big battle before they start their postseason tournament, and Warren certainly provided it.
"We were ready for the challenge," Rockford Lutheran coach Scott Lofgren said. "We knew Warren was a top-notch school and we knew we would be outmatched off the bat. But it was good for our girls to play that type of competition. We knew (Warren) is a big 3A school and on a roll right now."
• Coming off a big 4-1 victory in Northern Lake County Conference play against Lakes 4-1 on Thursday, Grayslake Central was battling tired legs on Friday against Normal West.
While the Rams didn't use that as an excuse, a late goal was the difference in their 1-0 loss.
The Rams dropped to 5-7, while Normal West improved to 10-2-1.
Grayslake Central plays in the consolation bracket against Chicago's University High at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, while Normal West meets Glenbrook North at 10 a.m. in the quarterfinals. A victory for Niles West could set up a match up with Warren in the semifinals.
The Rams' effort was there throughout the match, but they struggled to finish their chances.
"I thought we worked hard but we need to score to win games," Grayslake Central coach Bethany Martin said. "If you can't do that, then you can't win. We just have to be composed in front of the goal and take the quality chances that we can get."
Olivia Teplitz-Crawford scored the game-winner in the 64th minute.
"(Grayslake Central) was a good team," Normal West coach Val Walker said. "They play real well, and our girls were up to the task. (Grayslake Central) had some strong and aggressive girls. I thought we defended well, getting players behind the ball."