Girls soccer: Aurora Central Catholic ends Lisle's season
Aurora Central Catholic junior forward Shannon LoPresti played with 100 percent effort Friday despite battling a 100-degree fever.
The junior had 3 goals and an assist, a performance that ended the season of host Lisle after ACC beat the Lions 6-2 in the Class 1A Lisle regional final at Wilde Field.
It was LoPresti's second hat trick in this postseason, and it allowed the Chargers (13-4-2) to set a new school record for victories.
"It's very exciting," LoPresti said. "I think we prepared really hard for this and I'm just excited to win and go to sectionals."
The regional championship is the Chargers' second and LoPresti has been a part of both. She was a freshman on the 2015 team that advanced to the supersectional but took a year off to run track before returning this season.
"She came back and she has been such a difference maker," ACC coach Kristy Kane said. "She is playing a little bit sick and you would never know.
"She doesn't give up. She has the natural speed, but this year she's worked really hard to develop her other skills and I think she's come so far and it is great to see."
The play of LoPresti and sophomore forward Mary Canning, who had 2 goals and 1 assist, helped the Chargers break open what had been anyone's game.
Corrie Hutchison scored five minutes into the game to give Lisle (8-8) the early lead before LoPresti tied it at the 24:09 mark. Less than two minutes later, the Chargers took the lead when Victoria Opperman's 35-yard free kick was dropped wasn't cleared and Gina Cortino booted the ball home.
The Lions came back to tie it 2-2 on a 10-yard blast off the left foot of Alexa Fasone with 6:22 to go in the half.
But the Chargers stunned the Lions as Canning scored twice on short volleys just before halftime.
First, LoPresti battled her way through three defenders in the right side of the box before crossing to Canning for the eventual game-winner with 2:14 left.
Canning made it 4-2 on a similar play from the left side when she knocked in Anna Dudziak's cross with 58 seconds left.
"It pumped us all up," LoPresti said. "We were nervous about this game because we weren't sure, so those 2 goals really helped."
Indeed, the momentum shifted to the Chargers and stayed that way. LoPresti scored off a pass from Canning just 43 seconds into the second half, then completed her hat trick with 30:50 to go.
"We played a good 30 minutes of soccer and then it all went south," Lisle coach Paul Kohorn said. "They just played harder than we did and we congratulate them on that.
"They brought four girls to the goal and they just crashed the goal really hard and we just weren't prepared for that."
Even so, the Lions had their fair share of scoring chances. But ACC goalie Alex Montalbano made 6 saves and Callie Tomko, Lisle's lone senior, had several shots blocked by defenders and sent two free kicks over the crossbar.
"I really was shocked (at the final score) and frankly, they are the type of team that can score a lot of goals quickly," Kane said. "So I was not comfortable until the buzzer sounded."