Girls soccer: Wauconda works its way past Vernon Hills
Earning a No. 2 seed took plenty of hard work for Wauconda's girls soccer team.
So did making a sectional final, thanks to Vernon Hills' effort Tuesday.
But Wauconda remains unbeaten at 18-0-1 after using two overtimes to get past the third-seeded Cougars 4-2 in Class 2A sectional semifinal play at Deerfield.
The Bulldogs next play top-seeded Prairie Ridge (16-2) in the sectional final at 6 p.m. Friday. The Wolves got past fifth seed St. Viator 1-0 in 2 OTs on Tuesday in the earlier game at Deerfield.
"Part of the message in this one was that we've been down a goal before," Wauconda coach Beau Shogren said. "I just think they didn't get rattled. I'm just glad we survived the first half. (Vernon Hills) put a ton of pressure on us.
"I have to say Vernon Hills played a fantastic game. They should be proud of their effort and they took it to us early."
In the overtimes, Wauconda's goals came from Morgan Lung and Rachel Denovo, in the 83rd and 93rd minutes.
Lung scored the game-winner after taking a pass from Abigail McHugh, sending a long, lofted kick that somehow found its way into the back of the net in the first OT.
"I just wanted to finish it for the win," said Lung, wearing No. 3 to match her goals total this season. "You have to put it on the frame to score. I had no clue. I thought it went over at first but it just dipped in."
Denovo scored the other goal in the second overtime off a rebound.
Back at the beginning of the match, Denovo started the scoring for the Bulldogs in the second minute of play, taking a pass from Megan Sinnott for a 1-0 lead.
Vernon Hills earned a penalty kick in the 26th minute after a foul in the penalty area. Becky Bahlmann converted the PK, tying it at 1-1.
The Cougars took a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute as Sammie Biede sent a 30-yard free kick aimed for under the crossbar. But it glanced off the hands of the Bulldogs keeper Jill Reczyk and a defender before finding its way over the goal line.
Savannah Johnson, who scored the game-winning goal against Antioch in the regional final last Saturday, tied it in the 55th minute but lofting a shot from 40 yards that dropped in under the crossbar.
"We're a young team and (Wauconda) is a young team, and there's a lot to be proud of for us," said Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou, whose team finished 10-6-3. "We made to the top 32 teams in the state.
"It will hurt for a few days and it will take some time to heal. The young ones will learn, grow and understand this feeling more - for next year."