Girls soccer: Wheaton Academy leaves home with a win
Aside from perhaps fairly constant rain Friday, Wheaton Academy senior center back Holland Kosiek couldn't have asked for a better soccer sendoff on her home field.
The Warriors hit a crossbar and post in the final 10 minutes of regulation, but they finally overcame Latin 1-0 for the Class 2A Wheaton Academy sectional title on sophomore Sophie Lindquist's goal with 6:37 left in the first of two 10-minute overtimes.
"We have been preparing all season just to play a game like this," Kosiek said. "To finally have the heart to finish that one goal we did, the team with the most heart wins and I think we showed a lot of heart in this game. It's really exciting, especially on our home field."
The Warriors (19-5) advance to the Class 2A Concordia University supersectional against Prairie Ridge (17-2) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in River Forest.
The Warriors are back in Class 2A after winning the 2016 Class 1A championship. Seven of their 12 seniors started Friday.
"Honestly, it felt great to out with a bang (at home). We won it in overtime and it was an intense win," said senior outside defender Izzy McNally. "Obviously, we're not done, but it was a great game to be able to say was our last one here."
Lindquist scored her 14th goal this season off a cross McNally put in the center of the field at the 25-yard line for her or junior forward Erin Teevans. Lindquist trapped, turned and deposited the ball into the lower-left corner past charging goalkeeper Maggie Marrinson.
In last year's state final, the Warriors beat Marian Central 1-0 with Lindquist again scoring in overtime.
"It's really fun. (Today) I definitely couldn't have done it without Izzy's ball. It was a great ball," Lindquist said. "I know she has a very good, long ball and I just wanted to make sure I made the most of that."
That was the first goal Latin (17-2-1) allowed after six consecutive shutouts. The Warriors may have been frustrated but also began gaining confidence since back-to-back corner kicks with fewer than 27 minutes left in regulation.
"(That stretch) I felt we were pretty dangerous and that took over at least the momentum of the game and made us feel good going into overtime," Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. "I thought we did a good job of attacking in a variety of ways. Credit to Latin, they were organized, they were hard to break down. The fact that Sophie prepped and finished (the goal) so well was a highlight."
With 9:50 left in regulation, sophomore A.C. Hardy took a pass back from sophomore Sarah Broka and unleashed a 35-yard shot over Marrinson that caromed off the crossbar. With 7:15 left leading scorer Hughes broke free down right wing, but that blast went off the right post.
Wheaton Academy led 21-8 in shots and 6-3 in corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Marta Oster also made a diving save in the 25th minute and thwarted an open shot at the top of the box in the 28th minute.
"It's frustrating for everyone when the ball hits off the post, but I had 100 percent faith we were going to get that win - that we weren't going to go to PKs," Kosiek said. "It was fun to the watch from the back and fun to play in as well."
Latin finished second in Class 1A in 2015 and lost to Deerfield in the 2016 supersectional. With 23:20 left in the first half, the Romans lost junior central defender Katy Burg, one of their remaining players from the state runner-up, to a recurring ankle injury.
"We tried to keep our shape, similar to the way it's been the whole season," Latin coach Tom Bower said. "Wheaton Academy is definitely about the best team we've played this year."
Latin's man-to-man defense on Hughes contributed to McNally not seeing options and crossing to Lindquist.
"Honestly, I wanted (us) to score and I was just like, 'I need something here,' " McNally said. "I saw Sophie and Teevans there so honestly I just sent up a Hail Mary. I knew where it was going, but luckily it hit somebody's feet."