Girls soccer: Wilhelm's save helps Antioch draw with Vernon Hills
Iowa-bound keeper Monica Wilhelm made a save on a penalty kick late in the first half to start a turnaround that favored Antioch.
The senior's big stop was just one of 13 for her, and it shifted momentum firmly in favor of the Sequoits.
Antioch's Rachel Moore scored twice in the second half as the Sequoits rallied for a 2-2 draw against host Vernon Hills in a nonconference girls soccer contest Monday night.
Antioch (5-2-1) is unbeaten in its last six matches at 4-0-2.
Wilhelm made the PK save in the 35th minute. At the time, Vernon Hills (0-3-2) held a 2-goal lead.
"That was pretty huge, because I know if we went down 3-0, we would've been sadder in the second half," Wilhelm said. "I just reacted on how that girl was shooting and caught it, which kept us in the game. I think it shifted things a bit.
"Going into the second half, we had to be the ones to score that first goal. Keeping it 2-0 was helpful for the second half."
The weather conditions clearly played a role in the match. The turf was wet from snow that had melted during the day.
"Every save is just staying focused," Wilhelm added. "You just have to be aware of how the ball is going to skip on the ground. If you can do that, you can make any save."
Moore got the first Antioch goal in the 49th minute off a pass from Ella Roberts, making a move in the penalty area before firing into the back of the net.
She evened it up at 2-2 in the 75th minute. Again, Moore took a pass from Roberts and slotted just inside the near post.
"I couldn't have done it without my teammates," said Moore, who now has 9 goals in the last four games. "They were really big against a team like Vernon Hills. We never gave up, and that's great."
While Antioch succeeded at flipping the switch for the second half, the Sequoits hope to have more complete efforts in the future.
"It's nice to have good leadership," Antioch coach Marni Polakow said. "You can go into halftime knowing, 'I'm not playing well - but if I step up, you step up, and we all step up.' The leadership really helps out. A lot of the kids had their heads down. It might have been the worst half of soccer they've ever played. So, a number of them turned it around in the second half. Still, I would've like us to finish a few more chances."
Vernon Hills got off to its quick start with a pair of great goals in the run of play. Julia Neary scored the first off a cross from Alex Ludolph three minutes into the contest.
In the 22nd minute, Lily Blase finished on a rebound after an initial shot from Ludolph rebounded off the hands of Wilhelm.
"Second half, (Antioch) wanted it more than us," Ludolph said. "First half we came together more as a team and connected more."
The Cougars are starting to find their footing just in time for Central Suburban North play. They are a young team that's working hard together to make gains.
"We played a strong first half and had chances to put it away," Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou said. "We have to grow as a team still - hope to get there soon."