Girls soccer: Johnson's late goal lifts Wauconda past St. Viator
For the second straight game, Savannah Johnson delivered the game-winning goal for Wauconda's girls soccer team.
The Bulldogs' sophomore forward scored in the final minutes, leading sixth-seeded Wauconda past No. 14 St. Viator 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the PepsiCo Showdown in a matchup played at Wauconda on Tuesday night.
Wauconda (7-0) was without Kayla Wisniewski for the final 12 minutes, as she left the contest with an injury and didn't return.
Rachel DeNovo set up the goal in the 78th minute with a cross on the left side of the penalty area. Johnson stepped in on the ball and found the back of the net.
"It was exciting because of the hustle from my teammates," Johnson said. "I wasn't the one that scored the goal, I was the one that finished it. The goal came from everyone.
"Rachel, I've grown up with her and knowing that I can trust her to get that ball to me on the cross."
Wisniewski broke a scoreless tie in the 58th minute. Abigail McHugh sent a through ball right between two Lions defenders, and Wisniewski ran onto the ball and scored for her seventh goal this season.
St. Viator (4-3-1) evened the game at 1-1 in the 65th minute, when Meagan Vicens took control of a badly played ball in Wauconda's defense and sent a shot into the corner.
The Lions had their momentum going and nearly took the lead two minutes later. Brinley McVeigh hit a kick that seemed destined to find the top corner. But Bulldogs keeper Jill Rejczyk made her biggest save of the year, going up and pushing the ball away with one hand.
"The game was when the keeper (Rejczyk) saved the ball," St. Viator coach Mike Taylor said. "That was the save of the game. That ball goes in, they lose and we win. She made a great save and we made a nice shot."
In recent games, the Lions have had issues finding and then finishing their opportunities in the final third.
"We're not getting enough creativity up front," Taylor added. "That's what is hurting us. We just don't have that pure striker. We don't have one, let alone two. You just have to make do with what you got, try to create a bit. We just didn't create on the outsides and just went through the middle. (Wauconda) was a good team and we stuck with them all the way."
It was the first time this season that the Bulldogs didn't have a lead going into halftime.
"We figured it out again, just a little later," said Wauconda coach Beau Shogren. "The girls started off a little back, on account of how aggressive St. Viator was. (Viator) looked like they wanted the ball a little bit more in the first half. We adjusted and came out more aggressively in the second half. Our girls pulled it together and kept the energy up in the second half."
Wauconda next hosts No. 10 Wheaton Warrenville South on Thursday in the semifinals. WW South got past No. 2 Metea Valley 4-2 on Tuesday.