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Girls soccer: Cary-Grove blanks Jacobs

ROCKFORD - As if Cary-Grove needed an injection on offense, freshman Jenna Stayart is now contributing big time to the Trojans' 12-match win streak that has them advancing to a chance to win a Class 3A sectional girls soccer title.

Cary-Grove scored 3 goals in succession early in the first half en route to a 4-0 victory over fellow Fox Valley Conference foe Jacobs Tuesday night. The Trojans (13-2-2), whose only sectional title came in 1998, advance to an ultimate challenge in Friday's 7 p.m. championship of the Rockford Guilford sectional where defending 3A state champion Barrington awaits. The Fillies cruised past DeKalb 6-1 in Tuesday's other semifinal.

"The clean sheet certainly indicates a sense of pride and the effort it takes to put that together is done as a group," Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal said in regard to the Trojans' seventh shutout win and third in the last four matches.

Offensively he couldn't ask for much more than what the younger Stayart did after missing much of the season due to knee surgery. There was only 9:49 gone when she spotted Kelli Ives in position to launch a 16-yarder inside the far right post.

Less than five minutes later, she cut back toward the middle and let rip a 23-yard left-footed rocket that made it 2-0. Jacobs was still reeling just over a minute later when senior Kelly Stayart's corner kick led to a textbook header. The elder Stayart's corner service went right to Maddie Janusch who nodded the ball past Jacobs keeper Emily Pasetes, who owned 8 shutouts including being perfect in regional title game shootout versus Elgin.

Then to cap it all off, Jenna Stayart worked past a defender to steal the ball and set herself up for a 1v1 with Pasetes. While her initial attempt was thwarted, she regathered the ball and juked the Golden Eagles goalie so she could cut right for a 5-yard empty netter.

"That first one was just a world-class goal," Krystal said.

"On the opening goal I knew if I got a touch on it Kelli could run off it and score. Then when I took the ball down the line and cut back and noticed the keeper, I figured a quick shot hit to the right spot could work," Jenna Stayart noted. "The last one was just not quitting on the play."

The loss ended a four-match win streak for Jacobs (12-6-2) during a highlight season that included trophies from the Huntley Invitational and a PepsiCo bracket.

"My first year we won three games, then five, seven, nine and now 12. I'm so proud of how far we've come as a program," an emotional Jacobs coach Stephanie Schuck said. "My second year was when these senior co-captains (Cailtin Strong and Maddie Belo) started and they've done so much."

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