Girls soccer: Mueller makes Viator a winner
Michaela Mueller scored the game-winner and St. Viator's girls soccer team persevered to the end to defeat Deerfield 1-0 on Tuesday night in a Class 2A sectional semifinal at Robert Morris Stadium in Arlington Heights.
The No. 3 seed Lions (15-5-2) will play top seed Wauconda (17-1-1) at 10 a.m. Saturday in the sectional final.
"That was about as wild and crazy as it gets in the last 15 minutes of the game," said Mueller, whose controversial goal in the 63rd minute powered an emotional roller coaster ride for the home crowd. St. Viator supporters held their collective breath as the No. 2 seed Warriors (18-5-2) poured forward in an attempt to equalize and send this thriller into extra time.
"This is the type of game we've come to expect each time we play St. Viator in the postseason," said Deerfield coach Rich Grady. "Two years ago, we beat them 1-0 in a regional final and later went on to finish fourth in the state.
"Tonight, they scored a goal that our players were adamant did not cross the end line - but our opinion doesn't matter. What matters is what the officials say, call, and that's the way this sport goes sometimes."
The match provided fans the pleasure of watching two of the top players at their position in the area: Brinley McVeigh, the scoring standout from St. Viator, and the Warriors' terrific sophomore Malori Killoren, who ran the show for the visitors with poise, pace and composure.
McVeigh, who has scored 17 goals in her last eight games (including three in the Lions' regional final win last weekend), drew plenty of attention from the white shirts who were always there to block her path each time she ventured forward.
Killoren teamed with Devyn Composi in the middle of the park to energize the Warriors' attack as needed, and both were key figures in Deerfield's drive to get back even.
In a review of this 80-minute tug-of-war, several snapshot moments made the difference between advancing and being eliminated.
When Deerfield was unable to clear the area, giving Mueller a glorious opportunity to score, Ashley Morgan saved the day when she went from the back post to the near post to block Mueller's 10-yard blast.
Moments later, keeper Anna Johnston elevated to turn Callie Birtman's attempt up and over the bar to keep things scoreless at 58 minutes.
Five minutes later, Mueller struck.
"Payton (McDonnell) hit a great corner, which grazed off Brinley's head before falling to me," Mueller said. "My left-footed volley went just over the end line but I think a Deerfield defender thought they got a foot on it and that it didn't cross the line.
"I thought it did, they didn't, so it was left up to the A.R. (assistant referee) on that side of the field."
Killoren went over the bar twice. Likewise for Riley Halpern with her 20-yard free kick before Johnston pulled a inward swinging corner out of the air near the spot in the 78th minute.
"Their keeper made a couple of good saves," Grady said. "We did everything but score, and our season is over."
"This team has really come on since we went to Burlington, Iowa for a tournament," Mueller said. "We sorted our lineup out, we won some games there and bonded as a team, and that's been the difference with us."
The Lions will be without McVeigh against Wauconda, after the senior was shown a yellow card twice, the last coming in the closing seconds of the game.