Girls soccer: Glenbard South sees season end

It's usually never easy for a high school team to see its season come to the end in the playoffs.

And it wasn't easy for the Glenbard South girls soccer team as St. Ignatius prevailed 4-1 Tuesday night in the second Class 2A Nazareth Academy sectional semifinal.

But along with the disappointment the Raiders felt was the satisfaction of a successful season.

Raiders coach Kevin Berner spoke glowingly of his squad.

"I loved getting the regional title. I love this team. The seniors are going to be missed, but the juniors know what to do," said Raiders coach Kevin Berner.

The second-seeded Wolfpack (19-2-2) advance to Friday's 5 p.m. sectional final against top-seeded Benet, which defeated the hosts 6-0 in Tuesday's first semifinal.

One of the Glenbard South seniors, Sam Schutte, put the third-seeded Raiders (12-9-1) on the scoreboard first, 9:57 into the game.

Schutte, who will play next year at North Central College, made good on a 30-yard direct free kick that scraped a goal post and into the net.

"Sam is incredibly dangerous on a set play," Berner said.

She had another great opportunity in the second half on a 35-yard blast that forced Wolfpack goalkeeper Darcy Schoen to make a diving save.

After Schutte's goal St. Ignatius' speed on offense became very evident, and the Wolfpack operated their offense right up next to the Raiders' net. St. Ignatius' Ella Richards tied the contest with 10:25 until halftime, her first of two goals.

Teammate Adrian Williams scored her first of two goals just under four minutes later to give the Wolfpack a 2-1 advantage at halftime.

"We knew what we were going to get. We saw them in the middle of the season and they are always strong in every position," Berner said.

The Wolfpack won the April 30 contest 2-0.

Raiders goalkeeper Emily Villasenor finished with 14 saves, 9 of which came in the second half.

"She's a great keeper. I'm sure she's upset about a couple of the goals. But that shouldn't take away from the fact she earned 8 shutouts this year, 5 last year and she returns next season," Berner said.