IC, Lisle draw even on freshmen's goals
Exceptional individual efforts by a pair of freshmen set up both goals scored in a 1-1 tie that Lisle and Immaculate Conception played to in a girls soccer game Saturday.
After a scoreless first half the Knights (0-0-1) struck first when freshman Natalie D'Agostino raced forward on the dribble on a counterattack, drew Lions goalkeeper Christina Conenna off her line and slid a pass over to junior Catherine Guido for the empty-net goal.
"(D'Agostino) took it through, like, five people," Guido said. "I just made sure to shoot for the center because I knew there was no one there."
Lisle (0-0-1) answered five minutes later when freshman Nicole Urban picked her way around defenders toward the end line on the left side and fired on net at Benedictine College in Lisle.
Knights goalkeeper Kelly Mulligan deflected the shot at the far post, but Lisle's Brynn Tomko crashed the net and cleaned up on the deflection to tie the game.
"I just had to make sure I was in the right place at the right time," Tomko said.
"We didn't finish well today, but the one we did finish was perfect," said Lisle coach Paul Kohorn. "(Tomko) was exactly where she was supposed to be, and that was a great effort by (Urban)."
The Lions' steady attacking pressure earned them a 15-4 edge in shots put on net and a 24-7 edge in shots overall for the game, while the Knights defended hard and created several dangerous counterattacking runs throughout.
"The girls played very well," said Knights first-year coach Brian Frank. "The transition of going from a very small gym to a large field like this, that most of the girls have never even seen, was difficult.
"But they never quit, kept pushing forward and did a heck of a job against a very good team."
Tomko, Urban and Emily DeLong all sent shots on net early for Lisle, before D'Agostino busted between two defenders and ripped a shot from 18 yards out that Conenna tipped over the crossbar.
Mulligan dove to her left to pounce on a Jen Potter shot set up by a DeLong corner kick before halftime, and the Knights' sophomore goalkeeper hit the ground to stop another Potter shot late in the contest.
"Kelly did a wonderful job," Frank said. "She's new to the position, and she's been working very hard at it for three weeks."
Ultimately, both coaches were pleased with the efforts put forth by their players in the season opener.
"With the way we dominated offensively I would have liked another score, but we'll take the 1-1 tie," Kohorn said. "We're a work in progress, but the future looks good here."