Fremd girls keep making winning statements
With his team leading Barrington 9-3 with less than three minutes remaining, Fremd coach Brian Newby wasn't in the mood to celebrate what would soon be his program's first sectional championship in three years.
Because if there was still time on the clock, there were still time for his team to improve.
"I want to try and at least make the semifinals or finals (at state)," said Newby, still ringing out his shirt after being pushed into the pool by a half dozen players. "Whether it's third place or first place, the girls want to make a statement this year and I stand behind them."
Saturday's 10-3 victory over second-seeded Barrington (21-8) in the Hoffman Estates sectional championship was the latest in what has been a season of statements by the Vikings.
After outscoring its Mid-Suburban League opponents by nearly 3-to-1 and rolling to its first conference title, Fremd showcased its incredible depth and scoring ability during sectional play, posting a 14-2 quarterfinal win over Rolling Meadows and an 11-5 semifinal victory against Hoffman Estates on Friday.
"We're determined and we work as a team," said Fremd sophomore Erika Lauraitis, who scored 3 of her team-leading 4 goals in the first half on Saturday. "We know that that's the only way you can make it to the top."
And with 25 consecutive victories, nearly all the Vikings (26-1) have experienced this season has been the top -- their lone loss was a 12-7 setback to Loyola exactly nine weeks ago.
Awaiting Fremd in Friday's state quarterfinals is host Stevenson, a 16-5 winner over Mundelein in Saturday's Vernon Hills sectional final.
"They've got a really good group of girls," Barrington coach Mark Markwell said of the Vikings. "Brian's coached them really well. They're very, very disciplined in what they do. I think they're going to do well next week."
As one of only three seniors on Fremd's roster (Kristine Williams, Abby Krueger), Krysti Ruiz will be making her state debut -- she didn't play varsity when Fremd lost to Stevenson 17-4 in the 2005 quarterfinals.
"(The four years) went by so quickly and it's been just a blast," said Ruiz, who notched 2 first-half goals.
Katie French and Allison McCarthy also scored twice for Fremd, while Jill Nagle, Chelsea Simon and Lindsey Meyer all found the back of the net for the Fillies.
"These girls played their hearts out to get back to this point," said Markwell, who led the Fillies to the Elite Eight the past two seasons. "I can't give them enough credit -- it was a lot of tough work to get back to this level."
For Fremd, the season pushes forward as it attempts to become the first MSL team to advance to the state semifinals.
"You can't stop attacking," Newby said. "That's kind of the mentality this team has taken this year."