Fremd 2, Stevenson 1

It would be safe to say the Fremd girls soccer team did not necessarily capitalize on all of its opportunities in Tuesday afternoon's Class AA sectional semifinal in Palatine against No. 3 seed Stevenson.

A 31-3 shots-on-goal advantage for Fremd certainly should have increased its chances for victory, yet come postseason time, the final score is all that matters.

Fremd senior forward Alex Ehr could not agree more.

"I'm just waiting to see what is given to me," Ehr said of her on-field mindset. "I can't worry (about what happened) and just have to stick (the ball) in the back of the goal."

Ehr's sense of worry was due in large part to a handful of first-half opportunities missed by Fremd deep in the Patriot's territory.

As a result, despite controlling the tempo of the entire half, the Vikings entered the half tied at zero.

However, worried would hardly be the word to describe Ehr in the second half as she broke the scoreless tie five minutes into the half by scoring her first of 2 goals for No. 1 seed Fremd (17-3-1) in a 2-1 victory.

"It was a huge relief," Ehr said of her first goal. "We knew we should have scored some (goals) in the first half."

Five minutes later, she struck again, this time knocking home a header, once again off a deflected shot on goal.

While the Patriots scored their lone goal of the match with 24 minutes left, the Vikings' defenders including goalie Allison Norenberg, stood tall and held off the relentless Stevenson attack.

Fremd coach Steve Keller, while clearly pleased with the outcome, was noticeably upset with how his team played in the first half.

"We tried to light a fire under them (at the half)," Keller remarked. "We told them they had to get it done: take the bull by the horns and do their job."

Helping do just that for Fremd, in addition to Ehr, was senior forward Arianna Foster. Foster, while held scoreless, was instrumental in the Vikings' attack.

"We had to come out, play hard, and score," Foster said. "We just need to relax, play hard and not panic (in order to keep winning)."

For Stevenson, the loss ended an impressive season that saw the Patriots chalk up numerous victories despite some key injuries early on in the season.

"We had an excellent season considering some injuries to awfully key players," Patriots coach Mark Schartner said. "We're very proud."

The Vikings will get another shot to avenge a pair of losses to Hersey in Thursday's sectional championship.

Yet, as Keller maintains, it's just another game to be won.

"We have our work cut out for us," Keller said. "We've got to come more focused and ready. I use the phrase 'attention to detail' with the girls all the time. If we can do that (on Thursday) we'll be tough to beat."