Lauraitis, Vikes net MSL repeat

Fremd's girls water polo team has an abundance of skilled players with above-average swimming ability. While that frequently leads to balanced scoring, that wasn't the case Wednesday night as the Vikings hosted Wheeling in the Mid-Suburban League championship game.

Erika Lauraitis scored twice in each of the first three periods and completed her output with a steal and goal right in front of the Wildcats' goal in the fourth quarter.

Fremd won 10-4 behind 7 Lauraitis goals to repeat as Mid-Suburban League champs in a hotly contested match.

As much as it might seem tempting to call the Vikings a one-woman team, coach Brian Newby doesn't see it that way at all. In any case, this kind of unbalanced scoring, he can live with.

"Erika is a very skilled swimmer and a terrific all-around player," he said, "but there are times when she's been shut down, too, and when that happens we're still able to succeed because we've got kids that can adjust and take advantage of the attention she draws."

Newby suggested experienced contributors such as Katie French (2 goals), Allison McCarthy, Kristin D'Andrea, Katie DeFillippo, Danielle Chemello and goalkeeper Kelli DiCanio have just as much to do with the Vikings' overall success.

Lauraitis, meanwhile, thought Fremd's success on this night had more to do with its defensive preparedness.

"I just feel like everybody did a good job of knowing what to expect from them," said Lauraitis. "We thought we'd figured out how they were going to run their offense, who there best shooters were, and prepared for that."

Amy Wilson provided 3 of Wheeling's goals, but Fremd was frequently able to disrupt the Wildcats' offensive continuity and take advantage of turnovers, which often led to fastbreak advantages. Fremd made 10 of 23 shots while Wheeling converted on 4 of 15.

Fremd (23-3) led 4-1 after the first quarter before Wheeling got a pair of goals from Wilson in the second quarter to draw within 6-3. Lauraitis had the only 2 goals of the third quarter, however, as the Vikings pulled away for good.

Leah Malsam scored the final goal for Wheeling (18-5), which advanced to the MSL title game for the first time in team history. The Wildcats begin postseason play next Wednesday in the Vernon Hills sectional with an 8:15 p.m. game against Deerfield.

Fremd, the top seed in the Barrington sectional, faces Elk Grove at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.