Deerfield ends Carmel's run

By any measure, Carmel Catholic's boys soccer team had a lot to be proud of this season.

The Corsairs made a strong push at season's end and captured the East Suburban Catholic Conference for the first time in five years.

To be sure, the Corsairs wanted more than that - such as a deep run in the playoffs.

Second-seeded Deerfield got in the their way, however, for a second straight year.

The Warriors beat No. 10 seed Carmel 1-0 in the Class 3A Glenbrook North regional final in Northbrook.

"Congrats to Deerfield on a well-played game," Carmel coach John Halloran said. "We picked a bad day not to play well. On our end, we definitely could've played better, but you can't have an off day against a good team."

The Corsairs (14-6-2) attempted hanging with the Warriors (17-3-1) and tried their best to match up with a senior-dominated club.

"We tried but came up short," said Carmel junior defender Jack Stefanski. "Their height from the beginning was big. We just couldn't match up to it and muscle up to them. We gave a good effort and thought a 1-0 or 2-1 would do it, but we came up on the wrong side of it."

The Warriors broke a scoreless tie in the 70th minute. Ollie Speirs sent a service up on top of the penalty area, and David Panter brought the ball down and one-timed a volley past Carmel goalkeeper Matt McHugh (6 saves).

"I really don't know how I got it," said Panter, who had a couple of Corsairs defenders around him. "It was an amazing pass from my teammate (Speirs). I really didn't know what I was doing. It was a lucky bounce and I finished it."

Carmel thought it had taken a 1-0 advantage in the 25th minute. Phil Gross blasted a shot on goal, Deerfield keeper Matt Glassman knocked it down and the Corsairs thought they'd scored on the rebound. But it was waived off for offsides.

Deefield also had a goal taken away on a header in the 49th minute because of a knockdown foul in the box.

"We know we have to stay composed and we've got tremendous skill," Deerfield coach Elliot Hurtig said. "We just add some intensity to that and we're OK.

"Carmel played really tough and physical. (Carmel) played with a lot more focus and effort than last year. We were frustrated and they took us out of rhythm."

Deerfield moves on to face Stevenson at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Stevenson sectional semifinal in Lincolnshire.