CL South routs Dundee-Crown with big 2nd half
Considering how thoroughly the Crystal Lake South girls soccer team dominated Dundee-Crown throughout the first half of a Saturday morning match in Carpentersville, it was somewhat remarkable the Gators led just a 1-0 at the break.
D-C goalkeeper Deanna Libricz stopped 11 of the 12 shots she was peppered with in the first 40 minutes, allowing the lone goal on a well-placed shot from the top of the box by CL South center midfielder Karley Mecko, whose left-footed shot across her body glanced off the hands of a diving Libricz with 12:10 left in the first half.
The Gators continued their ball-control dominance in the second half, and it translated to more tangible results on the scoreboard. They scored 7 times after the intermission to breeze past the Chargers 8-1 in a Fox Valley Conference Valley Division game played in a steady, wind-driven rain.
Junior forward Kali Loescher scored 4 goals to go with an assist, and Mecko scored twice more to nab her first hat trick as a Gator. Senior Katie Burton accounted for the other goal, and seniors Ashley Ross and Kelsey Taldone each contributed 2 helpers for CL South (3-3, 1-0).
"I think we realized that we are capable of sticking it to a team," Mecko said. "We knew what they could do from the first half, so we just decided to turn it around and use our abilities."
The CL South midfield, led by Mecko, Alison Agnes and Ellen Brunner took the charge out of the Chargers. Dundee-Crown (3-3-2, 1-1) was rarely able to advance the ball, let alone attack the net. The Chargers didn't put a shot on goal until junior Mallory Fryer's direct kick from 35 yards out was caught by CL South keeper Elizabeth Quinn with 16 minutes left in the match.
"I don't know what it is the last two games, but we haven't been able to complete a pass for the life of us," Dundee-Crown coach Sebastian Falinski said. "Every 50/50 ball, South was on it and beat us to it. I honestly felt it looked like a freshmen team versus a varsity team. They played with intensity and heart and our girls were just kind of lacking and going through the motions. That's what happens: 8 to 1. I'm surprised they didn't put more in."
The Gators jumped to a 2-0 lead less than six minutes into the second half. Emma Dalzwell's shot was saved by Libricz, but Mecko banged home the rebound from the center of the box. That marked the first of 6 goals in a span of 7:20, an onslaught that included 2 goals from Loescher after she beat the Dundee-Crown defense to approach unabated.
"We've been stressing being more effective in the final third and we haven't been able to do that," Gators coach Brian Allen said. "The girls took that with a sense of urgency and took some pride in it. They knew they needed to finish. This was a strong start in the conference, which is a very good result. When you put 8 on the board against a very good goalkeeper and an organized defense, you'll definitely take that result."
The Chargers trailed 7-0 before they were able to dent the scoreboard with 3:49 remaining. Fryer's direct kick from the right sideline was headed into the net by junior Stephanie Letheby.