Fenwick hands Carmel first loss

Staying undefeated all spring was going to be a tough task for Carmel's girls soccer team.

But after starting the season without a loss through its first eight games, it wasn't looking so far-fetched.

That changed Wednesday, as Carmel let one get away and lost to visiting Fenwick 2-1 in an East Suburban Catholic game in Mundelein.

The Corsairs are now 5-1-3 overall and 2-1 in the ESCC, while the Friars improved to 3-6-1 and 2-2.

"In soccer, you're going to lose games," Carmel coach John Halloran said. "You can be the best team in the world, you still can have a bad day.

"Fenwick had a solid side and we didn't match their intensity. We just made two incredibly stupid mistakes in the back."

Carmel managed taking a 1-0 advantage in the 14th minute as Kassidy Brown threaded a free kick inside the near post for her fifth goal.

Then the play of the game shifted into the direction of the Friars.

During the 26th minute, the Friars evened the contest on a Jane Tedesco free kick which got past the Corsairs defense and keeper Maddie Allen (10 saves).

Fenwick found the game-winning goal in the 76th minute when the Corsairs failed to clear the ball out of the back, and Molly Wallach scored.

"I think we lost the ball in the back third and it's something we're not supposed to do," said Shannon Jung, who's one of four defenders controlling the back line defensively. "Some of us stepped up and some us were back. (Fenwick) played the ball through us and it was unlucky."

Carmel had been struggling to score goals over its last three games, with a total of 3 goals in that span. This time, the lack of offense caught up to them.

"I guess this is a big win for us, because we've been struggling to get results," Fenwick coach Daryl Shore said. "It was good to see us get rewarded.

"You really don't want to see other teams make mistakes. We were able to capitalize and be opportunistic in front of the (Carmel) goal. I thought we pushed the game in the second half and deserved to win."