Elk Grove picks up key win over Conant
Elk Grove breathed new life into its dream of winning a divisional title after defeating Mid-Suburban West leader Conant 2-1 Monday night in Hoffman Estates.
Michelle Calmeyn got the Grens get on the board at the half-hour, and teammate Kelli Hubly's header five minutes later helped the visitors secure a crucial victory, pulling coach Dan Klaus' club even with MSL East leader Hersey, which was idle Monday.
"That might have been our best 40 minutes of soccer this season so far," said Hubly, who, along with Calmeyn and her coach agreed that the effort by the Grens (5-5-2, 3-2-1, 7 points) in the first-half helped put a stamp on the match.
"When I heard that (Conant) hadn't given up 2 goals to anyone this season, I was even more proud of what the girls did tonight," said Klaus. "But (we) all know there's still a lot of work and soccer still to be played, and we've got to work on some things in order to keep ourselves in the divisional race."
The Grens proved tenacious in the early stages, particularly up top where Calmeyn ran hard from the onset at the Cougars' backline while her mates in the middle, Carin Fearing, Anne Klancik and Hubly, provided the extra push in the attack to keep the homeside at bay for the first quarter hour.
After that, there was a nice ebb and flow of action as each side found its pace until Calmeyn collected a 50-50 ball and quickly found the back of the net.
A well-struck corner from Rachel Pruim found Hubly unmarked near the spot, and the Grens' sophomore elevated to thump her header just under the bar and increase the visitors' lead to 2-0.
"If there is one thing that we've struggled with, it's having someone who can challenge someone like (Hubly) who is so strong in the air in situations like that corner tonight," said Conant coach Jason Franco.
Determined to get back into the match, the Cougars (6-2-0, 5-2-0) struck back after the break. They started to find Courtney Raetzman, back for the first time since injuring her ankle nearly two weeks ago, and the all-state sophomore, along with Kaitlin Chiero, Chrissy Rosales and sophomore Sam Armando, began to rev up the attack.
Alyssa Rawleigh helped Chiero get through in the 59th minute, but Grens keeper Nicole Ricci, who both coaches praised afterward, persuaded the Chiero shot wide.
The Cougars' junior striker would not be denied minutes later when she shed her marker after collecting an Armando helper, then on the turn, drew her club closer with a spectacular strike from just inside the box.
The final 12 minutes entertained all with the speed of play from both sides, which featured the Cougars' rampant attack in search of the equalizer, and the visitors' ability to stay composed against the relentless tempo, led by its superb backliner Katie Naughton.
"Elk Grove had the run of play in the first half, and we did in the second, but you cannot give a good club like them a 2-goal lead and expect to overtake them, especially with Naughton back there, and a very good work from their outside backs (Emily Wary and Lindsey Vaccarino) and their keeper as well," said Franco, whose club next meets No. 1 Neuqua Valley on Wednesday in a Naperville Invite tourney opener.
Schaumburg 7, Hoffman Estates 0: Sarah Christy had three first-half goals as the host Saxons rolled to a Mid-Suburban West victory. Jackie LaRocco, Stephanie Pouse, Teagan Eberle also scored, and Kelsey Steenstrup had 1 goal and 3 assists as Tressa Palcheck earned the shutout for Schaumburg.
Palatine 2, Rolling Meadows 1: In a game that was tied at 1-1 for most of the second half, Fatima Pina scored the game-winner in the final five minutes with an assist from Julie Johlie to help visiting Palatine prevail in a divisional crossover.
"This was one of the most intense games I can remember - you'd have thought we were playing for a divisional championship," said Rolling Meadows coach Jeff Adkins. "There was no letdown. Even after 10, 15 minutes, everybody still showed real intensity out there."
Kristen Strauss scored the first goal for Palatine early in the match before Anne Marie Lynch tied it with an unassisted goal early in the second half for Rolling Meadows (6-6, 1-4-1).\
Fremd 2, Buffalo Grove 1: Michelle Mottonen had both goals for the visiting Vikings in a divisional crossover victory. Sierra Bruno scored a second-half goal for the Bison.
Prospect 3, Wheeling 0: Jessie Petrovski and Mo O'Keefe were among the scorers for host Prospect and Megan McCabe made 8 saves to earn the shutout.