St. Ignatius ends Fremd's run
Fremd girls water polo coach Brian Newby preaches to his team about a full commitment to the game, for the entire 28 minutes.
As time ran down in regulation, the Vikings were hoping they'd earn a few more minutes - in overtime - in state quarterfinal play Friday at Stevenson High School.
St. Ignatius had rallied from an 8-5 deficit to grab a 10-9 lead with 1:54 left on a 5-meter shot from Celeste Almaraz. That left the Vikings searching for the tying goal.
On its next two possessions, Fremd's shots sailed over the goal. Fortunately for them, at the other end of the pool, the Vikings' defense held.
Hoping to prevent a fastbreak opportunity, Ignatius chose to bleed the shot clock down to 13.3 seconds on its final possession in regulation, giving the Vikings one final shot at the equalizing goal.
An ejection foul with 9.4 seconds left gave Fremd a man advantage, but time ran out on the Vikings when a final shot sailed high as the horn sounded.
"The girls gave it absolutely everything they had," said Newby. "I'm so proud of every one of these kids.
"We were able to move the ball around offensively, and we really did most of what we wanted to do. If I could change anything, it would just be to have a few of those shots go a little lower."
Fremd senior Erika Lauraitis concluded a stellar career with a swan song to match. She had a game-high 6 goals, giving her 189 for the season. Sophomore Sam DelPrado scored twice and senior Kristina D'Andrea had 1 goal for Fremd, which wrapped up its season with a program record 30 wins and only 2 defeats.
St. Ignatius (27-4), the only team to score in double digits against Fremd this season, will meet Homewood-Flossmoor, a 9-6 winner against defending champ Fenwick, in today's 11:30 a.m. semifinal. The other semifinal will feature Lyons (32-0) against Naperville Central (30-4) at 12:45 p.m. The championship game is slated for 8 p.m.
Fremd took a 6-4 lead into halftime after a goal from Lauraitis. The Vikings started the third quarter with sophomore goalkeeper Julie Conrath stopping a 5-meter shot, and D'Andrea scoring from the wing just a few seconds later.
A series of man-ups helped get the Wolfpack back into the game, and they finally tied it at 8-8 with 4:07 left. Lauraitis provided the final goal of the season for Fremd with 2:50 when she wheeled and fired from the middle of the pool after a common foul.
"Fremd was really kind of a mystery to us," said St. Ignatius coach Mike Cashman. "We've never played them, and I'd heard they had one really good girl (Lauraitis) - but they have some other kids that can really play, too."
In the latest state rankings by illpolo.com, Ignatius was ranked No. 3 and Fremd was ranked No. 4. The game had the feel of a championship as two of the state's finest squads battled for the chance to compete again. It was Fremd's third straight trip to the Elite Eight.
"I think we're one of the top four teams in the state," Newby said. "I know that's kind of a bold statement, but that's really how I feel. The girls gave me everything, right down to the last second."