Conant shocks Schaumburg with goal in 107th minute
With a heart-stopping finish - the dreams of one of the best teams in Mid-Suburban League girls soccer this season ended abruptly but soared for the other.
Junior Hailey Andress stunned home-side Schaumburg with her game-winning strike in the 107th minute to send Conant (12-5-3) to a 2-1 victory in the Class 3A sectional semifinal Tuesday night at Gary Scholz Stadium.
The third-seeded Cougars play in Friday's 6 p.m. sectional final against top-seed St. Charles North, a 2-1 winner over Geneva.
Andress, who moments before stealing the headlines was moved up top in place of the Cougars' injured leading scorer, Kaitlin Chiero (concussion), took an early ball from all-state teammate Courtney Raetzman. Andress went past Saxons' keeper Brooke Schocker to give the Cougars their second consecutive triple-overtime win in four days.
"I just ran up the right side with speed, and Courtney played a perfect ball that I ran onto, but it wasn't until the ball was about halfway to the goal that I knew it had a chance to go in," said an exhausted Andress after a fiercely contested encounter which included close to a 15-minute delay when the stadium lights suddenly went out.
"We (just) moved Hailey into Chiero's spot up front because she is so quick and deceptively fast, and when Raetzman played that ball out wide, I knew if anyone was going to (get) there, it would be her," said Conant coach Jason Franco. "These two teams were too even, and it's a shame that one of us had to have its season end tonight, when we both would like a chance with St. Charles (North) this Friday."
Just after intermission, Kelsey Steenstrup brought the noisy Schaumburg (14-3-3) home crowd to its feet when she redirected a Becky Sneddon helper into the net.
The Cougars' Kelsey Foss responded two minutes later when she sent a powerful free-kick from 25 yards into the upper corner.
The goal spurred both sides, as the intensity and energy level in the park increased two-fold, with each club having glorious chances to go ahead cleared off the line to keep things even.
Rachael Kahan, dangerous all match-long with her long and deadly throws into the Cougars box, watched her toss at 61 minutes whisked away from the back post. On the other end, Steenstrup would do the same on a one-timer from Raetzman just 60 seconds away from overtime.
A bank of lights would go dark midway through the second extra period, but after a short discussion, officials deemed there was plenty of daylight to continue.
Moments after stoppage, Foss nearly won the match with another free-kick missile off the woodwork - but at 99 minutes, the stadium lights went out all throughout.
When power was restored, and with the fourth and final extra 10-minute period nearing, Andress fashioned the game-winner from the crossfield ball from Raetzman.
"It's a tough way to end a match, and a season," admitted a disappointed Saxons head coach Greg Charvat. "The girls left everything they had out there, but in the end, a mistake in our own end gave Conant a chance, and it cost us."