Barrington’s set for Soccer Cup
The guest list is settled for the 23rd Mid-Suburban League Soccer Cup next week.
Barrington reached the championship match after defeating host Prospect 1-0 Friday night on a goal in the 29th minute from Ally Peterson. That clinched the Fillies an appearance against MSL East champ Hersey at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Barrington.
“It wasn’t easy at all out there tonight,” said relieved Barrington coach Ryan Stengren. “Prospect played with so much heart and emotion right from the start and kept us on our heels for most of the first half, but we did what we had to do to win. And once again, it was our depth that helped carry us through. I am very proud of each player on this team for this achievement.”
The Knights (10-6-3, 4-4-2) produced a stubborn defensive display to slow their opponent’s attack to a crawl. Prospect was able to dominate the run of play with aggressive efforts at midfield from Mary Rose Pettenuzzo and Taylor Smith, while displaying a vibrant attack that allowed it to stay in the Fillies’ end for the better part of a half-hour during the first period.
“It was senior night, and for us, this was our Soccer Cup,” said Prospect coach Tom Froats. “All of the girls played like it was a championship match, and except for not putting one into the back of their net, there wasn’t anything more that I could have asked for from any of them.”
The Fillies had trouble finding their form without one of the best attacking players in the state, as Molly Pfeiffer remained absent due to injury. The Knights took full advantage, flooding the area with terrific energy and pace to keep Barrington’s back line, led by Emily Morin, working harder than it would have liked.
“We knew it would be tough tonight, and (Prospect) played hard, and really came after us,” said Morin. “But I thought as a group we defended very well when we had to, and that’s been one of the things we’ve done all year so far.”
With the midfield exchanges sharp, and Jesse Petrovski and Kelly Iovino providing inspiration in the Knights’ attack, it seemed only a matter of time before Prospect would strike first. But as Froats pointed out afterward, soccer can be a very unkind sport.
The Fillies stun Prospect when Sara Fox provided a wonderful ball into the mix near the goal, and after a brief scrum in front of the Prospect net, Peterson found a way to slot under all-area keeper Megan McCabe.
“Sara gave me a great ball, and I was lucky enough to get it past (McCabe) and into the back of the net,” said Peterson.
The Knights remained largely in control for the first 10 minutes after the break, but the Fillies slowly gained the run of play as Stengren continued to use his entire roster. The fresh players provided a significant boost in energy, and an ability to win more of the first and second balls box-to-box.
Aimee Pierce, Ellie Ackermann and Hollis Anderson carved out a handful of chances in the last 10 minutes to help keep the Knights from pushing more numbers forward, while on the other end, freshman keeper Hannah Luedtke stopped Sara Helwink at the back post, then watched Petrovski skim the crossbar in the waning moments.
“I am not too sure that anyone thought at the start of the season that we would make it all the way through,” said Stengren. “But it’s been all about effort, and hard work has been the difference. I am really happy and proud of this team.”
Barrington outscored Hersey 4-2 in shootout to win the MSL Cup in 2010.
Schaumburg 1, Fremd 0: Teagan Eberle’s first-half goal with an assist from Sarah Kozlowski held up as the Saxons wrapped up Mid-Suburban West play with a victory in Palatine.