Girls soccer: Persistent Palatine keeps West hopes alive
Palatine's girls soccer team survived another day.
And because of it, the Pirates kept alive their chance at a Mid-Suburban West title heading into the final day of the regular season.
Sarah Clancy's brilliant free kick gave the Pirates all they needed Friday night at Chic Anderson Stadium in a 1-0 victory over Prospect.
With division-leading Barrington winning at Elk Grove 7-0, the Fillies have 30 points in the standings. That's 3 points clear of coach Willie Filian's club, which is 9-1-0 with 27 points.
"The last time the division came down to the last day was in 1997 with Fremd, and we haven't really been close since then," said Palatine's coach, who will host the defending MSL champs at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
At that time, the two clubs will resume play from an April 10 contest which went 17 minutes before rain ended things abruptly.
"The girls have hung in there throughout the season, so we'll go out against the best team in the conference and see what we can do against them," said Filian.
Much to the dismay of the Knights (7-9-1, 5-5-1) and coach Tom Froats, Prospect came out lacking purpose and pace. The Knights were unable to keep Kacie Filian from winning 50-50 balls in the air, which allowed the Pirates to control midfield throughout the first period.
"We did nothing in any way to stop No. 9 (Kacie Filian), and in addition we struggled in our possession which in turn forced us to defend far more than we wanted to in the first 40 minutes," Froats said.
As the deep throws and corner kick numbers continued to mount against the visitors, some fine play from keeper Gianna Rossi helped the Knights weather the storm.
The best effort from Rossi came on a wonderful strike by Carolyn Soukup in the 32nd minute. That chance was followed by a snap-shot from Mackenzie Filian, who was likely hoping her 22-yard attempt might surprise Rossi and her backline mates.
With Prospect still having trouble after the break, the Pirates looked to take advantage - but a cross flashed through the box by Alexis Ortega-Saa failed to find anyone at the back post.
Froats voiced concern over a foul call which led to Clancy standing over the ball for a free kick from 25 yards. His displeasure only increased when the Pirates junior drove in a brilliant ball.
"That was a tough call on us, but you have to credit Clancy for putting her shot in," Froats said.
"I'm not sure if it was a foul or not, but you've got to take advantage of your chances when they come your way," said Clancy, who, along with Kacie Filian, turned in another strong 80 minutes from box to box.
The 53rd-minute goal did awaken Prospect's attack, and with Ashley Welk, Ella Marzolf and Shawna Stokes at the controls, the visitors came alive for the next 10 or 12 minutes.
A deft touch and clever side volley by Welk nearly resulted in a shot from in close when the sophomore pulled down a Jalyn Mosley serve from the mid-line. Later, some good combination work from Sarah Mulvihill and Kristen Schneider forced forced Anja Jacobsen to make a sharp tackle inside the box.
"I always expect us to win when we go out and play, and tonight was no different, and that's the way it will be tomorrow when we play Barrington," said Clancy.