Girls soccer: Huntley tops Cary-Grove to reach sectional final

Brenna Keegan was simply in the right place at the right time.

Off a perfect corner kick from Hannah Scholer, Keegan's header with 10:39 remaining in the game gave Huntley a 1-0 win over Cary-Grove in semifinal action of the Class 3A Huntley girls soccer sectional Tuesday night.

Cary-Grove defeated Huntley 1-0 earlier in the season in Fox Valley Conference action.

The Red Raiders will take on Hononegah for the sectional title Friday at 5 p.m. Hononegah defeated Crystal Lake South 1-0 in penalty kicks Tuesday.

Keegan used her instincts to head the ball in for the winning goal.

"It was a perfect pass by Hannah," said Keegan. "The ball ended up in the perfect place to use my head. Everything worked out. This is a great win. We are a young team and have been getting better every game."

Huntley coach Kris Grabner praised Keegan's efforts.

"Brenna is one of the few kids coming into the season with experience," said Grabner. "She showed a lot of bravery by heading the ball. It is not an easy shot. She has been a leader all season and has come up with some big goals. Great corner by Hannah. Great win against a very good Cary-Grove team."

Grabner wasn't happy with the way his team played against Cary-Grove (12-4) earlier in the season.

"I didn't think we played with enough effort especially at the defensive end the first time we played Cary-Grove," said Grabner. "Tonight we played great defense because of our effort. We were a little discombobulated in the first on the defensive end. We straightened and sorted some things out at halftime. We were more organized at the defensive end in the second half."

Both teams had opportunities earlier in the game to score.

With 6:20 left in the first half, Cary-Grove's Izzy Robinson blasted a shot on goal from 5 yards out but the ball hit the post.

with 24:48 left in the game, Teaghan Jones rifled a shot from 20 yards out but Huntley's Abbey Brown made the diving save.

Huntley outshot Cary-Grove 7-5. Brown collected 5 saves while Cary-Grove goal keeper Miranda Malone registered 6 saves.

"It was a great high school soccer match between two very good soccer programs," said Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal. "When you get to sectional playoff time you expect a structured low scoring game. The girls gave a great effort."