Girls soccer: Sinnott, Wauconda outscore Vernon Hills
Wauconda's girls soccer team advanced to its second consecutive sectional final thanks to a pair of goals from Megan Sinnott and record-setting work by keeper Jill Rejczyk in a 3-0 victory over Vernon Hills on Tuesday afternoon in Arlington Heights at Robert Morris Stadium.
The No. 1 seed Bulldogs (17-1-1) next meet St. Viator in the Class 2A sectional at 10 a.m. Saturday, after the Lions edged Deerfield 1-0 in the following semifinal.
"We kind of marked this game a long time ago as the one we wanted to get back to after losing last year in our sectional final to Prairie Ridge," said Sinnott, now with 15 goals this season. That's second to Kayla Wisniewski, who leads with 18 and has 78 in her career.
Sinnott stunned the Cougars (7-11-2) in the second minute when she finished a lovely pass up the left side from Olivia Kuch. And Sinnott doubled the Bulldogs' advantage three minutes later with a looping angled ball from the right side that found its way into the back of the net.
"Not the start we wanted to have in this game, because it threw our game plan out the window and forced us to chase the game from that point," said Cougars coach Mike McCaulou, whose club still got back into the game, and for most of the first half and long stretches after the break enjoyed a majority of the play. "We tried to play soccer out there today, and I am very proud of the effort the players put forth throughout against a Wauconda team that deserved the result - while we also showed we belonged in this game."
The Cougars were regional champs a year ago before falling to Wauconda in the sectional semifinal round.
Julia Neary, Ryan Schofield and Frances Ferolo were among the bright spots for the Cougars, who got plenty of pressure on the Bulldogs in their own end, forcing Rejczyk into action on a couple of occasions, and showing her ability to come off her line with confidence and determination.
With her 16th shutout of the season, Rejczyk broke her own single-season shutout record set last year. And in doing so, Rejczyk collected the 31st shutout of her career.
Rachel DeNovo put the finishing touches on the Bulldogs' victory with a counter. Kayla Wisniewski pushed up the left side before playing across to her teammate for a sublime touch at the back post.
"That early first goal, followed by another quick one from Megan, helped to relax us," said Wauconda coach Beau Shogren. "But maybe we got a little too relaxed afterward, as we had trouble with our possession and touch - which Vernon Hills had something to do with.
"I know the girls have been pointing to getting back to the sectional final, so it was good to see them clean a few things up after the break, and get our nervousness out of the way before our final with St. Viator on Saturday."