Girls soccer: Hersey falls to Prairie Ridge

Taking on good competition has led Hersey's girls soccer team to a pretty good run so far this season. The Huskies had a test with a matchup against unbeaten Prairie Ridge in the opening game of the Bears Invite in Lake Zurich on Friday night.

Hersey couldn't get the result it wanted in a 2-1 loss to Prairie Ridge.

"I think a team grows immensely after a loss," Hersey coach Mike Rusniak said. "At times, a really good opportunity to come together. What's working and what we need to tweak. We had a game plan and knew what to do on the way in. It doesn't always work out like you want. But I'm so proud on how they worked. They were aggressive and this was one of the best games I've seen them play. They are continuing to strive building confidence with each other."

Hersey's only other loss has come to Libertyville starting the season. The Huskies also tied with Stevenson.

On Friday, Prairie Ridge (6-0-1) got its game-winning goal in the 42nd minute when Abigail Klimkowski scored off a pass from Mackenzie Nelson.

But the Wolves had a tough time getting their style to work against the Huskies all match long.

"It was a great battle," Prairie Ridge coach Mark Lewis said. "I think a tie would've been fair. But we didn't play our game and we did get the win. (Hersey) did a great job and scouted us really well. They took away our passing game and wouldn't let us high up the field like what we usually do. They pressured us when we had the ball in the back. I think Hersey is a really good team."

Prairie Ridge opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Nicole Anderson found the back of the net with her 13th goal of the season in just seven games for a 1-0 advantage.

The Huskies (4-2-1) tied the game with one of their set pieces. Chloe Sena delivered a nearly perfect corner kick into the middle of the box, where Laura Burckhardt finished it on a header into the goal in the 22nd minute.

"We've improved a lot on our set pieces," Burckhardt said. "We have a lot of different plays for them. We have become more aggressive getting our heads on the ball and being first for them. We should see a lot more goals on set pieces this year."