Girls soccer: Batavia stays hot, shuts out Bartlett

The insurance came fast and furious for the Batavia girls soccer team in its nonconference match against Bartlett Tuesday afternoon.

Clinging to a goal lead - courtesy of Abby Zipse with 30 seconds remaining in the opening half - Batavia scored three times in a 14-minute span as the second half wound down to secure a 4-0 victory over the Hawks at Streamwood.

"They definitely finished the match well," Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said after his squad improved to 7-1-2 on the season. "The second half we played pretty well."

Batavia dominated the match with its ball possession in the Bartlett half of the field.

The Bulldogs' goal lead was doubled with 14 minutes and 28 seconds to play when Grace Salyers scored off a rebound.

Batavia was not content with a 2-0 lead.

With exactly five minutes to play, the Bartlett keeper had no chance to stop a collaboration between Zaira Solis and CeCe Hamann.

The former lofted a perfect cross to her senior teammate, who headed the ball into a wide-open net.

"I was expecting it," Hamann said of the Bulldogs' third goal. "The coaches were telling us at halftime to look for the ball. I'm glad I was able to use (my head) for good use."

Bartlett (3-3-2) could barely make forays into enemy territory for much of the second half as the Bulldogs continually controlled the ball for extended stretches.

The match was long decided as the final minute ticked away.

But Anna Holcombe would have a lasting and defining moment in the Bulldogs' shutout victory.

Perched out of bounds with a free kick, Holcombe lofted a flawless right-to-left floater that found the back end of the Hawks' net with 43 seconds to play to account for the final score.

"She scores a lot of goals like that," Gianfrancesco said of Holcombe.

"The goalie was out of place, and I shot it," Holcombe said. "I really put it hands down on that one."

Batavia keepers Aubrey Hahn and Hailey Flannagan both made 1 save.

Bartlett coach Vince Revak was still smarting over the goal his team allowed as the first half was in its final half minute.

"It killed us," Revak said of the Zipse score. "We were holding on for the half. Any goal in the last five (minutes) of either half is harmful to your momentum."