Girls soccer: York wins regional title

York‘s Izzy Voirol made an early impact in Friday’s playoff game, albeit after a delayed debut.

The sophomore midfielder spent the first 20 minutes of the game against Downers Grove South with a good vantage point – on the bench.

After watching the first portion of the Class 3A York Regional championship game from the sidelines, Voirol quickly showed that she might be ready for a promotion.

Thanks to Voirol’s speed and ball shot placement, York broke up the scoreless game in the final minute of the first half.

Voirol beat two defenders to a loose ball, dribbling 25-plus yards toward the goal. Voirol leaned forward, knocked in a shot from nine yards out into the far post and the Dukes went on to a 2-0 victory over the Mustangs in the Class 3A York Regional final.

Voirol said she was happy to help the Dukes capture their third straight regional championship.

“One of their players had the ball and she tried to pass it to the other middle back, but I deflected the ball and just ran past her and went to the goalie and scored,” Voirol said of her goal. “I was just nervous because I thought their girl was going to pull me back too hard because she was pulling my jersey. I knew I had to go low corner and score it. That was the only thing on my mind.”

York coach Stevan Dobric said he wasn’t surprised by Voirol’s big-game goal. Voirol’s speed was evident on her goal, as she nudged ahead of a Mustangs defender to gain a slight edge, allowing her to drill her shot into the back of the twine with 37 seconds left before halftime.

“Izzy has been really good for us off the bench because playing as a winger is very tiring,” Dobric said. “She’s worked her way up and was brought up and been a big impact player for us. We told the girls before the game to just put it on frame, nothing fancy and put it on goal and goals will happen. That’s what happened.”

York, the No. 3 seed in the Class 3A Downers Grove South Sectional, opened the playoffs with a resounding 9-0 win over Hubbard in a regional semifinal. The Dukes (10-5-4) advance to play second-seeded Oak Park-River Forest in a Downers Grove South sectional semifinal at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Voirol admitted it’s been a whirlwind season for her, especially after starting the season on the junior varsity team.

“It’s been a crazy year,” Voirol said. “I had a few goals on JV, then had some on varsity but it’s been a fun year playing JV and the varsity and been a great experience for me.”

York defeated Downers Grove South 3-1 on March 27, but the second meeting proved to be much tougher. The Mustangs only attempted two shots in the first half, but played solid defense, including stellar play by junior goalie Keegan O’Keefe, who corralled four of her six saves in the first half.

Keefe flashed veteran skills and poise in the box during the 80-minute thriller. Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said O’Keefe was a surprise starter.

“It was her first time ever playing goalkeeper,” Hernandez said. “(Keegan’s) a multi-sport athlete who was interested in helping us out in a time of need. We had Keegan at practice the last couple of days. It was a crash course for her, but she played outstanding.”

O’Keefe had numerous up-close saves, highlighted by a stop in the 42nd minute off a shot by York’s Andriana Soupos at the near post.

The No.6-seeded Mustangs (7-8-2), who reached the regional title by defeating Oak Lawn 6-0, finished with five shots on goal.

“For us, we defended well at certain moments but had a couple of breakdowns that led to goals,” Hernandez said. “We didn’t clip up top today, but we have things to look forward to work on for next year.”

York’s Cate Carter added an insurance goal in the 74th minute, dribbling 50 yards toward the goal. Carter blew past the Mustangs’ defenders, getting a good cushion to knock in a shot from 15 yards, just inside the top of the box, for a 2-0 lead with a 6:18 left in the game.

York senior goalie Ava Lewandowski, a Carroll University recruit, wasn’t fazed by the intense playoff game. A two-year starter, Lewandowski had two saves in the first half and added three in the second half, including a leaping stop off a long free kick by Downers Grove South senior captain Ashley Molinari in the 51st minute.

“It’s a great feeling to win, especially because we were hosting,” Lewandowski said. “It was a tough game because Molinari is a great player, she can shoot it from a far so you never know when a moment will arise. It was very important we were all staying focused, even when we had a lead.”