Girls soccer: York gets just enough shots to top Hinsdale Central for second sectional title
Friday night in the Class 3A Downers Grove South girls soccer sectional title match, top-seeded Hinsdale Central controlled the vast majority of the play, keeping York, the third seed, pinned in on its end of the pitch and allowing just two shots on goal.
However, the Dukes scored on one of those shots, and that was enough for a 1-0 victory and the sectional title. It is York’s first since 2011 and just the second in program history.
“The girls worked hard,” said York coach Stevan Dobric, who was the junior varsity coach in 2011. “It’s not only a testament to these girls but all the girls before them who put in the hard work.”
“Last year we had a very tough loss against Lyons (in the sectional final),” said York senior goalkeeper Ava Lewandowski, a Carroll College commit who made 10 saves. “We were not expecting that loss, so to be able to win it this year is a great feeling.”
Hinsdale Central (19-6) kept the ball on the York side of the field a good chunk of the first 20 minutes of the first half. But York (12-5-4) finally countered as junior midfielder Maggie Quinn picked up a loose ball around midfield, got around a defender, then scooted down the right side. Her shot from 25 yards out beat the Hinsdale Central goalkeeper to the left side of the net and gave the Dukes a 1-0 lead with 21:08 left in the half.
“I just got the ball and took the shot,” said Quinn, who is an All-State cross country runner. “It felt great (winning the sectional). It hasn’t been done in a long time, and I knew my team was going to pull through.”
“Maggie has been with us since she was a freshman,” Dobric said. “She’s really been huge for us because she’s so dangerous breaking through lines with the speed she has.”
Hinsdale Central increased its pressure as the half progressed, but Lewandowski stood strong, making saves on quality chances from Emily DiTomasso and Adriana Giannini, who also hit the crossbar.
“I trust Ava every single game,” Quinn said. “She shows out every time.”
The Red Devils kept up the intensity in the second half and created several good scoring opportunities.
“Ava was top-notch,” Dobric said. “She doesn’t want her high school career to end just yet.”
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to give York some credit,” Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia said. “(But) it stings a lot. We won everywhere but the scoreboard, and I think everyone who watched the game knows it. We can go on about stats that don’t matter; we hit four crossbars and a couple of posts, but we couldn’t find the back of the net.”
The Dukes avenged a 2-1 home defeat to the Red Devils earlier this month. Lewandowski thought York’s focus and attention to detail were the keys to victory in the rematch.
“You can tell the whole team wanted to win,” she said. “At this level, both teams are going to be super solid. It just comes down to what team puts in the most effort and wins the 50-50 balls. We wanted it more.”
York advances to the supersectional on Tuesday at Dominican University in River Forest. The Dukes face the winner of the New Trier sectional, either Lane Tech or the host Trevians.