Girls soccer: Lake Zurich upsets Libertyville
It took several diving saves and an assist from the right post, but Kelly Nelson pitched a shutout in the net for Lake Zurich and Camille Deignan scored the games only goal as the Bears upset Libertyville 1-0 in sectional semifinal action on Tuesday in Lake Zurich.
“I'm just so happy for us,” said Nelson, with a grin. “We're a fifth seed and we just beat the first seed. So it's really exciting.”
The senior goalkeeper played the starring role in a stunning defensive performance for the Bears (16-5-1), who remain the only team to hold the Wildcats (16-3-2) scoreless this season. Their previous meeting on April 7 ended in a 0-0 tie during conference play.
“I thought we played so much better this game than we did last game,” added Nelson.
The season series remained scoreless for much of the first half. Nelson made sure of it with a spectacular diving save with 18:39 to play in the half.
“We all knew going in that they're really good at, like, turning off their back and having a quick shot,” said Nelson. “So making sure that I stayed in my step position was huge for me.”
The combined scoreless streak did not last much longer, as Lake Zurich junior forward Reilly Novak inbounded a pass to the center of the net and sophomore standout Camille Deignan one touched it in with 13:56 remaining in the half.
“I know her balls usually curve back on corners, so I just stepped back a little, and then I just kicked it in,” explained Deignan. Her goal was a quick strike and both teams immediately went back to playing tight defense.
“It was crazy. Like, playing Libertyville was our big accomplishment. So, we know we had to put it all out on the field,” added Novak, a Creighton recruit.
The game remained 1-0 into the second half. Libertyville turned up the pressure after the intermission, as they dominated time of possession in the second half.
“We typically come out strong in the second half, and we really turn the gas on,” said Libertyville coach Ian Taylor. “I think we wore them out the first half, which helped, because they were back in their heels.
The Bears were forced to fight off shot-after-shot throughout the second half, and according to Deignan, their gameplan helped keep the Wildcats off the board.
“We man marked, so we had to stay tight to our player, make sure they didn't do any moves, turns, and watch the runs in three walls,” explained the sophomore.
The Wildcats managed to get an open look at the 32:56 mark, as they snuck a shot past the Lake Zurich defense; however, it pinged off the right post and Libertyville remained scoreless.
“We did everything we strive to,” said Taylor. “We put the ball in dangerous areas. We got players in the box, we got all the right things, and [shots] just didn't go in.”
Nelson’s play in the net was a primary reason the Bears withstood the pressure, as was the performance from Lake Zurich defenders Sam Tritsch and Grace Morton. Both of them blocked shots and kept the ball away from Nelson as the Wildcats peppered shots towards the net late in the game.
Kelly made one more dramatic save with 15:26 to play, snagging an airborne Libertyville shot while diving to her left.
With the win, Lake Zurich will face off against three seed Lake Forest on Friday at 6 pm in Lake Zurich.
The Bears dropped their previous meeting with Lake Forest 2-1 at home on April 28. They will seek revenge this time around.
“It wasn't our greatest game,” said Novak, recalling the Lake Forest matchup from April. “We need to lock in for that.”
As for Libertyville, their promising season ends and their coach will have his hands full looking to fill the void left by his seniors.
“Our senior class, a lot of them have been around for a long time,” said Taylor. “It's big shoes to fill. I'm proud of what they've achieved over four years, and we'll definitely miss them.”