Girls soccer: Lake Forest survives Lake Zurich, nets 2A sectional title on a PK
“Maddy, yes or no?!”
Lake Forest girls soccer coach Ty Stuckslager barked the question toward senior midfielder Maddy Cummins Friday night at Mel Eide Field, moments before a penalty kick in a scoreless Class 2A Lake Zurich sectional final.
Cummins had wanted out earlier. The heat and humidity had drained her on a night that felt more like August than May.
Still, she flashed a thumbs up.
Then she hammered a right-footed shot past a diving Kelly Nelson in the 44th minute, lifting third-seeded Lake Forest past No. 5 Lake Zurich 1-0 for the Scouts’ fifth sectional title in program history and second in 4 years.
“I was exhausted,” Cummins said afterward. “But I wanted the opportunity.”
The match deserved drama.
North Suburban Conference rivals traded purposeful passes, sturdy defense and dangerous rushes for 80 minutes in a game that rarely lacked polish. Lake Forest (15-7) entered having won 9 of its last 11 matches. Lake Zurich (16-6-1) had captured 7 of its previous 8, including Tuesday’s sectional-semifinal upset of top-seeded Libertyville.
“Even game,” Bears coach Mike Castronova said. “We knew it would be close, and it was. It was a game of inches.”
The decisive sequence began with energy off the bench.
Lake Forest senior Anna Jasper slipped a lead pass to freshman forward Avery MacArthur, who was fouled in the box moments later.
Cummins took care of the rest, drilling the PK high to Nelson’s left. The Bears goalkeeper got both hands on it during a valiant dive, but the ball still found the upper-left corner of the net.
It was Cummins’ second successful penalty kick in as many playoff games.
“We don’t have a name for our subs,” Stuckslager said of a line-change approach that often featured at least 6 reserves each half. “But maybe we should; they do create energy every time they enter.”
Lake Zurich threatened often enough to make the Scouts sweat.
Junior forward Reilly Novak repeatedly showcased why her game already looks college-ready. The Creighton commit dribbled smoothly through traffic, delivered sharp passes before pressure arrived and combined dangerously with dynamic freshman Fiona May throughout the first half.
In the 17th minute, Novak whipped a cross toward May, whose shot sailed just high. Earlier, sophomore midfielder Zoe Chang delivered one of the night’s prettiest balls into the box, forcing Lake Forest freshman goalkeeper Izzy Alexander to make a clean grab.
Bears defenders Lizzie Quesinberry, Grace Morton, Sarah Sprau and Sam Tritsch also helped keep the match balanced deep into the second half.
Lake Forest countered with waves.
DePauw-bound senior Lily Remus anchored the back line, while freshman Siena Serwy injected speed off the bench. Junior defender Leyton Rice, freshman Caroline Granack and sophomore Grace Lombardi also earned praise from Stuckslager for late-match grit.
Alexander finished with 5 saves for the Scouts. Nelson made 4 for the Bears.
Lake Zurich’s final strong chance came in minute 70, shortly after a corner kick, when junior midfielder Emily Bowen launched a rising shot that briefly froze the Lake Forest crowd before sailing high.
“Our team’s effort the whole season impressed me,” Castronova said. “They never quit. They left it all on the field tonight.”
Next up for Lake Forest is Crystal Lake Central (19-2) in Monday’s 6 p.m. supersectional at Lake Zurich.