Opportunistic Lancers strike late for key victory

College of Lake County coach Dawn Vickers is only a couple of years removed from playing soccer for the Lancers.

And Vickers felt as if she had played a full 90 minutes Monday when the Lancers edged visiting Waubonsee 3-2 in a critical Skyway Conference match.

"I couldn't breathe throughout the whole match," she said. "(It was) almost like I was playing. It was a really good match and good to see two teams play like that."

The Lancers were the more opportunistic team in the final minutes.

With the scored tied 2-2, CLC earned a corner kick. Freshman Ingrid Johnson (Lakes) put the ball in the center of the box, where it went back and forth between the two teams. Eventually, sophomore Melanie Rasor (Mundelein) took the ball out of the air and headed it in for what proved to be the game winner.

"It was like ping pong for awhile," Vickers said. "They tried to clear it out, but Melanie was there to head it in."

The victory was extra significant because Waubon-see is the only team to defeat Elgin.

CLC (9-3) swept the season series against Waubonsee but lost twice to Elgin. CLC's next potential meeting with Elgin would come in the state playoffs. The Lancers return to action at 3:30 p.m. Monday against visiting Moraine Valley.

In the second half of the Waubonsee match, Vickers moved leading scorer Ally Yarc (Libertyville) from forward to center midfielder.

"I thought our play in the middle won us the game," Vickers said. "We had better ball movement. They couldn't stop us in the middle of the field."

Over the last week, Vickers said the Lancers have made great strides with their teamwork.

"We've grown a lot," she said. "We're not just single players; we're coming together as a whole team."

While Yarc has been the team's star, plenty of other players have made huge contributions. Sophomore stopper Mallery Drozol (Grayslake Central) has performed at a high level.

"She has definitely made the rest of the defensive players push themselves," Vickers said.

Johnson has steadily improved throughout the season at the sweeper position.

"Our defense would not be as strong without her," Vickers said. "She can see the field really well and does an excellent job of dishing the ball to her teammates."

Freshman goalkeeper Katie Scholz (Libertyville) is a different players than she was at the start of the season.

"She's learned a lot and is bringing it to the games," Vickers said. "Her confidence has gone up tremendously."