Burlington Central blanks Kaneland
This is exactly how the Burlington Central girls soccer team wanted to head into the postseason.
The Rockets controlled possession most of the match Saturday and scored twice in a 7-minute span in the first half to defeat Kaneland, 3-0, in their final regular-season match.
“Hands down it was our most complete game,” Rockets coach Mike Gecan said. “Great way to honor our seniors and send off them off the right way.”
A senior did not score for Central (15-6-2), but senior Courtney Andrew played a key part in the first two goals. Andrew beat a defender down the left side and sent a low cross to Cali Andrew. Her shot was deflected in by junior Lexi Kern around the edge of the 6-yard box with 15:34 remaining in the first half.
Courtney Andrew again found some space on the left side several minutes later. This time her cross went to the right side of the penalty area. Camille Dela Cruz cut the ball back and fired a shot past Knights’ goalkeeper Jordan Ginther for a 2-0 lead with 9:13 left before halftime.
“We’re getting ready for the postseason and it’s possible we’ll see (Kaneland) again,” Courtney Andrew said. “We wanted to play our hearts out for our seniors.”
The Rockets added another goal with 14:27 remaining in the match. Ellen Jayne dribbled into the penalty area and lost the ball as Ginther came out to challenge. Freshman Jessica Morchetti was there to corral the loose ball and score.
Kaneland (11-5-1), which still has one regular-season match remaining, created a few scoring opportunities, but was unable to beat Central goalkeeper Caitlin Solberg, who finished with 5 saves.
The teams could meet again next Saturday in the Class 3A Burlington Central regional title game. The second-seeded Knights play No. 3 Crystal Lake Central on Wednesday with the winner playing the top-seeded Rockets.
“We want to get to the regional championship and let’s see if we can fix the mistakes we made (Saturday) and hopefully we get the chance to play them again,” Knights coach Scott Parillo said.