Girls soccer: Barrington rebounds to finish third at state
Less than 24 hours after its quest to reach the 3A state final ended in heartbreaking fashion, Barrington returned to Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium at North Central College to play 10-time city champion Lane Tech Saturday in the third-place game.
After a less than a sparkling start to this contest -- forcing Barrington to chase the game inside two minutes -- it would be an equalizer from Skye Lundy in the ninth minute and the eventual game-winner by Madeline Lewis that would lead to a 2-1 victory over Lane Tech on a muggy, warm afternoon in Naperville.
'The mood of the team was down after our loss last night to (O'Fallon) but we came here ready to play today, and this is a great way for us to go out," said senior Hannah Blue, who gathered alongside fellow seniors:Megan Holland, Lewis and Piper Lucier to celebrate one last time before taking the bus ride home.
"This has been an incredible four years for all of us seniors, and one that I'll never forget," added Lucier, the three-time all-state forward who since the Fillies’ (20-2-2) regional final victory on May 23rd has played with a badly sprained ankle, yet still gave her club valuable minutes, including the sectional final game-winner over Lake Zurich last weekend.
"After we lost so much talent from a year ago, I think a lot of people did not expect us to get this far. (But) the work rate, work effort, and commitment to each other, and the team helped carry this team all the way to the state tournament," said Fillies coach Ryan Stengren.
The aforementioned senior quartet, along with an extremely young roster, will take with them a magnificent season, which would include its 20th regional and sectional title in program history, 11th state trophy and an unprecedented 13th consecutive MSL championship.
"I feel very fortunate to have been part of this program, and to be able to mentor and lead our younger teammates to get them ready to take over next year," said Holland, herself a three-time all-state keeper, who will play in the fall at Kentucky.
"We're like family, and some of my best friends that I have are on this team," added Madeline Lewis, who will play at Northern Illinois University.
Lane Tech (22-3-3) would enjoy a memorable spring season after following its boys program that were 3A state runners-up to Hersey last November.
"It's great to be back at state after missing out last year, and all the credit goes to the girls, who, perhaps overachieved at times, but put so much work in to reach the final weekend of the season," said Stengren, who will return six from his starting lineup, including sophomore Aybree (AJ) Sanchez, who was named all-state.