Girls soccer: Barrington needs shootout to avoid Cary-Grove upset
ROCKFORD - Defending Class 3A champion Barrington needed a shootout victory but did just that to avoid a Cary-Grove upset in Friday's Rockford Guilford Sectional championship.
Initially Barrington had to erase a halftime deficit and then had to mentally recoup from Cary-Grove also scoring late in the second overtime session to force the shootout. Barrington coach Ryan Stengen labeled it resilience, but the 3-1 shootout advantage allowed the Fillies register a 3-2 victory in a clash of streaks.
Cary-Grove's impressive 12-match win streak was snapped, ending a 13-3-2 season shy of hopes for the school's second sectional. The Trojans owned a sectional title back in the all-one-class days in 1998. This setback is added to sectional championship fails in 2015, 2010 and 2005.
For Barrington and Stengren, it's the 10th consecutive year the Fillies have captured a sectional crown. The Fillies take an 18-3-2 record into their own supersectional on Tuesday against the winner of the Geneva sectional between St. Charles North and Conant.
With a 1-1 draw through regulation, there was only 4:42 left in the second 10-minute extra session when Ashley Prell sent a cross from left to the far right post where Cary-Grove keeper Lauren Passaglia got a hand on it but before she could cover it, and the Fillies' Jen Devona flicked it to the middle. That's where Tina Teik knocked it home for a 2-1 edge.
But just two minutes and 33 seconds later, the Trojans countered with Kelly Stayart setting up Maggie Mason to force the shootout.
Ironically Cary-Grove won the coin toss for a third time but instead of electing which end, opted to shoot first. Kelly Stayart scored to her right against Samantha Schmitz. Barrington's Michayla Herr did the same against Passaglia.
Schmitz then got a hand-tip on a Mason try that caromed off the right post. Mafi Rosen drilled her shot into the right side to give Barrington a 2-1 edge.
Schmitz smothered a Kailyn Sheehan attempt before Teik converted to make it 3-1. A Schmitz save on Jenna Stayart sealed the deal.
"The biggest thing is having confidence and knowing what you have to do," Schmitz said. "My teammates are super supportive, but it's so exciting to put away the win in PKs. I felt like I needed to redeem myself for giving up two goals."
In one loss and two ties, Schmitz had allowed two goals but the Fillies had 12 shutouts previously.
"We practice PKs all the time, so I just wanted to do my part," Rosen said of converting the second attempt.
"We wanted this for our seniors," Teik said of her decisive conversion.
"A lot of people who get punched like that late goal think the momentum is no longer with them," Stengren said. "Instead they found a way to win."
"What we did against a team as good Barrington, pushing them to limit says so much," Cary-Grove coach Ray Krystal insisted.
"Getting that late (tying) goal demonstrates the grit and determination they have. They have a lot of pride and their relationships are what made this group special and never believe they're out of it."