Szczesny sparks Barrington past Lake Zurich
Jenna Szczesny added another two goals to her growing collection as Mid-Suburban League girls soccer champ Barrington (17-3-1) put on a dominant display to earn a spot in the sectional final with a 4-0 victory over Lake Zurich on Wednesday in Libertyville.
The Fillies' win sets up a much-anticipated match with rival Buffalo Grove at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
"That's as good a team as you're going to see," said Lake Zurich coach Mike Castronova, who'd guided the Bears (18-3-1) to a third straight North Suburban Conference crown this spring with standout midfielder Meaghan Gelinas and keeper Eleanor Daleske. "We came out a little flat and just didn't really have it today, but hats off to Barrington - they have size, speed and put you under a lot of pressure, and they proved to be the better team out there."
Barrington was quiet off the opening whistle, lacking energy and the sharp play Fillies coach Ryan Stengren had expected in game that was schedule for Tuesday but was postponed by storms.
"We didn't really show much early on, our possession wasn't very good, and we weren't as organized along the back as we should be," said Stengren. "But we got into the game right after Jenna put us on top."
After Blair Coughenour took a ball off the line from an angled shot by the Fillies' Elli Ackerman, Szczesny got past Daleske with a sublime touch after Carrie Madden dropped a near perfect ball to give Barrington the lead in the eighth minute.
"I didn't think we came out very well today," said Barrington's Nicole Niro, who excelled at midfield all afternoon. "Maybe it was all of us knowing how important this game was. But Jenna scoring that first goal to put us in front added a little pop in our step, and after that our overall play was so much better."
The Bears' back four of Kaitlyn McCurley, Maggie Tuckey, Meagan Bens and Coughenour frequentl denied the Fillies in the final third with aggressive tackling, but none could do anything about the second goal, in the 23rd minute.
Kelsey Muniz put her stamp on the game when she steered her shot high into the back of the net after Niro laid the ball back to the junior.
"I thought both teams wilted a little bit during the last 6-7 minutes of the half because of the heat, but they came out pretty strong after the break, and our backline had to weather a little bit of a storm before we took control with that third goal," said Stengren.
Jordan Jackson and Siena Robertson were at the heart of the Bears' lively second-period start, as the duo created a quality chance against the run of play that ended with Robertson going wide at the back post.
Jackson had a go at Fillies keeper Hannah Luedtke at 49 minutes, but that would be about all the Bears could conjure up. Moments later, Megan Fox went into the top corner from just outside the edge.
"I thought we came out fast and had a couple of chances to get into their lead, but that third goal really did us in," Castronova said.
Szczesny's second goal, her 28th this spring, was superb. The junior all-stater turned around her mark, raced up the left side and drove her turf-riding strike into the far corner in the 54th minute.
Stengren brought off most of his starters afterward. The Bears despite the 4-goal deficit, played the remaining 20 minutes of its season with a lot of heart and class.
"This was a terrific season for these girls, which included another conference title and an opportunity to play this late into the playoffs, and all of us are very proud of each of them," said Castronova.