Plainfield North turns back Conant
PepsiCo Showdown finalist Plainfield North eased into the quarterfinals of the Naperville Invitational with a hard-fought 1-0 girls soccer victory over Conant on a cold, windy day Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium on the campus of tournament host Naperville Central.
The Tigers (11-0-2), who went 2-0 in the pool play this week and will face No. 1 New Trier on Sunday at DePaul University's Wish Field for the Showdown title, found themselves up against it during the first half-hour against the Cougars (8-3-1), who were fresh off an emotionally charged 1-0 win over Neuqua Valley in their tourney opener less than 24 hours earlier.
"We were hoping to maybe catch Conant being a little spent after playing against a quality opponent," said Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe. "Instead they came out and totally dominated, while we looked like the team that had played the night before."
Coach Jason Franco's team looked sharp from the opening whistle, playing quickly while connecting with one- and two-touch passes, and looking every bit the part of a team capable of upending their higher-rated opponent.
"We put so much into our match with Neuqua," said Franco. "A win like that could go a long way in the sectional seeding process, so I wasn't sure how we would come out here today, especially in the rain and cold.
"I was very proud of our effort, and just thrilled with the way we played. I just wish we had put one in after all that hard work. Then maybe it's a different result in the end for us."
Plainfield North is a dangerous club because of its wonderful junior duo of Sam Elster and Reyse Stirrett. Crowe stations the pacy, and energetic Elster just behind her front-runners, and Stirrett a step or two further back. Elster had about 80 percent of the midfield touches for the Tigers.
The Cougars kept the pair at bay for the better half of 30 minutes with a terrific work rate from its own midfield group of Leah Celarek, Rachel Raymer, Zoe Shoro, Gianna Angiulo and Marisa Dizonno, who attacked and got forward in a hurry to help keep Plainfield North on the defensive.
Mirando Glennon and Sidney O'Keeffe created the best chances for the Cougars in the 18th minute as Kaylin Feeley forced a save from North keeper Emma Veselsky.
Soon after, Tigers freshman Renae Blevins made her mark with a stunning 30-yard strike that just eluded Cougars keeper Haley Anderson in a full-extension save attempt.
"Conant was so much better than us until we began to play a little bit better leading up to Renae's goal," said Crowe. "After that, I felt our confidence began to rise, and it carried over into the second half were I thought we had most of the play."
As bright as the Cougars' start was, they had trouble matching it in the second half.
The Tigers, who have conceded just 6 goals this season, seemed content to protect their lead by dropping another forward into the middle, leaving just one up top with 20 minutes to go in regulation.
Glennon went wide in the 73rd minute after Raymer and Celarek helped put the freshman in position to get one on frame.
Franco was booked for a second yellow card late in the match after asserting that standout defender Katie Lomas had been fouled and was subsequently denied attention from the Conant athletic trainer.
"They are a very good side, but I'd would like to play them again when we're a little fresher, both physically and mentally," Franco said. "Nonetheless, they were better than us in the second half, and deserved their result."