Girls soccer: Willowbrook's late strike sinks Leyden
Willowbrook produced the ultimate smash-and-grab victory against Leyden as Zoe Ericson's 70th-minute goal decided their West Suburban Gold girls soccer match in Northlake on Tuesday.
The game seemed destined to go to overtime until the Warriors' freshman steered in the game-winner as Willowbrook improvied 8-1-2 overall and 3-0-0 in the Gold with its fifth straight win.
"It was a good win for us tonight, and I really liked the way that Zoe stayed calm when she got in close, and not rushing her shot to put it past the keeper," said Warriors tri-captain Alyssa Spada, who will attend Northwestern next fall.
"One of the big reasons for our success thus far is all of the seniors on this team have been on the varsity since we were freshmen," said Willowbrook's Sam Wozniak, who along with Spada and keeper Allie Jones are captains for coach Victor Marquez. "And it really shows this year with the way all of us have picked up our play."
Leyden had the best scoring chance during the first quarter-hour, as Tania Corona split the Willowbrook defense and sent Rosalia Trupiano through only to have the play disrupted by a sharp tackle from Spada.
Spada's free kick following a hand ball called into action Leyden keeper Ruth Merlos, who shared duties with Karina Sanchez, with both turning in a quality 40 minutes for coach Rob Fowler.
Spada provided several well-paced serves out of the back all night long, one of which found Wozniak, who on the turn went close to create a corner. Her ensuing attempt flashed through the box in the 33rd minute without finding a teammate on the other end.
The Warriors had most of the play in the last 5-6 minutes of the first half, and continued to apply pressur after intermission. During a stretch of four minutes, Wozniak put shots on frame twice.
"I thought I might get one of those chances to go in," Wozniak said with a smile.
"We had some decent chances in the first half, but our problem, especially of late has been putting the ball into the back of the net," said Fowler. "Willowbrook had the best of it, but in a game like this you give a team that one good chance, and regardless of how well or how hard you're playing, it can cost you. And you saw that happen to us tonight."
Fowler got very good midfield work from his captain Michelle Andrade and Jocelyn Garcia help keep the Warriors in check. But a high, tight line played by the visitors after the break was the greatest deterrent to the Eagles' attack throughout the second period.
Spada and her center-back teammate Jessica Ragucci played the off-sides trap to perfection, catching the Eagles at least four times in the final minutes as Leyden searched for an equalizer.
Leyden's fans thought for sure the club would draw even when Trupiano finished Syuzanna Zelizna's through pass, but the assistant referee on the far side ruled it off-sides.
"I wish we had played with the type of energy that we did after going down a goal - maybe things might have been different," said Fowler, whose team fell to 5-6-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the Gold.
Willowbrook begins tournament play at Niles West on Friday against Niles North, hoping to stretch its streak to six.
"We defended very well along the back all night long, and Zoe did a good job of taking her time and finishing for us when she got clear of the defense, which isn't always an easy thing to do," said Marquez.
- Mike Garofola
Schaumburg 2, Rolling Meadows 1: Kayla Kowal scored twice in the first half for the host Saxons in Mid-Suburban League play. Julia Morales and Dana Kizkowski provided the assists.
Rolling Meadows' second-half strike came from Katherine Perille, assisted by Kyra Spiwak.
Schaumburg improved to 3-8-1 overall.