Girls soccer: Metea Valley edges Barrington on PKs to win 1st state title

Barrington and Metea Valley were center stage for their biggest and most important soccer game of their season Saturday night - and the two superpowers did not let down a jammed packed crowd at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium at North Central College.

After 100 minutes failed to settle this classic Class 3A state final, Metea Valley would prevail in sudden-death shootout when senior Abbey Ondrus converted her spot-kick to give the Mustangs a 6-5 advantage, and 1-0 victory.

"This is just so surreal right now," said an emotional Mustangs (22-2-1) keeper, Julia Straub, who saved two, then watched the last two Fillies shooters rattle the bar before the heroics of Ondrus gave Chris Whaley's club its first state championship.

"Barrington gave us everything we could handle, and then more, but somehow we found a way to fight tooth and nail to get into overtime, then PKs. And right now it's really hard to put into words just how proud I am of every single player on this team," said Whaley.

The Fillies (23-3-0), who won in kicks here in 2017 against New Trier, then lost to Naperville North in kicks two years later, were a constant blur in attacking soccer from the onset. They created a handful of quality chances all throughout regulation. Freshman Piper Lucier was at the heart of several opportunities, as well as Kate Lubinsky and Brooke Brown, who were unable to solve a stingy Mustangs back line.

"Our defense, and in particular our back line, has been just amazing all year long, and they had to be tonight because Barrington was so dangerous at times," said Straub.

The Fillies themselves would show a stubborn resistance in front of keeper, Abby Raynor, keeping the vaunted trio of Lucy Burk, Tyra King and Jordan Lange from putting anything of value on frame, until the second extra session when the Mustangs' attack came alive.

Once into kicks, both sides where even at 2-2 with Fillies backup keeper Avery Trapp making the first of two brave stops.

After five rounds, it was 3-3, then 5-5, and it would stay that way when Trapp made her second stop leading to the Ondrus game-winner.

"It was a great game, played between two great teams, and what else can I say but how proud of the effort we gave for 100 minutes. We had chances to put one or two in, and really did everything really well on both sides of the ball but finish our chances," said Fillies coach Ryan Stengren.

"We've been here before in 2019 and 2017, and it's a heartbreaking way to lose in a state final, but congratulations to Metea Valley."