Girls soccer: Prospect blanks Taft 2-0; St. Viator cruises past Senn

After few days off the pitch following a busy first 10 days of the month, it was back to soccer for Prospect on Wednesday.

And the Knights made it count at Murney Lazier Field, where they defeated No. 12 seed Taft 2-0 to advance into the Class 3A regional final on Friday.

Sixth-seeded Prospect (11-8-2) will face regional host Evanston (13-7-3), which rolled over Lincoln Park 7-0 in the earlier game.

"It was a nice win for us, and a deserving one at that, but we really couldn't feel comfortable until that terrific goal from Abbey (Danciu) doubled our advantage midway through the second half," said Prospect coach Tom Froats, whose club will look to earn its first regional title since 2007.

The opening half-hour was memorable mainly for the Knights' ability to possess with quick, short passes in tight space, and with several half-chances on deep throws and free kicks.

But it was still void of the one thing Prospect has struggled with this season - finishing.

"We did everything but that," said Knights standout center-back Helen Siavelis, who had a bird's eye view of her club's attack. It just wasn't sharp enough in the final third to beat the CPS First Divison North champs until the half-hour.

There was plenty of purpose in Prospect's attack from Shawna Stokes, Faith Fitzsimmons, Sarah Mulvihill and Ella Marzolf. During the first quarter-hour, several of the Prospect advances forced Taft keeper Kelly Palacios into action far more than coach Christine Medunycia would have liked.

"Kelly had an outstanding game, and the team played with a lot of heart and energy against a team that had some very talented players," Medunycia said. "But we defended as well as we have in our own end, and really made them work for their victory."

Kristina Suto broke the scoreless match in the 30th minute with a magnificent finish inside the 6-yard box when she ran past her defender to smash in a one-timer off a superb corner by Ella Marzolf.

"What a great goal by Kristina for us," Siavelis said.

The Knights didn't add to their lead after the intermission despite a handful of great opportunities, allowing a valiant club from Taft (14-7-1) to remain just 1 goal away from tying it.

But when Danciu reacted quickly and smartly to a Alexa Mitka free kick, it became 2-0 in the 63rd minute.

"Taft played hard the entire game," Danciu said. "So it was important that we get at least one more goal to make things easier for us, so I'm glad I was able to do that for us."

Gianna Rossi was flawless in goal for the Knights, who recorded their 10th shutout of the season.

St. Viator 8, Senn 0: Third-seeded St. Viator (13-5-2) registered its 15th shutout of the season by outclassing an undermanned Chicago Senn team in a Class 2A regional opener at host Amundsen in the Ravensworth neighborhood on Wednesday.

The Lions will meet Grayslake Central in Friday's regional final at 4 p.m.

It took just 60 seconds for the ESCC champions to get on the scoreboard at Jorndt Field when senior Brinley McVeigh scored the opener, followed by the first of two from Meagan Vicens on a terrific ball to the back post by McVeigh.

Vicens' double came in the 11th minute with McVeigh at the controls once again. This time, however, Caroline Sexton and Michaela Mueller were the two who initiated things with some good buildup work.

Meghan Martin added another to the score line two minutes later on a helper from junior Payton McDonnell, who capped the Lions' 5-goal first-half explosion with a nice touch on her one-timer off a Vicens assist.

The Lions' back line had an easy time of it as it laid the groundwork for a shared shutout for Anna Johnston and Lilly Collins. Sam DeJulio, who transferred from Palatine during the off-season, and has been a key figure in the Lions' record-setting season.

"It took us a little while to get comfortable with each other, and to sort out how our coaches wanted us to play, but our goal and focus from the very start of the season was always the same, and that was to keep our opponents out of the back of our net, and that's what we did in the conference," said DeJulio, who with Anelia Bottcher, Christina Petrillo and Maeve Schumacher

The No. 13 seed Bulldogs (6-1-1), who finished in a tie for first with Marine Academy in the CPS Second Division North, played hard despite having just 13 dressed for this contest. Senn is led by the dynamic duo of freshman Karen Ramirez (the team's leading scorer) and midfielder Karla Guillen, who plays during the off-season for the Chicago Fire Academy.

Johnston made her short time as a field player count when she hit a 30-yard blast to make it a 6-goal advantage in the 58th minute.

Ava Fitzmaurice and Mary Ann Castelli ended this lopsided affair with goals just two minutes apart.

The final on Friday will be played at Marine Academy, near Mozart Park on Hamlin Avenue. The grass at Jorndt Field is scheduled to be torn up on Thursday in advance to the installation of turf to this famed stadium, named for the former chairman and CEO of Wahlgreen's, Dan Jorndt, who was a 1959 graduate of Amundsen.

Schaumburg 2, Elk Grove 1: Seventh-seed Schaumburg earned its second 1-goal decision against Elk Grove in the last nine days to stay alive in the girls soccer postseason on Wednesday.

This time, the Saxons edged the No. 10 seed Grens 2-1 in Class 3A regional semifinal play at Lake Park.

On May 7, Schaumburg topped the Grens 1-0 to finish Mid-Suburban League play.

Next up for the Saxons will be No. 2 seed Wheaton Warrenville South, which handled No. 14 seed Lake Park 4-0 in the first semi on Wednesday. The regional final is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Lake Park.

Glenbrook South 5, Leyden 0: The third-seeded Titans shut out the Eagles in the first matchup at Glenbrook North to earn a spot in Saturday's 10 a.m. regional final.