Girls tennis: West Aurora's Goheen advances to quarterfinals

Maria Goheen was in the midst of a personal slump in her final match on Thursday in opening-day action of the Class 2A girls state tennis tournament.

Emma Tatar had the benefit of playing on her home court at Schaumburg High School, and the freshman had Goheen on the ropes with 4 consecutive wins in the opening set of their Sweet Sixteen matchup.

"(Tatar) got in her groove," said Goheen, the West Aurora senior who teamed with Liz Stefancic to win the state doubles championship last year. "I was off then. It was just mental (concentration). That would have been really big for her if she got that (first-set) 5-4 lead."

But Goheen utilized experience, athleticism and fortitude in enough doses to halt the upset bid.

Goheen broke Tatar with 4 straight points and then withstood a marathon final game of the opening set that featured 4 deuces in extending her season-long winning streak to 35 matches with the subsequent 6-4, 6-2 victory.

The lone local individual or doubles qualifier to remain in championship contention, the West Point-bound Goheen will face Olivia Oosterbaan of storied power and first-day team leader Hinsdale Central Friday morning at Buffalo Grove.

Goheen appeared headed for a nondescript first-set win over Tatar by winning the opening 4 games.

"I think she was just a little bit off in the beginning," Goheen said of her freshman foe.

But Tatar rebounded to stave off 6 set points after Goheen scored the final 4 points of the ninth game; Goheen trailed love-30 as Tatar sought a fifth consecutive winning game.

But Goheen forced Tatar into several unforced errors during critical stages of the fraught final 2 games in the first set.

"(Tennis players) make critical mistakes at bad times," Tatar said. "I took a couple of risks that I probably shouldn't (have). (Goheen) has a lot of spin on the ball and is quick. She can get to balls that she is used to doing with a partner."

Goheen, a one-time Rosary athlete who was an all-state middle-distance relay runner as a freshman before transferring, and Stefancic (a freshman at Marshall) rampaged through the large-class doubles bracket to complete a perfect season (28-0) on the 20th anniversary of the second of back-to-back West Aurora team state championships last fall.

"I think doubles can really help you in your singles game," Goheen said. "It makes you comfortable with your shot selection."

Goheen was flawless in holding serve in dominant straight-set wins over Ellen Ma (Stevenson) and Jovana Vujanic (Elk Grove).

Goheen entered the tournament as the 3-4 seed.

"I think I could have done a little better if I had a little more rest," said Vujanic, who had a three-hour-plus first match and later had her season end against Elgin senior Mara Krakowski in another third-set tiebreaker. "(Goheen) is a great player. She returns everything."

St. Charles North doubles teammates Shelby Thomas and Emiara Saini are in the consolation bracket after dropping their Round of 16 match to the Sandburg tandem of Anna Lourino and Jayme Gross.

"I would say our first two matches we were very cohesive as a team," Thomas said of wins over their opponents from Lincoln-Way Central and Lyons. "For our loss, I would say that we could have played a little bit better. But we played a stronger team."

Krakowski rebounded after drawing Belen Nevenhoven, the Rockford Auburn second overall seed, to begin her three-match day.

"I have one match left to lose, so that's a little pressure," Krakowski said of the double-elimination format. "In the first match I made a lot of mistakes that were basically all my fault."

Bethany Marshall and doubles teammates Alina Krembusewski and Karina Los had their season come to an end for Cary-Grove.

Skylar Olsen (Crystal Lake South) and Ruhi Gulati (Huntley) were also eliminated in Class 2A.

Kaneland qualified all six of its team members in 1A.

The Knights are in fourth place with 11 points, trailing first-place Latin (16 points) and North Shore Country Day (14) for second.

But Kaneland does not have any athletes remaining in the championship bracket after Lakes' Megan Heuser defeated the Knights' top gun, Madie Jurasek, in singles third-round action.

The Knights' Piper Schrepferman also fell in a Sweet Sixteen singles match.

Doubles tandems Erin McMullen-Anna Carlson and Haley Plach-Evelyn Taylor were also dismissed with a second loss for Kaneland.

Heuser is the top seed in small-school singles.

"The brackets played out the way they should," Kaneland coach Tim Larsen said. "(Jurasek) just ran into the No. 1 seed. Piper played really well to get to the third match. I am hoping we end up top five."