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Girls soccer: Larkin survives Streamwood on late penalty kick

Kelly Leon had a plan Wednesday evening in Streamwood.

In an Upstate Eight Conference girls soccer match filled with plenty of offense, the Larkin sophomore was looking to give her team yet another lead.

Leon rifled home a low runner on a penalty kick with six minutes, 26 seconds remaining; the score held up as the Royals turned back the Sabres 5-4.

"Usually (in that situation) I pick a spot and then I go for it," Leon said. "I was ready to score and I did what I needed to do."

Streamwood (0-4, 0-2) had stormed back from a 2-goal deficit in the second half as Josett Perez brought her squad within 4-3 with her second goal of the match in the 56th minute.

The Sabres' Paulette Carranza knotted the back-and-forth affair at 4-all virtually seven minutes later.

But it was a no-brainer call for the referee as Leon was blatantly fouled in the box while attacking from the right side.

The Royals are 3-1 overall after winning their league opener.

Leon's older sister Amy, who was later injured in a violent collision in the Sabres' goal off a corner kick, had doubled the Royals' first-half lead of 3-2 with a score eight minutes after the intermission.

There were fireworks from the start.

Perez opened the high-octane match by beating the Royals' keeper from the right side two-plus minutes into the opening half.

"I could see that the score was going to get higher - that we were going to score more (goals)," Perez said.

Unfortunately for Streamwood, it was Larkin who would need less than seven minutes to take a 2-1 lead before the 10th minute of play.

In one of the few ways a defensive player can score in a soccer match, the Royals' Miranda Preuss finished a brilliant corner kick by Ariana King for the equalizer.

It was the first goal of the season for the defender.

"It was kind of unexpected," Preuss said of her point-blank finish in heavy congestion. "I wasn't expecting (that many goals by both teams), for sure."

Less than three minutes later, Larkin midfielder Genesis Trujillo scored to give the Royals a 2-1 edge.

Jasmin Perez, though, continued the trend for Streamwood with another goal for the second draw in the 25th minute of play.

Kelly Leon would have the answer, however, scoring her first goal of the match minutes before the break to account for the Royals' 3-2 halftime advantage.

"That's the best they have played all season," Streamwood coach Kristin Duffy said of her players. "We had three games last week, so that was tough to come back from."

  Larkin's Ariana King controls the ball during Wednesday's girls soccer match against Streamwood. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Streamwood's Melanie Ramirez, left, looks to get the ball past Larkin's Jackie Perez during Wednesday's girls soccer match at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Streamwood's Paulette Carranza, left, and Larkin's Ayla Gray make contact as they pursue the ball during Wednesday's girls soccer match at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  The ball winds up between Streamwood's Ether Cardnes, left, and Larkin's Kelly Leon during Wednesday's girls soccer match at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Larkin's Genesis Trujillo directs the ball with a header during Wednesday's girls soccer match at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Streamwood's Jasmin Perez reverses the direction of the ball during Wednesday's home soccer match against Larkin. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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