Girls soccer: Buffalo Grove, Prospect do each other no favors with tie
With Prospect and Buffalo Grove chasing division-leading Hersey and its 5-point lead, each side knew how important it was to earn three valuable points on Monday to keep their hopes alive.
However, the last thing either club could afford was a draw, and the 1 point attached to such a result, so when 100 minutes of soccer could not decide a winner it meant Hersey is this much closer to representing the Mid-Suburban East in next week's MSL Soccer Cup.
"A draw is just a bad as a loss," lamented BG head coach Pat Dudle after watching a 1-1 draw at Grant Blaney Stadium. "We fought hard, received a terrific effort from Zugey Olvera in goal, but it just wasn't enough tonight."
BG and Prospect are now 4-3-2-14 points overall, while Hersey stands at 6-3-0-18.
"We did everything so well tonight, except finish our chances," said Prospect coach Tom Froats, whose team will play Palatine Wednesday then Hersey on Friday to close out its league schedule.
"We had most of the possession, created more chances than Buffalo Grove, but you have to credit their keeper who made some very good saves when they needed them, and that's how we go out of here with the result we didn't come here to get."
The Knights (10-9-4 overall) were in control from the opening moments of this contest, and with Ashley Welk at the controls the visitors went close in the first five minutes, once by Abbey Danciu, the other from Kristin Schneider.
"No. 15, Ashley Welk, is just a great player. She found a way to dribble through and around us all night, created chances, put a few on frame, distributed - she did it all for them," said Dudle of the Prospect senior.
While the visitors enjoyed at least 80% of the possession, it was in the final third in which they struggled except on a couple of opportunities just before the intermission.
A wonderful early ball from Talor Kosla put Hannah Mekky through up the center channel and if not for the defensive positioning by Bridget Reynolds to ride Mekky off the ball the Prospect freshman may have had Olvera all to herself.
Moments later, Schneider would run onto a Ella Marzolf pass, requiring Olvera to save the Schneider header from in close.
Olvera was the story all night long, saving four quality chances on frame, while coming off her line without hesitation to dash the hopes of would-be scorers.
After Olvera stopped Welk twice after the break, the Bison (4-6-4) made their guests pay for a defensive lapse to bag the opener.
Macy Floro would collect a short clearing effort near the midline then burst forward, finding enough time and space to unload a 30-yard cracker that found its way just inside the near post.
The 50th minute strike stunned the Knights, but only for a short while and it was Welk who was at the heart of the equalizer in the 56th minute.
Welk's nonstop work rate allowed her to somehow maintain control despite having two Bison at her side and when she emerged from it all, she quickly found Tina Suto. Suto would then, from the right side, drive her angled attempt into the far inside netting.
Olvera turned away Welk two more times, Marzolf and Mekky once then watched her counterpart between the sticks, Annie Ninness, come to the rescue on a 12-yard blast by Pam Bolis three minutes from time.
"Annie saved us late in regulation, but I was real pleased with what our back line did all night however, it's so disappointing not to put one of our chances into the back of the net," said Froats.
For the Bison, who opened league play 1-2-1 yet somehow found their way back into the race, the best is yet to come according to Dudle.
"From where we began to right now, we've come a long way and I really feel we've come together, especially along the back which should make us ready to go from here on out," he said.