Girls soccer: Lakes blanks Antioch to advance
When district rivals compete against each other, it's always an intense game.
But when the same two teams match up in the postseason the intensity rises to another level.
This time around, eighth-seeded Lakes shut out No. 9 Antioch 2-0 in the Class 2A Ridgewood regional semifinal in Norridge on Wednesday afternoon.
The Eagles (6-11-2) will next meet up with top-seeded Wauconda (14-2-2) in the regional final Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Ridgewood.
Noelia Padilla and Simone Lippmann each scored goals for Lakes while the Eagles' keeper made 2 stops and earned a clean sheet.
The teams played to a 0-0 draw early in the second week of the season that was almost two months ago.
"It's not always easy or a pretty game, but it was nice to get a goal off a corner kick," Lakes coach Kevin Kullby said. "It was a great finish, because Antioch's goalie was pretty good. It was our greatest chance to score and we finished it. It was nice to get ahead and I knew our defense would hold them off.
"We struggled a bit in that (March) game and we couldn't finish. Today, we were able to finish."
Scoring on set pieces has been a strong point for Lakes throughout the season. When the Eagles get their chances, they have taken advantage in getting goals.
Padilla notched her 10th goal of the season in the 23rd minute. Faith Conway delivered a well-placed corner kick, which Padilla made the move and one-timed the volley kick right into the back of the net for a 1-0 Lakes lead.
"I think my other goals have been like out of the blue," Padilla said. "This one, I wasn't expecting it to happen. But I got myself in there. Actually, right before it happened, I switched spots with another teammate and thought I could get a shot off. I was able to get into position to score. But it was an amazing ball by Faith Conway. Getting the kick, I do those in warmups. I feel I do have a stronger leg and can get it on the first-time kick. It worked and it helped out the team."
Lakes added another goal for insurance in the second half when Lippman finished a loose ball in front of the Antioch goal that wasn't cleared completely out of the area for the 2-0 advantage.
Antioch (9-9-3) had a season that was for rebuilding with the loss of a number of experienced senior players from last year who graduated. The Sequoits were in a number of matches this season and have something to build on for the future.
"It was a rivalry game," Antioch coach James Silasiri said. "We have to do a better job controlling the ball in the middle of the field. I thought the game was up for grabs in the first half. We just didn't come away with any momentum. We just didn't play our game here today.
"We've got a lot to build from. We did have a good year. The girls understand all year that it was a rebuilding process. They accepted that and they're looking to fill roles on the team. We have a team-first mentality and they accept that and our process is a lot longer than this season. They're taking steps in the right direction."