Girls soccer: Warren dumps Stevenson to tighten NSC race
Warren junior goalkeeper Patricia Georgiou had her hands in keeping the Blue Devils in the North Suburban Conference girls soccer race on Tuesday night.
Georgiou made two of her best stops at critical times in the second half that preserved Warren's 1-0 victory over Stevenson in Lincolnshire.
It also left Warren (12-1-3, 5-1), Stevenson (10-3-1, 4-1) and Libertyville (12-1, 6-1) all in line for a three-way tie in the NSC.
Georgiou made her best save in the waning seconds of the match, when she stopped a shot by the Patriots' Abby Kalou with a sprawling dive to her left, getting her fingertips on the ball and forcing it wide of the post.
"I was like, 'I had to go,' " said Georgiou, who had 8 saves. " I wasn't going to let the ball go in. I knew the clock was down to less than 10 seconds left. We're not going to let (Stevenson) tie this game. We put a lot of our hearts in this game. I think it hit my ring finger."
About 10 minutes earlier, Stevenson had another opportunity off the leg of Gaby Nyc, which Georgiou was able to push over the crossbar.
"I believe it was instinct and position from what I've done over the years," Georgiou said. "In the right mindset and go for the ball. Everything I've done in the last few months in training and just go for that ball."
Warren scored the only goal needed in the 19th minute. Amber Langosch chipped a shot under the crossbar after getting the ball off the leg of Ella Skelton.
"I just took my opportunity and floated the ball. It just went in," Langosch said. "I just kept it in my head to keep it low, just make sure no one could get to it. So I made sure to lightly hit it underneath the crossbar."
The Blue Devils had a tough task in getting a victory on the road against a formidable opponent.
"Both teams are evenly matched as it was back and forth," Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. "We knew that it was going to be tough as most games in the North Suburban. You can see how much parity (there is) at the top."
The Patriots were ready for the battle and thought they had a good shot at a victory or at least a draw.
"Stevenson prepares for every match like this one," Stevenson coach PepeJon Chavez said. "The next two are not givens, but they look good. I think it's fair in the conference that Libertyville, Stevenson and Warren to be at a shared conference title. Three outstanding teams that should move into the (Class 3A) sectional. Their keeper had two world-class saves and I thought we had one there. You have to respect the effort that their girls put in."