Hersey makes the right moves to beat host St. Viator for girls lacrosse sectional title

The battle for girls lacrosse supremacy in Arlington Heights goes to Hersey.

The top-seeded Huskies were 17-11 winners over No. 3 seed St. Viator Friday to win the St. Viator Sectional title at Forest View Educational Center.

Hersey (16-1) advances to the St. Viator Supersectional Tuesday again at Forest View against New Trier for a shot to play in the state finals tournament.

"That was fun with a capital 'F,' " Hersey coach Mary Byrne said. "It was fun and entertaining. It was a little chaotic. Both of these teams like to be competitive."

Byrne cited game-changing play from the likes of junior Kelsey Neary and sophomore Kailee See.

"Kelsey is our middle and she has helped us with a young team that is learning how to play lacrosse," she said. "Kelsey and Kailee have been great mentors to the girls. They had an exceptional game on the draw control and pace of the game, as well as with assists and goals. Those two players have a lot to say about our team."

Seniors Abby von der Lippe and Jackie Konsewicz had strong games on defense, while senior Caitlyn Malz also aided in the Hersey victory.

"Viator is a very good team that is well-coached," Byrne said. "They are certainly competitors. In the playoffs we have been pushed around by a lot of experienced teams. I am proud of what Hersey has done. All we ask them is to make an effort and compete. They have done that and shown what's it is like to be part of a team and a program."

Crystal Lake (co-op) 7, Hoffman Estates 5: The Hawks came up just short in the championship game of the Hoffman Estates Sectional.

"It was close throughout. Credit to Crystal Lake Central. They capitalized on some little mistakes we had and took advantage of it," Hoffman Estates coach Eric Gdowski said. "They are really solid on the draw. It was a great game and good for the sport."

Hoffman Estates (13-8) was coming off playoff wins against Mid-Suburban West rivals Fremd and Conant, teams it had lost to in the regular season.

"We have been saying all year, this is probably the most special group I have coached, and skill-wise to go up against a co-op team that has four schools to feed into their team with 6,500 kids and we have our 1,900 - we have a group of girls that does not stop fighting. The will to win is there, we just came up short."

Senior Julia Hostetler had 2 goals for Hoffman, while senior Stephanie Baranov, senior Treasa Rustay and junior Jillian Cuartero each had 1 goal. Cuartero also had 2 assists.

"The defense was the strength of our team. They played lights out," Gdowski said. "Rachel Wickie is our sophomore goalie and she made some huge saves. Our defense put her in a great spot all night. It was a great performance by the whole group."

Hoffman lost to Crystal Lake in the playoffs last year.

"With Fremd and Conant and Crystal Lake Central, we were saying this last week or two that it was our revenge tour," Gdowski said with a laugh. "We had a great season. I am super proud of the six seniors we have. They are phenomenal players and even better people. It was tough saying goodbye in the team room."

That Hawks senior group includes Hostetler, Baranov, Rustay, Venus Perez, Ally Asuncion and Abby Calixto.

Lake Forest 19, Stevenson 5: The Patriots played two players down (yellow cards) starting with 1:52 left in the first half and could not recover against the top-seeded hosts in the championship game of the Lake Forest Sectional.

"It's tough to play a legitimate lacrosse game at that point," Stevenson coach Sarah Gutierrez noted. "We ended up with 10 players on the field. It was tough to swallow. We did not feel like we had much of an opportunity to fight, which was tough."

Juniors Lili Sorenson and Teagan Hendricks each had 2 goals for the Patriots, while senior Michelle Cabrera had the team's other goal. Junior Megan Randol made 12 saves in goal.

"Lake Forest (ranked third in the state) played a great game," Gutierrez said. "We were playing defense really well and then we lost the ball on some possessions with some not-needed turnovers."

Gutierrez was thrilled with the defensive play of junior Angela Ran, junior Alex Varshavsky, senior Abby Kogan, senior Maddie Lewis and sophomore Elena DiBella, as well as junior Bella Wisniewski. "Our defense as a whole played great," he said.

Stevenson finished 16-5. "We graduate 14 seniors and they played their hearts out," Gutierrez said. "What I loved seeing with this team tonight is they never stopped hustling and cheering for each other. That says a lot about their character. Our players proved we have a good lacrosse team. They played together. The hope is that legacy carries into next year."