IC Catholic Prep's state rollercoaster ride ends with 4th place finish
Langan's heroic late goal not enough in 3rd place game
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The best season in IC Catholic history ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday, but not before senior forward Tessa Langan gave fans a thrill to remember.
After watching Johnsburg score four-straight goals in the last 28 minutes of the second half to take the lead in the Class A third place match, Langan tied the game with 8.8 seconds left in regulation.
It was the 32nd and final goal of the season for Langan, who set the single-season school scoring record, eclipsing the old mark of 28.
In the ensuing shootout, Johnsburg secured the victory with a 4-2 advantage.
“It was not much different than how our season went – exciting and just playing hard,” outgoing IC coach Tom Schergen said.
And despite losing both matches at the state finals, nobody can take away the fourth place trophy earned by the Knights. It is the first piece of hardware in the school's soccer program history.
“Obviously it’s never easy to end this on two losses,” IC senior defender Tess Reardon said. “I’ve done it twice before (in basketball).
“It doesn’t get easier but there’s literally no way that I can say that we’re not proud of our season. We made history for our school, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We left everything on the field.”
Langan left a little more than anyone else considering she played on a sore leg. She could have been excused if she asked to come off the field after IC (21-7-0) lost a 3-0 lead.
Yet there she was launching a shot from 22 yards out that went over the head of Johnsburg goalie Jessica Strzelczyk just as the Skyhawks (15-6-0) were getting ready to celebrate.
“Tessa was hurting the whole game,” Schergen said. “She was struggling, but she’s earned the right to be out there and play.
“A player like her can strike at any time so it’s absolutely worth having her out there. She’s going to fight through everything, and she’s going to keep pushing forward, and that’s what she did. She never gave up.”
Giving up just isn’t part of Langan’s mentality.
“I kind of blocked (the memory) out a little bit, but if there is a ball in front of me, I always just try and shoot because at that point we had absolutely nothing to lose,” Langan said. “So I was just thinking this might be a fluke shot, and it might go in, so might as well take it.”
Ironically, Langan said the goal was not the most dramatic of her career. She gave that honor to the game-winner she scored in the final seconds against Lisle in the sectional title game her freshman year.
“That was probably a little crazier for me,” Langan said. “But that’s only because it ended in a win, of course.”
This game sure started like it would end in an IC win.
The Knights scored twice in the first seven minutes and led 3-0 at halftime. Freshman Abi Wagner, who came into the game with four goals, bagged two before intermission, breaking the ice just 2:09 after the first whistle and again with 3:11 to go.
Sophomore Olivia Hurt had the second goal, her 26th of the season, which came at the 32:57 mark.
“(The mood) was really enthusiastic at first, and then we kind of let up a little bit,” Wagner said. “Then we got back into it.”
First, it was the Skyhawks who got back into it, and they did so quickly. Junior Amber Humphres, whose hat-trick earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, took a pass from Hannah Anderson and scored on a 17-yard shot with 28:29 to go in the match.
Then came two lightning bolts just 66 seconds apart. The first came on Taylor Piggott’s shot from the top of the box and the second was a 25-yard cracker off the left foot of Humphres that tied the game 3-3 with 19:31 left.
Johnsburg had scored on three-consecutive shots at that point and kept the pressure on the Knights.
IC goalie Rochelle Spizziri, who was injured on Piggott’s goal and had to leave for 10 minutes, made a great save on Humphres’ open shot with 7:55 to go, but 22 seconds later Humphres gave the Skyhawks the lead with another long shot into the upper 90.
“I don’t know if it was necessarily a breakdown, or if it was they just started playing a little more,” Schergen said. “They connected on a few passes they weren’t connecting on in the first half and (Humphres) got us a couple times.
“She’s got a great left foot. We knew that (because) we saw it yesterday. She got free, and she buried it.”
The weekend didn't turn out like IC hoped, but the Lady Knights showed their mettle in the third place game. At the end of regulation, there were some tears, just not of sorrow, thanks to Langan’s goal.
“I was really happy,” Wagner said. “I actually had tears in my eyes.
“I didn’t even know what to do I was so excited.”
Unfortunately, the shootout did not go IC's way.
Piggott opened the session by converting for Johnsburg, which replaced Strzelczyk in goal with Shae Giovanni, a senior midfielder.
Langan tied it for IC, but the wheels came off in the next two rounds. Giovanni and Humphres converted for Johnsburg, which took a 3-1 lead thanks to two saves from Giovanni.
Spizzirri kept the Knights alive by stopping Johnsburg’s fourth attempt, and Bella Leslie scored to send it to a fifth round. But Johnsburg senior defender Madelyn Peterson ended it by connecting for the Skyhawks.
That ended the playing careers of IC's senior class, which led the Knights to a school-record 21 wins and their first state finals berth.
In addition to Langan and Reardon, starters Demitra Del Fiacco, Liz Maloney and Kaitlyn Grady and reserves Kelley Hodyl and Katie Hendricks suited up for the last time.
“It feels really good for the senior class, and I think we’re really happy to be leaving the program on a high,” Langan said. “I think we set the bar really high for next year, and I hope that motivates the girls to keep getting down here.”
Starting lineups
IC Catholic
GK Rochelle Spizzirri
D Liz Maloney
D Kaitlyn Grady
D Tess Reardon
D Annie Guinan
M Demitra DelFiacco
M Grace Fuller
M Bella Leslie
F Abi Wagner
F Olivia Hurt
F Tessa Langan
Johnsburg
GK Jessica Strzelczyk
D Alivia Siudak
D Lauren Winter
D Madelyn Peterson
D Kaitlyn Owen
M Shae Giovanni
M Hannah Anderson
M Megan Jurek
F Madeline Hauck
F Amber Humphres
F Taylor Piggott
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amber Humphres, F, Johnsburg
Officials: Rabindra Narayan (center); John Choules; Dan Trost; 4th – Thomas Evins
Langan's heroic late goal not enough in 3rd place game
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The best season in IC Catholic history ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday, but not before senior forward Tessa Langan gave fans a thrill to remember.
After watching Johnsburg score four-straight goals in the last 28 minutes of the second half to take the lead in the Class A third place match, Langan tied the game with 8.8 seconds left in regulation.
It was the 32nd and final goal of the season for Langan, who set the single-season school scoring record, eclipsing the old mark of 28.
In the ensuing shootout, Johnsburg secured the victory with a 4-2 advantage.
“It was not much different than how our season went – exciting and just playing hard,” outgoing IC coach Tom Schergen said.
And despite losing both matches at the state finals, nobody can take away the fourth place trophy earned by the Knights. It is the first piece of hardware in the school's soccer program history.
“Obviously it’s never easy to end this on two losses,” IC senior defender Tess Reardon said. “I’ve done it twice before (in basketball).
“It doesn’t get easier but there’s literally no way that I can say that we’re not proud of our season. We made history for our school, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. We left everything on the field.”
Langan left a little more than anyone else considering she played on a sore leg. She could have been excused if she asked to come off the field after IC (21-7-0) lost a 3-0 lead.
Yet there she was launching a shot from 22 yards out that went over the head of Johnsburg goalie Jessica Strzelczyk just as the Skyhawks (15-6-0) were getting ready to celebrate.
“Tessa was hurting the whole game,” Schergen said. “She was struggling, but she’s earned the right to be out there and play.
“A player like her can strike at any time so it’s absolutely worth having her out there. She’s going to fight through everything, and she’s going to keep pushing forward, and that’s what she did. She never gave up.”
Giving up just isn’t part of Langan’s mentality.
“I kind of blocked (the memory) out a little bit, but if there is a ball in front of me, I always just try and shoot because at that point we had absolutely nothing to lose,” Langan said. “So I was just thinking this might be a fluke shot, and it might go in, so might as well take it.”
Ironically, Langan said the goal was not the most dramatic of her career. She gave that honor to the game-winner she scored in the final seconds against Lisle in the sectional title game her freshman year.
“That was probably a little crazier for me,” Langan said. “But that’s only because it ended in a win, of course.”
This game sure started like it would end in an IC win.
The Knights scored twice in the first seven minutes and led 3-0 at halftime. Freshman Abi Wagner, who came into the game with four goals, bagged two before intermission, breaking the ice just 2:09 after the first whistle and again with 3:11 to go.
Sophomore Olivia Hurt had the second goal, her 26th of the season, which came at the 32:57 mark.
“(The mood) was really enthusiastic at first, and then we kind of let up a little bit,” Wagner said. “Then we got back into it.”
First, it was the Skyhawks who got back into it, and they did so quickly. Junior Amber Humphres, whose hat-trick earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, took a pass from Hannah Anderson and scored on a 17-yard shot with 28:29 to go in the match.
Then came two lightning bolts just 66 seconds apart. The first came on Taylor Piggott’s shot from the top of the box and the second was a 25-yard cracker off the left foot of Humphres that tied the game 3-3 with 19:31 left.
Johnsburg had scored on three-consecutive shots at that point and kept the pressure on the Knights.
IC goalie Rochelle Spizziri, who was injured on Piggott’s goal and had to leave for 10 minutes, made a great save on Humphres’ open shot with 7:55 to go, but 22 seconds later Humphres gave the Skyhawks the lead with another long shot into the upper 90.
“I don’t know if it was necessarily a breakdown, or if it was they just started playing a little more,” Schergen said. “They connected on a few passes they weren’t connecting on in the first half and (Humphres) got us a couple times.
“She’s got a great left foot. We knew that (because) we saw it yesterday. She got free, and she buried it.”
The weekend didn't turn out like IC hoped, but the Lady Knights showed their mettle in the third place game. At the end of regulation, there were some tears, just not of sorrow, thanks to Langan’s goal.
“I was really happy,” Wagner said. “I actually had tears in my eyes.
“I didn’t even know what to do I was so excited.”
Unfortunately, the shootout did not go IC's way.
Piggott opened the session by converting for Johnsburg, which replaced Strzelczyk in goal with Shae Giovanni, a senior midfielder.
Langan tied it for IC, but the wheels came off in the next two rounds. Giovanni and Humphres converted for Johnsburg, which took a 3-1 lead thanks to two saves from Giovanni.
Spizzirri kept the Knights alive by stopping Johnsburg’s fourth attempt, and Bella Leslie scored to send it to a fifth round. But Johnsburg senior defender Madelyn Peterson ended it by connecting for the Skyhawks.
That ended the playing careers of IC's senior class, which led the Knights to a school-record 21 wins and their first state finals berth.
In addition to Langan and Reardon, starters Demitra Del Fiacco, Liz Maloney and Kaitlyn Grady and reserves Kelley Hodyl and Katie Hendricks suited up for the last time.
“It feels really good for the senior class, and I think we’re really happy to be leaving the program on a high,” Langan said. “I think we set the bar really high for next year, and I hope that motivates the girls to keep getting down here.”
Starting lineups
IC Catholic
GK Rochelle Spizzirri
D Liz Maloney
D Kaitlyn Grady
D Tess Reardon
D Annie Guinan
M Demitra DelFiacco
M Grace Fuller
M Bella Leslie
F Abi Wagner
F Olivia Hurt
F Tessa Langan
Johnsburg
GK Jessica Strzelczyk
D Alivia Siudak
D Lauren Winter
D Madelyn Peterson
D Kaitlyn Owen
M Shae Giovanni
M Hannah Anderson
M Megan Jurek
F Madeline Hauck
F Amber Humphres
F Taylor Piggott
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amber Humphres, F, Johnsburg
Officials: Rabindra Narayan (center); John Choules; Dan Trost; 4th – Thomas Evins