Lane falters in regional opener
Indians dominate 2nd half but can't catch Elk Grove in 2-1 loss
By Neil Milbert
EVANSTON -- On paper, the opponents in this IHSA Class 3A regional semifinal match were a study in contrast.
Chicago Public League champion Lane stepped onto the stadium pitch of Evanston High School on Tuesday night flaunting a 12-game winning streak and a 16-2-3 record. Elk Grove had a 4-11-0 composite and was one of the have-nots in the Mid-Suburban League.
The first 11 of Lane's 12-consecutive conquests on the way to their third-straight Public League title had come on shutouts, while the Grenadiers had been blanked in their previous four outings.
The seeding reflected their respective records. Lane was seeded seventh and Elk Grove was seeded 12th.
But all of the above proved to be irrelevant: it was Elk Grove that advanced to Friday night’s regional title game against Evanston by virtue of a 2-1 victory.
“I came out not really expecting one thing or another,” Lane coach Michelle Vale said. “In the first half we were unable to keep the ball out of our net. In the second half we were able to keep them at zero.
“I think maybe some things outside of my control may have played a factor -- the heat, the wind, kids had field trips today and were walking around and getting dehydrated. But I can’t blame it on anything. At the end of the day we lost fair and square, and Elk Grove won.”
Playing with a cast to safeguard a broken left hand and a big brace on her left knee to protect twice-repaired anterior cruciate ligaments, Elk Grove junior Amanda Sitkowski made the difference by striking for back-to-back goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes of the first half.
“The first one I knew I had the goalie beat,” said Sitkowski, who was selected the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We had a practice yesterday about finishing, and I tried to play it low and across the goal. It was one of my best finishes of the year.”
Shooting on-the-move from the right side, Sitkowski sent the ball past junior goalkeeper Margaret Grossman into the left corner of the net.
Sitkowski’s next goal came on a rush to the net. Grossman came out to challenge her in the goalmouth but the shot went off the goalie and found paydirt.
“We knew that balls were getting through, so I just had to sprint through and get a foot on it,” Sitkowski said.
Until Sitkowski tallied her two goals it was an uneventful match with neither team threatening. Early corner kicks by the Indians’ junior defender Kinuko Mrozik and sophomore midfielder Carlye Makuch failed to unravel the Grenadiers’ defense.
“The first 20 minutes it was pretty even, back and forth with not much happening” Elk Grove Coach Dan Klaus said. “Then we had a window where we made them uncomfortable. We had a nice sequence for our first goal. Out second goal wasn’t pretty, but it went in.”
Lane’s first prime scoring opportunity came on forward Grace Dunaway’s penalty kick in the 31st minute. Kicking into a strong wind, the sophomore sent her shot off the crossbar.
Less than two minutes later the Indians’ Lena Price-Johnson, the only senior on either team, broke away but her shot sailed over the net.
Late in the half Elk Grove had a chance to extend its lead on freshman forward Kate Talens’ free kick from the 25-yard line. She was unable to capitalize; the lofted shot came down on the outside of the net.
Lane spent the remainder of the half threatening to get on the scoreboard. Elk Grove's sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Kandefer thwarted an opportunity by sophomore midfielder Johanna Bozic, and corner kicks by Dunaway and Mrozik went for naught.
“In the first half the wind played a factor,” Price-Johnson said. “A lot of our goal kicks and a lot of our through-balls from the back didn’t go as far as they usually do.”
With the wind behind them and Price-Johnson leading the way, the Indians dominated the second half, repeatedly getting into scoring position but time and again failing to finish.
Price-Johnson was offside after a pass by Bozich that appeared to put her in the clear; two more of her rushes failed to produce a shot; her open shot hit the crossbar; another kick was high. Junior forward Ayser Guvner was unable to handle a pass from junior defender Isabella Oganovich at the goalmouth. Sophomore Samantha Sorich’s free kick from the 25-yard line was long and to the left.
“It’s gets rough when the ball doesn’t go in,” lamented Price-Johnson, looking back in frustration.
Finally, with 3:16 to play, freshman Camaron Niforos finished a long run by sending a shot into the left corner of the net that slashed the deficit to 2-1.
It proved to be too little too late.
“We didn’t come out as strong as we would have liked to but we definitely dominated the second half -- most of the time we had possession,” Niforos said with tears streaming down her cheeks. “We had such a good season. I wish this game had been different.”
Being involved in a one-goal game was nothing new for Elk Grove, Klaus pointed out.
“We lost six one-goal games in our very tough Mid-Suburban League,” the coach recalled. “It was nice to see a very close one go our way.
“Lane was putting things together in the second half, but sometimes it’s harder with the wind at your back. Some of the loose balls that were running were hard for them to manage.”
Although Vale was very disappointed, she said she was nevertheless “very proud of what our young team was able to accomplish this season.”
“We have a lot to learn,” the Lane coach said as she left the field. “I see bigger and better things for us next season.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Margaret Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Isabella Oganovich
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
M: Johanna Bozic
M: Sydney Varga
M: Alana Coffman
M: Caryle Makuch
F: Lena Price-Johnson
F: Grace Dunaway
Elk Grove
GK: Rachel Kandefer
D: Megan Murray
D: Emma Slattery
D: Maris Mauro
D: Emma Simmons
M: Zoe Blumquist
M: Emily Sitkowski
M: Gabriella Mauro
F: Amanda Sitkowski
F: Kate Talens
F: Teodora Evtimova
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amanda Sitkowski, fr., F, Elk Grove
Officials: Dimitrios Katsimingos, Jennifer Mayfield, Dorin Babola
Indians dominate 2nd half but can't catch Elk Grove in 2-1 loss
By Neil Milbert
EVANSTON -- On paper, the opponents in this IHSA Class 3A regional semifinal match were a study in contrast.
Chicago Public League champion Lane stepped onto the stadium pitch of Evanston High School on Tuesday night flaunting a 12-game winning streak and a 16-2-3 record. Elk Grove had a 4-11-0 composite and was one of the have-nots in the Mid-Suburban League.
The first 11 of Lane's 12-consecutive conquests on the way to their third-straight Public League title had come on shutouts, while the Grenadiers had been blanked in their previous four outings.
The seeding reflected their respective records. Lane was seeded seventh and Elk Grove was seeded 12th.
But all of the above proved to be irrelevant: it was Elk Grove that advanced to Friday night’s regional title game against Evanston by virtue of a 2-1 victory.
“I came out not really expecting one thing or another,” Lane coach Michelle Vale said. “In the first half we were unable to keep the ball out of our net. In the second half we were able to keep them at zero.
“I think maybe some things outside of my control may have played a factor -- the heat, the wind, kids had field trips today and were walking around and getting dehydrated. But I can’t blame it on anything. At the end of the day we lost fair and square, and Elk Grove won.”
Playing with a cast to safeguard a broken left hand and a big brace on her left knee to protect twice-repaired anterior cruciate ligaments, Elk Grove junior Amanda Sitkowski made the difference by striking for back-to-back goals in the 22nd and 25th minutes of the first half.
“The first one I knew I had the goalie beat,” said Sitkowski, who was selected the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “We had a practice yesterday about finishing, and I tried to play it low and across the goal. It was one of my best finishes of the year.”
Shooting on-the-move from the right side, Sitkowski sent the ball past junior goalkeeper Margaret Grossman into the left corner of the net.
Sitkowski’s next goal came on a rush to the net. Grossman came out to challenge her in the goalmouth but the shot went off the goalie and found paydirt.
“We knew that balls were getting through, so I just had to sprint through and get a foot on it,” Sitkowski said.
Until Sitkowski tallied her two goals it was an uneventful match with neither team threatening. Early corner kicks by the Indians’ junior defender Kinuko Mrozik and sophomore midfielder Carlye Makuch failed to unravel the Grenadiers’ defense.
“The first 20 minutes it was pretty even, back and forth with not much happening” Elk Grove Coach Dan Klaus said. “Then we had a window where we made them uncomfortable. We had a nice sequence for our first goal. Out second goal wasn’t pretty, but it went in.”
Lane’s first prime scoring opportunity came on forward Grace Dunaway’s penalty kick in the 31st minute. Kicking into a strong wind, the sophomore sent her shot off the crossbar.
Less than two minutes later the Indians’ Lena Price-Johnson, the only senior on either team, broke away but her shot sailed over the net.
Late in the half Elk Grove had a chance to extend its lead on freshman forward Kate Talens’ free kick from the 25-yard line. She was unable to capitalize; the lofted shot came down on the outside of the net.
Lane spent the remainder of the half threatening to get on the scoreboard. Elk Grove's sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Kandefer thwarted an opportunity by sophomore midfielder Johanna Bozic, and corner kicks by Dunaway and Mrozik went for naught.
“In the first half the wind played a factor,” Price-Johnson said. “A lot of our goal kicks and a lot of our through-balls from the back didn’t go as far as they usually do.”
With the wind behind them and Price-Johnson leading the way, the Indians dominated the second half, repeatedly getting into scoring position but time and again failing to finish.
Price-Johnson was offside after a pass by Bozich that appeared to put her in the clear; two more of her rushes failed to produce a shot; her open shot hit the crossbar; another kick was high. Junior forward Ayser Guvner was unable to handle a pass from junior defender Isabella Oganovich at the goalmouth. Sophomore Samantha Sorich’s free kick from the 25-yard line was long and to the left.
“It’s gets rough when the ball doesn’t go in,” lamented Price-Johnson, looking back in frustration.
Finally, with 3:16 to play, freshman Camaron Niforos finished a long run by sending a shot into the left corner of the net that slashed the deficit to 2-1.
It proved to be too little too late.
“We didn’t come out as strong as we would have liked to but we definitely dominated the second half -- most of the time we had possession,” Niforos said with tears streaming down her cheeks. “We had such a good season. I wish this game had been different.”
Being involved in a one-goal game was nothing new for Elk Grove, Klaus pointed out.
“We lost six one-goal games in our very tough Mid-Suburban League,” the coach recalled. “It was nice to see a very close one go our way.
“Lane was putting things together in the second half, but sometimes it’s harder with the wind at your back. Some of the loose balls that were running were hard for them to manage.”
Although Vale was very disappointed, she said she was nevertheless “very proud of what our young team was able to accomplish this season.”
“We have a lot to learn,” the Lane coach said as she left the field. “I see bigger and better things for us next season.”
Starting lineups
Lane
GK: Margaret Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Isabella Oganovich
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
M: Johanna Bozic
M: Sydney Varga
M: Alana Coffman
M: Caryle Makuch
F: Lena Price-Johnson
F: Grace Dunaway
Elk Grove
GK: Rachel Kandefer
D: Megan Murray
D: Emma Slattery
D: Maris Mauro
D: Emma Simmons
M: Zoe Blumquist
M: Emily Sitkowski
M: Gabriella Mauro
F: Amanda Sitkowski
F: Kate Talens
F: Teodora Evtimova
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amanda Sitkowski, fr., F, Elk Grove
Officials: Dimitrios Katsimingos, Jennifer Mayfield, Dorin Babola