Lake Forest scrambles Lincoln-Way East
Goal on header in overtime seals 2-1 victory
By Steve Millar
SCHAUMBURG -- The goal that sent Lake Forest to the second round of the PepsiCo Showdown wasn’t the prettiest the Scouts will score this season, but it was likely one of the sweetest.
Four minutes into overtime Saturday, Carly Hoke headed home a rebound off a wild scramble in the box to lift Lake Forest to a dramatic 2-1 win over Lincoln-Way East at Olympic Park.
Hoke’s goal came off a corner taken by Paige Bourne that found its way to Adrian Walker, whose shot was saved by Lincoln-Way East goalkeeper Kim Seper.
Seper dove to the ground and desperately tried to cover up the rebound, but it squirted free to Hoke. Her first shot was blocked by a defender, but it came right back to her for the header.
“I don’t even really know what happened,” said Hoke, Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match. “I guess Adrian played it first, and it hit the goalie. Then I kicked it and hit somebody and it popped back up in the air, and I just headed it in. It was a crazy play, but it was awesome to win the game like that.”
Resilience was key in sending the 12th-seeded Scouts (5-1) into the second round of the Aquafina Bracket and a Tuesday matchup at No. 5 seed St. Charles North.
Both of Lake Forest’s goals came off wild scrambles in front of the goal.
“We always talk about focusing more not on how you score, but just doing the right things to make sure you do score,” Hoke said. “We always want to go after the rebounds and loose balls, and we know it’ll pay off.”
Lake Forest got on the board first in the 12th minute off a throw-in from Carly’s twin, Kendall.
Kendall Hoke’s long throw into the box found its way through a maze of bodies and onto the foot of Jenny McKendry, who had her shot saved by Seper. Brooke Green, though, pounced on the rebound and scored.
“It’s great that we scored those two goals like that,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “In our only loss of the season, Carmel scored on a few scrambles in the box like that against us. I think we learned from our mistakes, and that’s great to see.”
Kendall Hoke’s powerful throws were a major advantage all day for Lake Forest, creating several scoring opportunities.
“It definitely helps creating an offensive advantage and giving my teammates opportunities to score,” she said. “I just like to be able to do what I can to help them out.”
Stuckslager was pleased with all the havoc Kendall Hoke’s tosses created.
“Her throws really gave us some chances,” he said. “Unfortunately a couple of the throws were so powerful and went so long that we didn’t have anyone on the receiving end. It’s a great weapon to have, though.”
Lincoln-Way East (8-2-2) nearly tied it in the 33rd minute off its own throw-in. Anna Power’s throw went off a defender and rolled ever so close to the goal line before Walker cleared it away.
The Griffins, on their heels for much of the first half, found the equalizer five minutes into the second half on a brilliant individual play from Jill Kilrea.
Kilrea collected a loose ball in the middle of the field and immediately fired a shot from 35 yards out that found its way past Lake Forest goalkeeper Cassidy Shaul.
Kilrea nearly won it for the Griffins on a free kick from 25 yards out with eight minutes to go, firing off the outside of the near post.
After nearly falling in regulation, Lake Forest was able to recover and regain control in the overtime, leading to the winning goal.
“We just had to remain calm and focused,” Kendall Hoke said. “We just had to keep making smart plays to make sure we were the ones who got the next goal.”
Despite the heartbreaking final outcome, Kilrea was happy with her team’s performance, especially in the second half.
“Everyone on our team left their heart and soul on the field in this game,” she said. “We fought until the end, and I think a lot of people didn’t think we could even compete in this game. A lot of people really underestimated us, but we were right in this game, and it’s just unfortunate that goal happened at the end.”
Lincoln-Way East was playing without one of Kilrea’s co-captains, senior defender Lindsey Murphy, who was injured in Friday’s win over Bolingbrook.
Seper, who had a huge stop on a laser from Green in the 36th minute, made four saves for the Griffins. Power also had a non-goalkeeper save, clearing a ball off the goal line to deny Carly Hoke.
“Kimmy kept us in it,” Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Papa said. “We had our opportunities to win it, we defended well even though losing Lindsey didn’t help. We played as best as we could, and the girls are disappointed, but there’s nothing to hang their heads about. It was a game that could have gone either way.”
Power, Stefani Cetera, Jade Christensen and Emily Bicek all turned in strong performances in the back with the absence of Murphy, while midfielder Caroline Kilrea also provided some valuable defensive help.
While the Griffins now get set for consolation play, Lake Forest has revenge on its mind. After reaching the tournament’s championship in 2012, the Scouts haven’t gotten out of the second round the last two years. They fell to Metea Valley last year.
It’s a trend they hope to reverse Tuesday.
“We’ve had the luxury in the last several years to get a win in the first round, and we haven’t had as much luck in the second round lately,” Stuckslager said. “You always have to play the best in this tournament. St. Charles North is one of the best teams in the state, and we (get them) now. You have to beat the best to be the best.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Cassidy Shaul
D: Kendall Hoke
D: Bailey Ehrens
D: Adrian Walker
D: Gwen Walker
M: Sheridan Bufe
M: Paige Bourne
M: Brooke Green
M: Carly Hoke
F: Jenny McKendry
F: Delaney Williams
Lincoln-Way East
GK: Kim Seper
D: Emily Bicek
D: Stefani Cetera
D: Jade Christensen
D: Anna Power
M: Jill Kilrea
M: Caroline Kilrea
M: Hannah Dolan-Cook
M: Stephanie Zobel
F: Jessica Rajca
F: Hanna Dawczak
Officials: Edgar Santa Cruz, Hector Santa Cruz, Ilberto Santa Cruz
MVP of the Match: Carly Hoke, MF, Lake Forest
Goal on header in overtime seals 2-1 victory
By Steve Millar
SCHAUMBURG -- The goal that sent Lake Forest to the second round of the PepsiCo Showdown wasn’t the prettiest the Scouts will score this season, but it was likely one of the sweetest.
Four minutes into overtime Saturday, Carly Hoke headed home a rebound off a wild scramble in the box to lift Lake Forest to a dramatic 2-1 win over Lincoln-Way East at Olympic Park.
Hoke’s goal came off a corner taken by Paige Bourne that found its way to Adrian Walker, whose shot was saved by Lincoln-Way East goalkeeper Kim Seper.
Seper dove to the ground and desperately tried to cover up the rebound, but it squirted free to Hoke. Her first shot was blocked by a defender, but it came right back to her for the header.
“I don’t even really know what happened,” said Hoke, Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match. “I guess Adrian played it first, and it hit the goalie. Then I kicked it and hit somebody and it popped back up in the air, and I just headed it in. It was a crazy play, but it was awesome to win the game like that.”
Resilience was key in sending the 12th-seeded Scouts (5-1) into the second round of the Aquafina Bracket and a Tuesday matchup at No. 5 seed St. Charles North.
Both of Lake Forest’s goals came off wild scrambles in front of the goal.
“We always talk about focusing more not on how you score, but just doing the right things to make sure you do score,” Hoke said. “We always want to go after the rebounds and loose balls, and we know it’ll pay off.”
Lake Forest got on the board first in the 12th minute off a throw-in from Carly’s twin, Kendall.
Kendall Hoke’s long throw into the box found its way through a maze of bodies and onto the foot of Jenny McKendry, who had her shot saved by Seper. Brooke Green, though, pounced on the rebound and scored.
“It’s great that we scored those two goals like that,” Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager said. “In our only loss of the season, Carmel scored on a few scrambles in the box like that against us. I think we learned from our mistakes, and that’s great to see.”
Kendall Hoke’s powerful throws were a major advantage all day for Lake Forest, creating several scoring opportunities.
“It definitely helps creating an offensive advantage and giving my teammates opportunities to score,” she said. “I just like to be able to do what I can to help them out.”
Stuckslager was pleased with all the havoc Kendall Hoke’s tosses created.
“Her throws really gave us some chances,” he said. “Unfortunately a couple of the throws were so powerful and went so long that we didn’t have anyone on the receiving end. It’s a great weapon to have, though.”
Lincoln-Way East (8-2-2) nearly tied it in the 33rd minute off its own throw-in. Anna Power’s throw went off a defender and rolled ever so close to the goal line before Walker cleared it away.
The Griffins, on their heels for much of the first half, found the equalizer five minutes into the second half on a brilliant individual play from Jill Kilrea.
Kilrea collected a loose ball in the middle of the field and immediately fired a shot from 35 yards out that found its way past Lake Forest goalkeeper Cassidy Shaul.
Kilrea nearly won it for the Griffins on a free kick from 25 yards out with eight minutes to go, firing off the outside of the near post.
After nearly falling in regulation, Lake Forest was able to recover and regain control in the overtime, leading to the winning goal.
“We just had to remain calm and focused,” Kendall Hoke said. “We just had to keep making smart plays to make sure we were the ones who got the next goal.”
Despite the heartbreaking final outcome, Kilrea was happy with her team’s performance, especially in the second half.
“Everyone on our team left their heart and soul on the field in this game,” she said. “We fought until the end, and I think a lot of people didn’t think we could even compete in this game. A lot of people really underestimated us, but we were right in this game, and it’s just unfortunate that goal happened at the end.”
Lincoln-Way East was playing without one of Kilrea’s co-captains, senior defender Lindsey Murphy, who was injured in Friday’s win over Bolingbrook.
Seper, who had a huge stop on a laser from Green in the 36th minute, made four saves for the Griffins. Power also had a non-goalkeeper save, clearing a ball off the goal line to deny Carly Hoke.
“Kimmy kept us in it,” Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Papa said. “We had our opportunities to win it, we defended well even though losing Lindsey didn’t help. We played as best as we could, and the girls are disappointed, but there’s nothing to hang their heads about. It was a game that could have gone either way.”
Power, Stefani Cetera, Jade Christensen and Emily Bicek all turned in strong performances in the back with the absence of Murphy, while midfielder Caroline Kilrea also provided some valuable defensive help.
While the Griffins now get set for consolation play, Lake Forest has revenge on its mind. After reaching the tournament’s championship in 2012, the Scouts haven’t gotten out of the second round the last two years. They fell to Metea Valley last year.
It’s a trend they hope to reverse Tuesday.
“We’ve had the luxury in the last several years to get a win in the first round, and we haven’t had as much luck in the second round lately,” Stuckslager said. “You always have to play the best in this tournament. St. Charles North is one of the best teams in the state, and we (get them) now. You have to beat the best to be the best.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Cassidy Shaul
D: Kendall Hoke
D: Bailey Ehrens
D: Adrian Walker
D: Gwen Walker
M: Sheridan Bufe
M: Paige Bourne
M: Brooke Green
M: Carly Hoke
F: Jenny McKendry
F: Delaney Williams
Lincoln-Way East
GK: Kim Seper
D: Emily Bicek
D: Stefani Cetera
D: Jade Christensen
D: Anna Power
M: Jill Kilrea
M: Caroline Kilrea
M: Hannah Dolan-Cook
M: Stephanie Zobel
F: Jessica Rajca
F: Hanna Dawczak
Officials: Edgar Santa Cruz, Hector Santa Cruz, Ilberto Santa Cruz
MVP of the Match: Carly Hoke, MF, Lake Forest