In nick of time, Romano saves
Glenbard East from Downers Grove South
2 late highlight-reel saves, Zatarski PK move Rams to final
By Matt Le Cren
LOMBARD – Glenbard East goalkeeper Zoe Romano hears the reminder frequently.
“We always tell her, if there is ever a goal, it’s never your fault,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “It’s a mistake up the field.
“But that’s why she’s there. When something needs to be done, she makes it happen.”
Romano made it happen when it mattered most on Tuesday, coming up with two incredible saves on free kicks from Downers Grove South star Emily Petring, the last coming in the final minute, to preserve the Rams’ 1-0 victory in the semifinals of their own Class 3A regional.
Ninth-seeded Glenbard East (15-5-1) will host third-seeded Downers Grove North in the regional final at 3 p.m. Friday.
Fellow senior Maia Zatarski, who scored the only goal of the game on a penalty kick in the 13th minute, said Romano’s play was typical.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Zatarski said. “We believe in her always.”
With good reason. The Rams have won their last eight games, and Romano, a four-year starter who has committed to Catawba, a Division II school in North Carolina, has shutouts in all of them.
Romano didn’t see much action against the sixth-seeded Mustangs (8-9-1), who had nine players pass on the match to attend prom. But Petring, a junior who just committed to Division I Coastal Carolina, forced her to make two acrobatic saves on brilliantly executed free kicks in the second half.
Romano knew Petring was dangerous.
“Oh, absolutely, as soon as we got our scouting report” Romano said. “She’s so talented. We’ve handled a lot of tough opponents this season, and we knew she was going to be probably top 3 or 4 among the forwards that we’ve seen.”
Petring’s first free kick was a 30-yarder from the left wing with 9:45 remaining. Petring swerved her shot around a three-player wall and toward the upper right corner of the net, but Romano left her feet and got two hands on the shot to push it around the right post.
Then with 55 seconds left in regulation, the Mustangs were awarded another free kick in a much more dangerous spot. This time, Petring faced a five-person wall as she teed up a 20-yard attempt from the hash mark just to the left of the circle.
Petring somehow curved her missile around the wall and toward the same spot as the first shot, but again Romano was up to the task, knocking it wide with both hands.
The Mustangs had another chance to tie the game on the ensuing corner kick, but a short shot hit the left post and was cleared by freshman defender Julia Bereta.
“I had to fully extend on both of those saves,” Romano said. “Those are not necessarily the hardest to execute, but they’re some of the hardest mentally, because you know the ground is coming.
“At the end of the day, you watch the ball and if you get there, you get there. If you don’t, it was a good try.”
Romano gets there more often than not. Just ask Zatarski, who has to face Romano, often unsuccessfully, in practice.
“At practice we’re always shooting on Zoe and everyone is like, ‘You know what? Even if she saves it, it’s OK. She knows where we’re shooting,’ Because she’s always saving them,” Zatarski said. “It’s kind of discouraging when you’re at practice, and the goalie is always saving your shots.
“So then we’ve got to be in our heads, like, ‘Nah, she just knows where we’re going.'
Even when she doesn’t know where people are going, she’s got it.”
That’s provided a comfort level for Overbey and the Rams, who have been accustomed to seeing stops like the ones Romano made on Petring.
“Those were both incredible, and obviously we’ve had four years’ worth of that,” Overbey said. “We’ll be sad when it’s over for her.”
The same can be said of Zatarski, another four-year starter who has had a huge impact on the program. Her goal was her team-leading 20th of the season and, incredibly, the first penalty kick attempted by the Rams this season.
Zatarski said it was important for the Rams to start strong.
“Even if they were the higher seed, we had it in us to just come out hard, and they weren’t going to be expecting that,” Zatarski said. “So right from the start we knew we had to give it our all, and that’s what we do every game.”
Even so, Zatarski knew the game was far from over. The Rams had a couple scoring chances in the second half but couldn't extend the lead. They included a shot from the right side of the box from senior forward Sarah Liljestrand that was cleared off the line by Downers Grove South defender Marifer Duran.
“They were a really strong team, too,” Zatarski said. “I knew that our defense had it, but it could have been either way.
“We almost had a few in the second half that just got unlucky, but I definitely didn’t think that was going to be the only goal of the game.”
Neither did Romano, who credited Glenbard East’s backline for keeping her mostly idle for much of the game.
“At the end of the day, I really think it’s just a mental game. I was sitting here, and I had the confidence,” Romano said. “We had been pushing hard for 75-78 minutes and then those last few I was like, ‘Overbey always says it’s going to be up to me.’
“That’s kind of what my mentality was, especially after the defenders had worked so hard the entire game. Julie Bereta had my back. When it went off the post, she cleared it completely.
“Jamie Quirk, Hope McKenna, we have so much young talent. They’re always so solid. They’ve always got my back, and I’ve got theirs.
“It was that final push that I needed. This was probably the most important game of my career so far.”
Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez was left short-handed in the most important game of the season. Nine players, including nearly all of the Mustangs’ most experienced players, skipped the match to attend that evening’s prom even after Glenbard East agreed to move up the starting time two hours.
The only senior who played for Downers South was goalkeeper Brooke Patton, who left at halftime.
“We were missing nine of our players tonight due to we have prom tonight on a Tuesday,” Hernandez said. “As soon as we found out what the pairings were, we asked Glenbard East if they could move the game.
“They said that they couldn’t due to they had Special Olympics tomorrow (Wednesday, May 18), so the best they could do was move it to 3:30.
“Unfortunately, we were missing quite a few players, but we brought up six more freshmen and sophomores to join the ranks today.
“I’m proud of the girls that were here and stepped up. We knew it was going to be a challenge today, but we knew we had enough to get the job done, and we almost did.”
Instead, the Rams will have a shot to win a regional title on their home field on Friday.
“I’m just happy with the effort,” Overbey said. “I think that’s been the story of our season.
“Earlier in the season we weren’t always coming with the necessary energy that we needed, but I think the last eight games we’ve been rolling. So I think we’ve found a way to find our spots and take advantage of chances when we can.”
Quotables
Zoe Romano
“Today was play big or go home. We had fought 78 minutes. Those last two minutes were craziness. But I thought, it's got to be me right here. I felt like I had to pull through for them like they had pulled through for me that whole time." Zoe Romano
Sophomore defender Jamie Quirk
“I think we were all just connecting really well. We were working well together, and our coach wanted us to stay central. I think we did a really good job of that. We covered for each other, and I think that really helped us get the shutout. That and Zoe and all her amazing saves. We are probably going to have a similar approach (Friday). They (DGN) tied Downers Grove South (in early May), so we'll try to stay more central in the defense, communicate, and get the ball up and out to our forwards Maia, Jas (Dhamers) and Sarah (Conroy)."
Maia Zatarski
“We have to give it our all or go home. We know whenever we lose that's it for us. The end of our season. We're giving it our all and hoping it goes our way.
Coach Kent Overbey speaking of the game's unsung heroes
"Natalie Borcean earned the PK; and Brielle (DeForest) serves a very dangerous ball. Between Natalie and Sophia Somessi at our defensive center mids, I thought they did a great job. And the defensive line keeping bodies in front of number 13 (Emily Petring of Downers Grove South). Then Sarah Liljestrand late minutes marking number 13. I thought they did a great job. And obviously Zoe making great saves. For four years she's been doing that. Great positioning there, and she got to the spot. Both of those (Downers Grove South shots) were goals."
-- Dave Owen
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Brooke Patten
D Grace Rappel
D Ashley Molinari
D Micah Olson
D Aubrey Molinari
D Teyani Sharkey
M Krystal Flores
M Maura Raftery
F Lexi Farster
F Emily Petring
F Reilly Renchin
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Julia Bereta
D Hope McKenna
M Sophia Sommessi
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Sarah Conroy
M Brielle DeForest
F Sara Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Jamie Quirk
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Zoe Romano, sr., GK, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East – Maia Zatarski (PK), 13th minute
Second half
No scoring
Glenbard East from Downers Grove South
2 late highlight-reel saves, Zatarski PK move Rams to final
By Matt Le Cren
LOMBARD – Glenbard East goalkeeper Zoe Romano hears the reminder frequently.
“We always tell her, if there is ever a goal, it’s never your fault,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “It’s a mistake up the field.
“But that’s why she’s there. When something needs to be done, she makes it happen.”
Romano made it happen when it mattered most on Tuesday, coming up with two incredible saves on free kicks from Downers Grove South star Emily Petring, the last coming in the final minute, to preserve the Rams’ 1-0 victory in the semifinals of their own Class 3A regional.
Ninth-seeded Glenbard East (15-5-1) will host third-seeded Downers Grove North in the regional final at 3 p.m. Friday.
Fellow senior Maia Zatarski, who scored the only goal of the game on a penalty kick in the 13th minute, said Romano’s play was typical.
“I’m not surprised at all,” Zatarski said. “We believe in her always.”
With good reason. The Rams have won their last eight games, and Romano, a four-year starter who has committed to Catawba, a Division II school in North Carolina, has shutouts in all of them.
Romano didn’t see much action against the sixth-seeded Mustangs (8-9-1), who had nine players pass on the match to attend prom. But Petring, a junior who just committed to Division I Coastal Carolina, forced her to make two acrobatic saves on brilliantly executed free kicks in the second half.
Romano knew Petring was dangerous.
“Oh, absolutely, as soon as we got our scouting report” Romano said. “She’s so talented. We’ve handled a lot of tough opponents this season, and we knew she was going to be probably top 3 or 4 among the forwards that we’ve seen.”
Petring’s first free kick was a 30-yarder from the left wing with 9:45 remaining. Petring swerved her shot around a three-player wall and toward the upper right corner of the net, but Romano left her feet and got two hands on the shot to push it around the right post.
Then with 55 seconds left in regulation, the Mustangs were awarded another free kick in a much more dangerous spot. This time, Petring faced a five-person wall as she teed up a 20-yard attempt from the hash mark just to the left of the circle.
Petring somehow curved her missile around the wall and toward the same spot as the first shot, but again Romano was up to the task, knocking it wide with both hands.
The Mustangs had another chance to tie the game on the ensuing corner kick, but a short shot hit the left post and was cleared by freshman defender Julia Bereta.
“I had to fully extend on both of those saves,” Romano said. “Those are not necessarily the hardest to execute, but they’re some of the hardest mentally, because you know the ground is coming.
“At the end of the day, you watch the ball and if you get there, you get there. If you don’t, it was a good try.”
Romano gets there more often than not. Just ask Zatarski, who has to face Romano, often unsuccessfully, in practice.
“At practice we’re always shooting on Zoe and everyone is like, ‘You know what? Even if she saves it, it’s OK. She knows where we’re shooting,’ Because she’s always saving them,” Zatarski said. “It’s kind of discouraging when you’re at practice, and the goalie is always saving your shots.
“So then we’ve got to be in our heads, like, ‘Nah, she just knows where we’re going.'
Even when she doesn’t know where people are going, she’s got it.”
That’s provided a comfort level for Overbey and the Rams, who have been accustomed to seeing stops like the ones Romano made on Petring.
“Those were both incredible, and obviously we’ve had four years’ worth of that,” Overbey said. “We’ll be sad when it’s over for her.”
The same can be said of Zatarski, another four-year starter who has had a huge impact on the program. Her goal was her team-leading 20th of the season and, incredibly, the first penalty kick attempted by the Rams this season.
Zatarski said it was important for the Rams to start strong.
“Even if they were the higher seed, we had it in us to just come out hard, and they weren’t going to be expecting that,” Zatarski said. “So right from the start we knew we had to give it our all, and that’s what we do every game.”
Even so, Zatarski knew the game was far from over. The Rams had a couple scoring chances in the second half but couldn't extend the lead. They included a shot from the right side of the box from senior forward Sarah Liljestrand that was cleared off the line by Downers Grove South defender Marifer Duran.
“They were a really strong team, too,” Zatarski said. “I knew that our defense had it, but it could have been either way.
“We almost had a few in the second half that just got unlucky, but I definitely didn’t think that was going to be the only goal of the game.”
Neither did Romano, who credited Glenbard East’s backline for keeping her mostly idle for much of the game.
“At the end of the day, I really think it’s just a mental game. I was sitting here, and I had the confidence,” Romano said. “We had been pushing hard for 75-78 minutes and then those last few I was like, ‘Overbey always says it’s going to be up to me.’
“That’s kind of what my mentality was, especially after the defenders had worked so hard the entire game. Julie Bereta had my back. When it went off the post, she cleared it completely.
“Jamie Quirk, Hope McKenna, we have so much young talent. They’re always so solid. They’ve always got my back, and I’ve got theirs.
“It was that final push that I needed. This was probably the most important game of my career so far.”
Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez was left short-handed in the most important game of the season. Nine players, including nearly all of the Mustangs’ most experienced players, skipped the match to attend that evening’s prom even after Glenbard East agreed to move up the starting time two hours.
The only senior who played for Downers South was goalkeeper Brooke Patton, who left at halftime.
“We were missing nine of our players tonight due to we have prom tonight on a Tuesday,” Hernandez said. “As soon as we found out what the pairings were, we asked Glenbard East if they could move the game.
“They said that they couldn’t due to they had Special Olympics tomorrow (Wednesday, May 18), so the best they could do was move it to 3:30.
“Unfortunately, we were missing quite a few players, but we brought up six more freshmen and sophomores to join the ranks today.
“I’m proud of the girls that were here and stepped up. We knew it was going to be a challenge today, but we knew we had enough to get the job done, and we almost did.”
Instead, the Rams will have a shot to win a regional title on their home field on Friday.
“I’m just happy with the effort,” Overbey said. “I think that’s been the story of our season.
“Earlier in the season we weren’t always coming with the necessary energy that we needed, but I think the last eight games we’ve been rolling. So I think we’ve found a way to find our spots and take advantage of chances when we can.”
Quotables
Zoe Romano
“Today was play big or go home. We had fought 78 minutes. Those last two minutes were craziness. But I thought, it's got to be me right here. I felt like I had to pull through for them like they had pulled through for me that whole time." Zoe Romano
Sophomore defender Jamie Quirk
“I think we were all just connecting really well. We were working well together, and our coach wanted us to stay central. I think we did a really good job of that. We covered for each other, and I think that really helped us get the shutout. That and Zoe and all her amazing saves. We are probably going to have a similar approach (Friday). They (DGN) tied Downers Grove South (in early May), so we'll try to stay more central in the defense, communicate, and get the ball up and out to our forwards Maia, Jas (Dhamers) and Sarah (Conroy)."
Maia Zatarski
“We have to give it our all or go home. We know whenever we lose that's it for us. The end of our season. We're giving it our all and hoping it goes our way.
Coach Kent Overbey speaking of the game's unsung heroes
"Natalie Borcean earned the PK; and Brielle (DeForest) serves a very dangerous ball. Between Natalie and Sophia Somessi at our defensive center mids, I thought they did a great job. And the defensive line keeping bodies in front of number 13 (Emily Petring of Downers Grove South). Then Sarah Liljestrand late minutes marking number 13. I thought they did a great job. And obviously Zoe making great saves. For four years she's been doing that. Great positioning there, and she got to the spot. Both of those (Downers Grove South shots) were goals."
-- Dave Owen
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Brooke Patten
D Grace Rappel
D Ashley Molinari
D Micah Olson
D Aubrey Molinari
D Teyani Sharkey
M Krystal Flores
M Maura Raftery
F Lexi Farster
F Emily Petring
F Reilly Renchin
Glenbard East
GK Zoe Romano
D Julia Bereta
D Hope McKenna
M Sophia Sommessi
M Maia Zatarski
M Natalie Borcean
M Sarah Conroy
M Brielle DeForest
F Sara Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
F Jamie Quirk
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Zoe Romano, sr., GK, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
Glenbard East – Maia Zatarski (PK), 13th minute
Second half
No scoring