Loyola works overtime to edge Lane
Ramblers take Niles North Regional on own goal
By Hunter Tickel
SKOKIE -- It took 93 minutes for one to go in the back of the net for Loyola but that lone goal proved to be enough for the Ramblers to record a thrilling 1-0 win over Lane on Friday night for the Niles North Regional title.
The victory brought home the 10th-straight regional plaque for the Ramblers, who were ranked sixth in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“It’s the best feeling ever,” junior midfielder Sammie Holton said. “It’s really awesome to keep the tradition going. Everyone contributed to the end.”
On the game-winning sequence, senior forward Stephanie Ramsay lined up a corner kick from the left side and hit it to the near post. and Holton dummied the ball by letting it go through her legs. The trickery led to a deflection off a Lane defender and an own goal.
“It feels great, we needed a confidence booster,” junior winger Maggie Brett said. “I think we see what we can do. We were going to get (a goal), it was just going to take some time. We were patient enough. We got the goal we wanted.”
Loyola (18-1-4) and Lane (14-4-2) both came into this matchup riding 13-game unbeaten streaks. In the end, a split second of fortune paid off for the Ramblers.
“The girls came out and played a great game,” interim coach Scott Ackman said. “They followed our script. We knew Lane Tech was going to be good after winning city. We played them earlier in the year and knew they had some weapons. (Lane goalkeeper Maggie Grossman) had an amazing game. To get the lucky bounce at the end is fantastic.”
The Ramblers had the majority of chances and possession in the game.
Lane, on the other hand, was seemingly one pass in the final third away from getting a quality chance on a counterattack throughout the match.
The Ramblers, the no. 2-seed in the Glenbrook South Sectional, were most dangerous when finding Brett on the left wing. Several times in the match, she beat multiple defenders on the dribble and flashed dangerous balls across the box after getting to the endline.
“That’s what we want her to do,” Ackman said. “The rain hurt her a little bit. It slipped away a few times.”
In the 87th minute, Brett got to the endline on the left side and cut it back to Ramsay, who pushed it wide past the far post.
Loyola squandered several quality chances in the match.
“We were getting really unlucky,” Holton said. “We had a lot of good shots; it was going over a little bit. I think we can possess a little bit better, but we are playing really hard.
“It was definitely frustrating when we were not (finishing) our chances. We were pushing and pushing, but to get it was calming. We got it. We can play our game and finish the game off.”
Lane had a good opportunity in the 17th minute when junior defender Kiersten Kerrane nearly sprung a counterattack. But her ball to Brett was broken up with a sliding tackle from Lane’s Grossman, who charged 20 yards off her line to make the play.
The Indians’ best chance in the game came seven minutes later when junior midfielder Grace Dunaway threaded the needle to Izzy Oganovich. The senior defender got an initial touch before a sliding tackle 15 yards out from Loyola senior defender Riley Burns thwarted the chance.
Three minutes later, Ramblers senior forward Stephanie Ramsay struck a set piece on frame from 25 yards on the left side that forced a diving save from Grossman.
Grossman made an even better save in the 58th minute, when a ball in the box dropped perfectly for an open Ramsay eight yards from goal that Grossman blocked by taking the shot to her upper body.
The Indians keeper got help from her backline to keep Loyola at bay. Six minutes later, Brett got to the touchline, flashed a ball on the ground across the box to sophomore midfielder Meredith Phillips, her shot looked set to beat Grossman before defender Samantha Sorich cleared it.
With two minutes left in regulation, Brett beat two defenders in the left corner before finding Holton, who hit the bouncing pass over the bar.
Seventh-seeded Lane closed the season as the Chicago Public League playoff champs for the fourth year in a row. The Indians, ranked 14th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, showed their mettle against Loyola, which topped the Roscoe Village school 3-0 in the season-opener for both teams on March 15.
Loyola, the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division champion, is 3-0-0 under interim coach Ackman, who likes the positive response of his team.
“The girls have been playing really loose,” Ackman said. “It’s been a lot of fun. They have been moving the ball well. They have been getting lots of chances. The big thing is they are loose and having fun.”
Loyola advances to the Glenbrook South Sectional for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday (May 22). The Ramblers will play either Glenbrook North or Glenbrook South. The two teams play in the Glenbrook South Regional final at 10 a.m. Saturday (May 19).
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Riley Burns
D: Kiersten Kerrane
M: Emily Chrisman
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Sophie Doerr
M: Sammie Holton
F: Maggie Brett
F: Vanessa Murray
F: Stephanie Ramsay
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Alana Coffman
D: Zehra Halilic
M: Carlye Makuch
M: Jazzmin Jordan
M: Camaron Niforos
M:Johanna Bozic
M: Grace Dunaway
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Maggie Brett, jr., forward, Loyola
Scoring summary
Second overtime
LA: own goal, 93rd minute
Ramblers take Niles North Regional on own goal
By Hunter Tickel
SKOKIE -- It took 93 minutes for one to go in the back of the net for Loyola but that lone goal proved to be enough for the Ramblers to record a thrilling 1-0 win over Lane on Friday night for the Niles North Regional title.
The victory brought home the 10th-straight regional plaque for the Ramblers, who were ranked sixth in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“It’s the best feeling ever,” junior midfielder Sammie Holton said. “It’s really awesome to keep the tradition going. Everyone contributed to the end.”
On the game-winning sequence, senior forward Stephanie Ramsay lined up a corner kick from the left side and hit it to the near post. and Holton dummied the ball by letting it go through her legs. The trickery led to a deflection off a Lane defender and an own goal.
“It feels great, we needed a confidence booster,” junior winger Maggie Brett said. “I think we see what we can do. We were going to get (a goal), it was just going to take some time. We were patient enough. We got the goal we wanted.”
Loyola (18-1-4) and Lane (14-4-2) both came into this matchup riding 13-game unbeaten streaks. In the end, a split second of fortune paid off for the Ramblers.
“The girls came out and played a great game,” interim coach Scott Ackman said. “They followed our script. We knew Lane Tech was going to be good after winning city. We played them earlier in the year and knew they had some weapons. (Lane goalkeeper Maggie Grossman) had an amazing game. To get the lucky bounce at the end is fantastic.”
The Ramblers had the majority of chances and possession in the game.
Lane, on the other hand, was seemingly one pass in the final third away from getting a quality chance on a counterattack throughout the match.
The Ramblers, the no. 2-seed in the Glenbrook South Sectional, were most dangerous when finding Brett on the left wing. Several times in the match, she beat multiple defenders on the dribble and flashed dangerous balls across the box after getting to the endline.
“That’s what we want her to do,” Ackman said. “The rain hurt her a little bit. It slipped away a few times.”
In the 87th minute, Brett got to the endline on the left side and cut it back to Ramsay, who pushed it wide past the far post.
Loyola squandered several quality chances in the match.
“We were getting really unlucky,” Holton said. “We had a lot of good shots; it was going over a little bit. I think we can possess a little bit better, but we are playing really hard.
“It was definitely frustrating when we were not (finishing) our chances. We were pushing and pushing, but to get it was calming. We got it. We can play our game and finish the game off.”
Lane had a good opportunity in the 17th minute when junior defender Kiersten Kerrane nearly sprung a counterattack. But her ball to Brett was broken up with a sliding tackle from Lane’s Grossman, who charged 20 yards off her line to make the play.
The Indians’ best chance in the game came seven minutes later when junior midfielder Grace Dunaway threaded the needle to Izzy Oganovich. The senior defender got an initial touch before a sliding tackle 15 yards out from Loyola senior defender Riley Burns thwarted the chance.
Three minutes later, Ramblers senior forward Stephanie Ramsay struck a set piece on frame from 25 yards on the left side that forced a diving save from Grossman.
Grossman made an even better save in the 58th minute, when a ball in the box dropped perfectly for an open Ramsay eight yards from goal that Grossman blocked by taking the shot to her upper body.
The Indians keeper got help from her backline to keep Loyola at bay. Six minutes later, Brett got to the touchline, flashed a ball on the ground across the box to sophomore midfielder Meredith Phillips, her shot looked set to beat Grossman before defender Samantha Sorich cleared it.
With two minutes left in regulation, Brett beat two defenders in the left corner before finding Holton, who hit the bouncing pass over the bar.
Seventh-seeded Lane closed the season as the Chicago Public League playoff champs for the fourth year in a row. The Indians, ranked 14th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, showed their mettle against Loyola, which topped the Roscoe Village school 3-0 in the season-opener for both teams on March 15.
Loyola, the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division champion, is 3-0-0 under interim coach Ackman, who likes the positive response of his team.
“The girls have been playing really loose,” Ackman said. “It’s been a lot of fun. They have been moving the ball well. They have been getting lots of chances. The big thing is they are loose and having fun.”
Loyola advances to the Glenbrook South Sectional for a 6:30 p.m. game Tuesday (May 22). The Ramblers will play either Glenbrook North or Glenbrook South. The two teams play in the Glenbrook South Regional final at 10 a.m. Saturday (May 19).
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Riley Burns
D: Kiersten Kerrane
M: Emily Chrisman
M: Cate Shellenback
M: Sophie Doerr
M: Sammie Holton
F: Maggie Brett
F: Vanessa Murray
F: Stephanie Ramsay
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Alana Coffman
D: Zehra Halilic
M: Carlye Makuch
M: Jazzmin Jordan
M: Camaron Niforos
M:Johanna Bozic
M: Grace Dunaway
Chicagoland MVP of the Match: Maggie Brett, jr., forward, Loyola
Scoring summary
Second overtime
LA: own goal, 93rd minute