Lemont falls to Joliet Catholic comeback Coach Prangen 'couldn't be prouder' of Indians' campaign
By Dave Owen
PARK FOREST -- Scoring twice in the last 15 minutes of play, top-seededJoliet Catholic (17-1-0) produced a 2-1 win and a heartbreaking end to Lemont’s season in Friday’s Rich East Sectional final.
But for a Lemont team that lost eight key seniors (including most of its defensive unit) from last year’s 24-win state Class AA third place finisher, a 20-5-1 record in 2019 was a tribute to the dedication of players and coaching staff to add another winning chapter to a great tradition.
“This group, I think, had a lot of self-doubt going into the season,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said, “because we lost such a big group of senior kids that were leaders for us. They weren’t quite sure of the year they were going to have.
“I told them after this game was over, they far exceeded my expectations. Twenty wins on the season, some good quality wins over quality teams -- I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
From an 0-2-1 start, Lemont emerged with 20 wins in their next 22 games (including nine-straight shutout wins entering Friday).
“Last year we went to state, and this year we kind of doubted ourselves and really didn’t think we could get this far,” Lemont junior forward Erin Crispo said. “I think we proved ourselves wrong.
“Our work rate, communication and hard work in every practice and every game really proves how far we came this year.”
Junior Adriana Patino, who had the assist on Tori Silvar’s first half goal that put Lemont up 1-0, and was part of a strong group of underclassmen.
“I’m so proud of our team and how far we came,” Patino said. “We lost nine seniors last year, and that was such a huge setback for us.
“We were like, ‘What are we going to do next year?’ These girls, I’m not kidding, stepped up to last year’s level. They took on the challenge. Most of them are underclassmen too, and they all stepped in. I’m so proud of what we did.”
Sectional champions in six of the last seven years entering Friday, the Indians faced a huge test from a Joliet Catholic squad that was seeking its third-straight sectional crown.
Thanks to Silvar’s goal 12 minutes in and a strong defensive effort, it appeared for much of the game that Lemont would add to its run of postseason success.
Then came a midfield steal by the Angels’ Kendall McLeod. That set up a right sideline run past two defenders by Emma Gruber, and a pass to freshman Emy Diaz for a right-wing strike into the upper-left corner of the net for a 1-1 tie.
“I thought we had them on the ropes to be honest,” Prangen said. “But if they can get one (to tie), it’s going to give them a lot more energy in their legs and take more out of our legs.
“Turnovers in the midfield will kill you, especially when you’re going forward. You turn that ball over, you’re exposed a bit in the back and the girl (Diaz) finished it well. A credit to them -- that’s a hard finish and good for her.”
With that tying strike, Lemont’s frustrating late-season scoring struggles were back in focus.
“I’ve said it before, if you don’t finish your chances it comes back to bite you,” Prangen said. “In the first half I thought we had three good bites at the apple for a second goal and didn’t get that. Then the first 10 minutes of the second half, we had two good chances again and didn’t finish.
“That second goal of the game -- if it goes to us the game’s over. If it goes to them it’s a brand new game. It was that moment.”
Unfortunately for Lemont, Joliet Catholic duplicated "that moment" four minutes later.
Gruber broke inside the box on left wing and again made a short pass ahead to Diaz, whose liner angled into the upper right corner to make it 2-1.
“It’s unfortunate for us,” Prangen said. “If we score a second one it would have been manageable, and we didn’t do that. But our effort was great. It was a good high school soccer game.”
Shifted from defender to a forward spot early in the second half, Diaz was an unlikely offensive force.
“I only had two or three other ones (goals) during the season,” she said.
“On both (shots) I was freaking out. I was like, ‘I can’t miss this.’ I don’t usually play forward. I was on defense at the beginning (Friday), but I got the ball and I was like ‘This is our chance.’ I just had to get it in.
“I think it’s amazing that we could come back,” Diaz added. “You’d think being off our game we’d be really down, but we came back and we were like, ‘We’ve got to get this goal.’”
The eventual two-goal rally sprung from a shift in strategy.
“We started with the same lineup the first five minutes of the half,” Joliet Catholic coach Oscar Valdez said. “Then we decided to switch it, because they were only playing one forward up (Crispo), and I had defenders not doing anything.
“I had one of my girls Alaina (Wildenradt) marking number three (Crispo) their top player. We pushed Emy and another outside defender up so we were only playing a sweeper, and number 3 being marked.
“They were laying back,” Valdez said, “so we pushed with the pressure and had two beautiful goals by Emy. She’s very technical, so we moved to three forwards and that’s when we put pressure on their defense.”
Earlier on, it was Lemont’s pressure that produced an early score and other quality chances.
After Silvar’s goal, the Indians came inches away from a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute. A Crispo cross found Katie Knutte in front, but her rocket shot was somehow swatted aside on a great one-armed deflection by Joliet Catholic goalkeeper Abigail Pasternak.
A sequence of huge Lemont chances came 35 minutes in. Off a Silvar corner kick, a scramble in front produced an Indians shot that Diaz blocked at the goal line. Then on Michaela Egan’s rebound, Pasternak was on the spot for the save.
With a win at Benet as part of its great season, the Angels had their own impressive chances throughout.
The nearest of close calls came in the 23rd minute off a McLeod 30-yard free kick. Gruber’s eight-yard redirect shot clanged off the lower left post. Morgan Hatton’s clear to the sideline denied any rebound chance.
In the 27th minute, defender Anna Borzecki’s block snuffed out Gruber’s 15-yard shot. Then one minute later, Lemont goalkeeper Grace Kucharski was on the spot for a nice save on Brynn Higgins’ six-yard redirect of a McLeod corner kick.
“We came to the half and said ‘Guys it’s not over,’” Valdez said. “‘We let up one goal, we just need to pick it up.’
“We made some changes, and the girls stepped it up. In the second half they (Lemont) didn’t do much, and we started to put on pressure.”
Eight minutes into the second half, Kucharski narrowly beat Gruber to a loose ball in the box off a deflected McLeod 30-yard free kick.
But a nice sideline 50-50 win by Crispo had Lemont back at the doorstep two minutes later. Crispo’s ensuing pass sprung Knutte on a rush up the middle, but her 10-yard shot was denied by a Pasternak save at the right post.
Another great sideline effort by Crispo 15 minutes into the second half earned Lemont a 20-yard free kick. And while that send was diffused by a header block from Joiet Catholic’s Morgan Furmaniak, Crispo’s high-energy impact on the game remained massive.
“Erin Crispo is a phenomenal player,” Prangen said. “Her engine is ridiculous. She’s just nonstop. I thought Erin was the best player on the field today.”
In the 21st minute of the half, passes by Patino and Kailey Wasyliw set up an Egan 18-yard low shot saved by Pasternak at the right post.
But Joliet Catholic began to assert itself in the 63rd minute. Off a 35-yard free kick from the left sideline, Borzecki’s header away from danger and a nice Danielle Irwin tackle and clear from the edge of the box were needed to deny a prolonged Angels threat.
Then came Diaz’s goal, a 1-1 tie, and the tide of the game turned.
“We came together and said ‘OK, let’s do this,’” Diaz said. “We came together and started clicking.
“Our midfielders are some of the best players on our team. They work together really well, and we get the ball upfield.”
Said Crispo: “Honestly I think they were discouraged in the second half being down. Then that (tying) goal kind of fired them up and put us down. We kind of lost that mentality that we had throughout the entire game.
“The last 15 minutes we did our best; we put everything into it. I just think Joliet Catholic was really fired up by those two goals.”
Lemont’s furious final push down 2-1 began less than a minute after Diaz’s second goal. Knutte made a nice right-side rush, but her cross towards the front was intercepted and cleared by Wildenradt.
Knutte was fouled left of the box with five minutes left, setting up a Silvar 15-yard free kick high drive that Pasternak leaped to punch out at the line.
The Indians were just starting to turn up the heat.
With three minutes to go, Patino was fouled to set up an Egan 25-yard free kick. Egan’s well-struck, short-hop drive required a sliding block by Pasternak. Then on the physical battle for the rebound, Knutte’s off-balance, six-yard shot while going to the ground was grabbed by Pasternak.
“At the end of the game we were all trying to get back on defense and get the ball out,” Diaz said. “We were trying to come together and secure this win.”
It wouldn’t be secured until the final whistle.
A Lemont throw-in from 15 yards was denied by a Furmaniak clear, but that was a brief respite for Joliet Catholic.
An ensuing Knutte end-line attack in the final 30 seconds produced a corner kick, and an unlikely near scorer for Lemont.
Kucharski raced up from her goalie spot to join the fray in front. And on Silvar’s corner send, Kucharski’s header from the crowd near the back post went just over the crossbar.
“We played amazing,” Valdez said. “Lemont is an amazing team. It’s a great win for us.
“My group has a bunch of freshmen. For them to rise to this level is amazing. Everyone worked.”
Narrowly defeated Friday, Lemont’s own young nucleus and high achievers had nothing to hang their heads about.
“We put out everything we could today, that kind of sums up our season,” Crispo said. “A credit to JCA, they’re a good team. And we’re going to really miss the seniors next year.”
Knutte, Egan, Sofia Villarreal and Kucharski were senior starters who made major impacts at their respective spots on the field (forward, midfield, defender, goalkeeper).
“What I’m going to miss the most is the seniors obviously,” Patino said. “We (juniors) have been here since freshman year on varsity, and those sophomores just ahead of us have been here all three years. It’s going to be different without them.”
But after a season of quick learning, Lemont appears ready for more big things next year.
“I’m overjoyed with our underclassmen,” Prangen said. “Tori scored two goals in two games (at sectionals), and she’s a sophomore.
“We can hopefully build on this and keep moving forward.”
After being decimated by graduation last season, Lemont was back at the doorstep of state again.
“I hope the lesson (of 2019) is that seniors go, but you control your destiny a little bit,” Prangen said. “Be proud of what you are, and you can do stuff.”
Said Patino: “I’m very confident in this group, and I feel like next year we’re going to come back even stronger. Only three players on our whole team had ever lost (this early) in the playoffs, the other girls had continued on and made it to state (in 2017 and 2018).
“With that mentality now, we’re going to come back stronger than ever next year, knowing that there’s the possibility that it can end at sectional finals. Nothing’s guaranteed.”
Joliet Catholic's comeback win earned them a Tuesday supersectional matchup at Notre Dame (Peoria/18-4-1).
“We need to come together from the beginning (Tuesday),” Diaz said. “We were down 1-0 in the first half (Friday). We have to get more goals in the beginning of the game.
“But we’re so excited to get to supersectionals, and hopefully go to state.”
The Angels have lost at supersectionals in both 2017 and 2018.
“One game at a time,” Valdez said. “Go with the same heart we had today, don’t give up on any play. It’s not over until the whistle blows.
“We’re just going to play our game, and hopefully get past that hump right there that we haven’t done.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Sofia Villarreal
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Anna Borzecki
D: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Tori Silvar
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Joliet Catholic
GK: Abigail Pasternak
D: Makenzie Kaput
D: Claire O’Donnell
D: Emy Diaz
D: Breanna Ciemny
M: Brynn Higgins
M: Alaina Wildenradt
M: Morgan Furmaniak
M: Kendall McLeod
F: Natalie D’Andrea
F: Emma Gruber
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emy Diaz, fr. D/F, Joliet Catholic
Scoring summary
First half
L- Tori Silvar (Adriana Patino), 12th minute
Second half
JCA- Emy Diaz (Emma Gruber), 65th minute
JCA- Diaz (Gruber), 69th minute
By Dave Owen
PARK FOREST -- Scoring twice in the last 15 minutes of play, top-seededJoliet Catholic (17-1-0) produced a 2-1 win and a heartbreaking end to Lemont’s season in Friday’s Rich East Sectional final.
But for a Lemont team that lost eight key seniors (including most of its defensive unit) from last year’s 24-win state Class AA third place finisher, a 20-5-1 record in 2019 was a tribute to the dedication of players and coaching staff to add another winning chapter to a great tradition.
“This group, I think, had a lot of self-doubt going into the season,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said, “because we lost such a big group of senior kids that were leaders for us. They weren’t quite sure of the year they were going to have.
“I told them after this game was over, they far exceeded my expectations. Twenty wins on the season, some good quality wins over quality teams -- I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
From an 0-2-1 start, Lemont emerged with 20 wins in their next 22 games (including nine-straight shutout wins entering Friday).
“Last year we went to state, and this year we kind of doubted ourselves and really didn’t think we could get this far,” Lemont junior forward Erin Crispo said. “I think we proved ourselves wrong.
“Our work rate, communication and hard work in every practice and every game really proves how far we came this year.”
Junior Adriana Patino, who had the assist on Tori Silvar’s first half goal that put Lemont up 1-0, and was part of a strong group of underclassmen.
“I’m so proud of our team and how far we came,” Patino said. “We lost nine seniors last year, and that was such a huge setback for us.
“We were like, ‘What are we going to do next year?’ These girls, I’m not kidding, stepped up to last year’s level. They took on the challenge. Most of them are underclassmen too, and they all stepped in. I’m so proud of what we did.”
Sectional champions in six of the last seven years entering Friday, the Indians faced a huge test from a Joliet Catholic squad that was seeking its third-straight sectional crown.
Thanks to Silvar’s goal 12 minutes in and a strong defensive effort, it appeared for much of the game that Lemont would add to its run of postseason success.
Then came a midfield steal by the Angels’ Kendall McLeod. That set up a right sideline run past two defenders by Emma Gruber, and a pass to freshman Emy Diaz for a right-wing strike into the upper-left corner of the net for a 1-1 tie.
“I thought we had them on the ropes to be honest,” Prangen said. “But if they can get one (to tie), it’s going to give them a lot more energy in their legs and take more out of our legs.
“Turnovers in the midfield will kill you, especially when you’re going forward. You turn that ball over, you’re exposed a bit in the back and the girl (Diaz) finished it well. A credit to them -- that’s a hard finish and good for her.”
With that tying strike, Lemont’s frustrating late-season scoring struggles were back in focus.
“I’ve said it before, if you don’t finish your chances it comes back to bite you,” Prangen said. “In the first half I thought we had three good bites at the apple for a second goal and didn’t get that. Then the first 10 minutes of the second half, we had two good chances again and didn’t finish.
“That second goal of the game -- if it goes to us the game’s over. If it goes to them it’s a brand new game. It was that moment.”
Unfortunately for Lemont, Joliet Catholic duplicated "that moment" four minutes later.
Gruber broke inside the box on left wing and again made a short pass ahead to Diaz, whose liner angled into the upper right corner to make it 2-1.
“It’s unfortunate for us,” Prangen said. “If we score a second one it would have been manageable, and we didn’t do that. But our effort was great. It was a good high school soccer game.”
Shifted from defender to a forward spot early in the second half, Diaz was an unlikely offensive force.
“I only had two or three other ones (goals) during the season,” she said.
“On both (shots) I was freaking out. I was like, ‘I can’t miss this.’ I don’t usually play forward. I was on defense at the beginning (Friday), but I got the ball and I was like ‘This is our chance.’ I just had to get it in.
“I think it’s amazing that we could come back,” Diaz added. “You’d think being off our game we’d be really down, but we came back and we were like, ‘We’ve got to get this goal.’”
The eventual two-goal rally sprung from a shift in strategy.
“We started with the same lineup the first five minutes of the half,” Joliet Catholic coach Oscar Valdez said. “Then we decided to switch it, because they were only playing one forward up (Crispo), and I had defenders not doing anything.
“I had one of my girls Alaina (Wildenradt) marking number three (Crispo) their top player. We pushed Emy and another outside defender up so we were only playing a sweeper, and number 3 being marked.
“They were laying back,” Valdez said, “so we pushed with the pressure and had two beautiful goals by Emy. She’s very technical, so we moved to three forwards and that’s when we put pressure on their defense.”
Earlier on, it was Lemont’s pressure that produced an early score and other quality chances.
After Silvar’s goal, the Indians came inches away from a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute. A Crispo cross found Katie Knutte in front, but her rocket shot was somehow swatted aside on a great one-armed deflection by Joliet Catholic goalkeeper Abigail Pasternak.
A sequence of huge Lemont chances came 35 minutes in. Off a Silvar corner kick, a scramble in front produced an Indians shot that Diaz blocked at the goal line. Then on Michaela Egan’s rebound, Pasternak was on the spot for the save.
With a win at Benet as part of its great season, the Angels had their own impressive chances throughout.
The nearest of close calls came in the 23rd minute off a McLeod 30-yard free kick. Gruber’s eight-yard redirect shot clanged off the lower left post. Morgan Hatton’s clear to the sideline denied any rebound chance.
In the 27th minute, defender Anna Borzecki’s block snuffed out Gruber’s 15-yard shot. Then one minute later, Lemont goalkeeper Grace Kucharski was on the spot for a nice save on Brynn Higgins’ six-yard redirect of a McLeod corner kick.
“We came to the half and said ‘Guys it’s not over,’” Valdez said. “‘We let up one goal, we just need to pick it up.’
“We made some changes, and the girls stepped it up. In the second half they (Lemont) didn’t do much, and we started to put on pressure.”
Eight minutes into the second half, Kucharski narrowly beat Gruber to a loose ball in the box off a deflected McLeod 30-yard free kick.
But a nice sideline 50-50 win by Crispo had Lemont back at the doorstep two minutes later. Crispo’s ensuing pass sprung Knutte on a rush up the middle, but her 10-yard shot was denied by a Pasternak save at the right post.
Another great sideline effort by Crispo 15 minutes into the second half earned Lemont a 20-yard free kick. And while that send was diffused by a header block from Joiet Catholic’s Morgan Furmaniak, Crispo’s high-energy impact on the game remained massive.
“Erin Crispo is a phenomenal player,” Prangen said. “Her engine is ridiculous. She’s just nonstop. I thought Erin was the best player on the field today.”
In the 21st minute of the half, passes by Patino and Kailey Wasyliw set up an Egan 18-yard low shot saved by Pasternak at the right post.
But Joliet Catholic began to assert itself in the 63rd minute. Off a 35-yard free kick from the left sideline, Borzecki’s header away from danger and a nice Danielle Irwin tackle and clear from the edge of the box were needed to deny a prolonged Angels threat.
Then came Diaz’s goal, a 1-1 tie, and the tide of the game turned.
“We came together and said ‘OK, let’s do this,’” Diaz said. “We came together and started clicking.
“Our midfielders are some of the best players on our team. They work together really well, and we get the ball upfield.”
Said Crispo: “Honestly I think they were discouraged in the second half being down. Then that (tying) goal kind of fired them up and put us down. We kind of lost that mentality that we had throughout the entire game.
“The last 15 minutes we did our best; we put everything into it. I just think Joliet Catholic was really fired up by those two goals.”
Lemont’s furious final push down 2-1 began less than a minute after Diaz’s second goal. Knutte made a nice right-side rush, but her cross towards the front was intercepted and cleared by Wildenradt.
Knutte was fouled left of the box with five minutes left, setting up a Silvar 15-yard free kick high drive that Pasternak leaped to punch out at the line.
The Indians were just starting to turn up the heat.
With three minutes to go, Patino was fouled to set up an Egan 25-yard free kick. Egan’s well-struck, short-hop drive required a sliding block by Pasternak. Then on the physical battle for the rebound, Knutte’s off-balance, six-yard shot while going to the ground was grabbed by Pasternak.
“At the end of the game we were all trying to get back on defense and get the ball out,” Diaz said. “We were trying to come together and secure this win.”
It wouldn’t be secured until the final whistle.
A Lemont throw-in from 15 yards was denied by a Furmaniak clear, but that was a brief respite for Joliet Catholic.
An ensuing Knutte end-line attack in the final 30 seconds produced a corner kick, and an unlikely near scorer for Lemont.
Kucharski raced up from her goalie spot to join the fray in front. And on Silvar’s corner send, Kucharski’s header from the crowd near the back post went just over the crossbar.
“We played amazing,” Valdez said. “Lemont is an amazing team. It’s a great win for us.
“My group has a bunch of freshmen. For them to rise to this level is amazing. Everyone worked.”
Narrowly defeated Friday, Lemont’s own young nucleus and high achievers had nothing to hang their heads about.
“We put out everything we could today, that kind of sums up our season,” Crispo said. “A credit to JCA, they’re a good team. And we’re going to really miss the seniors next year.”
Knutte, Egan, Sofia Villarreal and Kucharski were senior starters who made major impacts at their respective spots on the field (forward, midfield, defender, goalkeeper).
“What I’m going to miss the most is the seniors obviously,” Patino said. “We (juniors) have been here since freshman year on varsity, and those sophomores just ahead of us have been here all three years. It’s going to be different without them.”
But after a season of quick learning, Lemont appears ready for more big things next year.
“I’m overjoyed with our underclassmen,” Prangen said. “Tori scored two goals in two games (at sectionals), and she’s a sophomore.
“We can hopefully build on this and keep moving forward.”
After being decimated by graduation last season, Lemont was back at the doorstep of state again.
“I hope the lesson (of 2019) is that seniors go, but you control your destiny a little bit,” Prangen said. “Be proud of what you are, and you can do stuff.”
Said Patino: “I’m very confident in this group, and I feel like next year we’re going to come back even stronger. Only three players on our whole team had ever lost (this early) in the playoffs, the other girls had continued on and made it to state (in 2017 and 2018).
“With that mentality now, we’re going to come back stronger than ever next year, knowing that there’s the possibility that it can end at sectional finals. Nothing’s guaranteed.”
Joliet Catholic's comeback win earned them a Tuesday supersectional matchup at Notre Dame (Peoria/18-4-1).
“We need to come together from the beginning (Tuesday),” Diaz said. “We were down 1-0 in the first half (Friday). We have to get more goals in the beginning of the game.
“But we’re so excited to get to supersectionals, and hopefully go to state.”
The Angels have lost at supersectionals in both 2017 and 2018.
“One game at a time,” Valdez said. “Go with the same heart we had today, don’t give up on any play. It’s not over until the whistle blows.
“We’re just going to play our game, and hopefully get past that hump right there that we haven’t done.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Sofia Villarreal
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Anna Borzecki
D: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Tori Silvar
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Joliet Catholic
GK: Abigail Pasternak
D: Makenzie Kaput
D: Claire O’Donnell
D: Emy Diaz
D: Breanna Ciemny
M: Brynn Higgins
M: Alaina Wildenradt
M: Morgan Furmaniak
M: Kendall McLeod
F: Natalie D’Andrea
F: Emma Gruber
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emy Diaz, fr. D/F, Joliet Catholic
Scoring summary
First half
L- Tori Silvar (Adriana Patino), 12th minute
Second half
JCA- Emy Diaz (Emma Gruber), 65th minute
JCA- Diaz (Gruber), 69th minute