Jerantowski helps Lemont end on high note
Final PK shootout save gains AA 3rd place win over Normal W.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Michelle Jerantowski always sought her own identity. Her older sister Kim made the family reputation. Michelle cherished what her sister did and always looked to acknowledge her worth and personal meaning.
“I always look at my sister’s picture in the locker room and she is somebody I have always looked up to,” Michelle Jerantowski said. “Coming from a soccer family, I have always looked up to her a lot. I have always wanted to look up to her expectations and what we have accomplished in life.”
The careers of the two sisters at Lemont intertwined in many dynamic ways. As a precocious freshman, Kim made her entrance on the stage at the 2011 Class AA state tournament in leading the Indians to a third place finish. Kim returned two years later on a standout team that finished fourth.
Michelle played on two state finalist teams that finished fourth in 2015 and last year. A Northwestern recruit, Kim was a lethal and explosive scorer. Michelle was her opposite, an athletic and crafty keeper who is set to play at Division I Jacksonville.
“To be honest, I don’t really know how that happened,” Michelle said.
The play’s the thing, and Michelle Jerantowski marked a spectacular conclusion to her career and a fitting tribute to the family tradition by making a superb block of the final Normal West shooter as the Indians, ranked 10th in Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, captured the Class AA third place trophy with the victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at North Central College.
Michelle Jerantowski earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match honor for her performance.
Jerantowski broke quickly to her left and snared a ball by Normal West defender Jess Hieb that secured the 4-3 shootout victory. Mairead Ruane, Danielle Irwin, Jacqueline Aleman and Isabel Silvar converted for the Indians.
“You just pick a side and go for it, and if you get it right, you get it right,” Jerantowski said. “My strategy has always been don’t try to catch it. You just have to try and punch it out. Last year I tried catching it and it went through my hands in the Wheaton Academy (state semifinal) game.”
Lemont (25-2-0) established a new school record for single-season victories and recorded the sixth state trophy in program history -- all since the 2009 season. Michelle Jerantowski was part of a senior class that earned three state trophies. This group broke two curious trends, one an every other year habit that saw Lemont reach the state finals in odd-numbered years.
The Indians also stopped a negative run, one the players starting calling a “curse,” -- a seven-game losing streak in the state Final Four. The Indians went 0-2 in 2013, 2015 and last year. Lemont came off a tough 2-0 defeat against eventual state champion St. Francis in Friday’s state semifinal.
“This was a redemption game,” star midfielder/defender Mairead Ruane said.
Jerantowski was surrounded by Ruane, senior midfielder Jacqueline Aleman and sophomore midfielder Danielle Irwin.
“It feels a lot better to be on the winning side,” Jerantowski said.
Lemont demonstrated toughness and resolve. Aleman took a nasty hit that knocked her breath out that required medical attention. She returned in the 69th minute and knocked home her penalty kick.
“The biggest streak we had was that were 0-5 in (state final games), and we needed to break that streak,” Aleman said. “I am just glad we didn’t go through extra people like we did last year in the Wheaton Academy game. We all had the physicality to play again today, but we were all devastated about losing in the semifinals yesterday.
“We all just wanted to play again and break that curse.”
Operating under IHSA rules governing third place games, the match proceeded directly to a shootout after regulation ended scoreless.
“I guess there’s a little justice in the world,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “It would have been nice to get the penalty kick finished in regulation and not have to go to that. I think both teams; their legs were gone by the second half. You could tell the game was getting stretched. Two evenly matched teams down to penalty kicks, it was all about mental toughness at that point.”
Ruane started the Indians off right in the shootout. This after she was denied by Wildcats’ star junior keeper Bekah Nielsen in the 62nd minute on a penalty kick.
“I take most of the penalty shots during the season,” Ruane said. “Last year during the Wheaton Academy game, I also missed. During the game I missed it again. They did not give me an option. They just told me I was going first.”
Ruane finished her remarkable career with 95 goals. She recorded team-bests of 23 goals and 20 assists. She also showed an extraordinary team-first mentality when she shifted to the back for the fourth-straight game in place of normal starter Katrina Redzke, who was injured in the sectional final.
“Going forward we are not nearly as dangerous,” Prangen said. “What Mairead gives you is that she can really hold the ball, and she can unlock defenses with her passing. How many goals has she scored in her career is a testament to her ability. I thought she played (defender) without missing a beat. I thought she was brilliant today, cutting passes out when she had to.
“It was a very giving thing, because other players would have been, I think, more selfish and wanted to score goals and do what they are comfortable doing. Now we have her playing center back and she embraced it completely. She is a very mature player, a captain, and I was very proud of her.”
Normal West's Nielsen, a brilliant athlete in her own terms, entered the game with a stingy 0.72 goals-against average (18 goals surrendered in 26 games). She kept the Wildcats in the game. Her decisive action to deny Ruane negated the best scoring chance of the day. She also showed her versatility by coming off the line to take free kicks. Several times, she made mad dashes to return to her end as Lemont tried to break out with counterattacks.
“One of our defenders usually takes the free kicks, but they want her to get a head on the ball,” Nielsen said. “It’s always nice to come out of the box and takes those. On the penalty kicks, I just try to stay focused and lock out everybody trying to talk to me. It’s my goal and my zone.
“The outcome did not come out our way, but I thought I performed very well. We really wanted to get to the championship game, and we played great even though we lost both of our games. That is all we can ask for. It’s more sad that our season is coming to an end rather than us losing.”
Normal West (20-7-3) finished second in the final regular season poll of the Illinois 10. The Wildcats had a rough start with a 2-2-2 record after their first six games. An impressive win over state power Notre Dame (Peoria) on April 17 flipped the switch.
“Our chemistry really came together. At the beginning of the year we were not playing to our potential. Now we are playing really well. We were just going sky high after that. We are losing girls (to graduation), and that is sad.”
Coach Val Walker directed the Wildcats to a state runnerup finish in 2014 and a third place trophy in 2008.
“We were not going to just throw in the towel here today,” Walker said. “We were going to do a good job. This is a good Lemont team. We have some history. (Previously) we lost to them in the supersectional, and we beat them in a supersectional. They have been a good program.
“I have a great group of girls. They went to the movies and had fun last night. They came back together as a team. They were ready for it. It’s still a cool thing to be fourth place in the state.”
Starting lineups
Normal West
GK: Bekah Nielsen
D: Sarah Hodgen
D: Jess Hieb
D: Hanna Simmons
DM: Julia Marsaglia
M: Rylee Billington
M: Oliva Teplitz-Crawford
M: Olivia Peters
M: Madison Bergeron
M: Anna Hollins
F: Audrey Marsaglia
Lemont
GK: Michelle Jerantowski
D: Danielle Irwin
D: Mairead Ruane
D: Sarah Knoepfle
D: Leti Salazar
M: Michaela Egan
M: Lily Hinkle
M: Isabel Silvar
M: Jacqueline Aleman
F: Niamh Hehir
F: Katie Knutte
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Michelle Jerantowski, sr., GK, Lemont
Shootout summary
Lemont (four converted)
Mairead Ruane (make), Niamh Hehir (saved), Danielle Irwin (make), Jacqueline Aleman (make), Isabel Silvar (make)
Normal West (three converted)
Olivia Peters (make), Rylee Billington (make), Audrey Marsaglia (missed), Sarah Hodgen (make), Jess Hieb (saved)
Final PK shootout save gains AA 3rd place win over Normal W.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Michelle Jerantowski always sought her own identity. Her older sister Kim made the family reputation. Michelle cherished what her sister did and always looked to acknowledge her worth and personal meaning.
“I always look at my sister’s picture in the locker room and she is somebody I have always looked up to,” Michelle Jerantowski said. “Coming from a soccer family, I have always looked up to her a lot. I have always wanted to look up to her expectations and what we have accomplished in life.”
The careers of the two sisters at Lemont intertwined in many dynamic ways. As a precocious freshman, Kim made her entrance on the stage at the 2011 Class AA state tournament in leading the Indians to a third place finish. Kim returned two years later on a standout team that finished fourth.
Michelle played on two state finalist teams that finished fourth in 2015 and last year. A Northwestern recruit, Kim was a lethal and explosive scorer. Michelle was her opposite, an athletic and crafty keeper who is set to play at Division I Jacksonville.
“To be honest, I don’t really know how that happened,” Michelle said.
The play’s the thing, and Michelle Jerantowski marked a spectacular conclusion to her career and a fitting tribute to the family tradition by making a superb block of the final Normal West shooter as the Indians, ranked 10th in Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, captured the Class AA third place trophy with the victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at North Central College.
Michelle Jerantowski earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match honor for her performance.
Jerantowski broke quickly to her left and snared a ball by Normal West defender Jess Hieb that secured the 4-3 shootout victory. Mairead Ruane, Danielle Irwin, Jacqueline Aleman and Isabel Silvar converted for the Indians.
“You just pick a side and go for it, and if you get it right, you get it right,” Jerantowski said. “My strategy has always been don’t try to catch it. You just have to try and punch it out. Last year I tried catching it and it went through my hands in the Wheaton Academy (state semifinal) game.”
Lemont (25-2-0) established a new school record for single-season victories and recorded the sixth state trophy in program history -- all since the 2009 season. Michelle Jerantowski was part of a senior class that earned three state trophies. This group broke two curious trends, one an every other year habit that saw Lemont reach the state finals in odd-numbered years.
The Indians also stopped a negative run, one the players starting calling a “curse,” -- a seven-game losing streak in the state Final Four. The Indians went 0-2 in 2013, 2015 and last year. Lemont came off a tough 2-0 defeat against eventual state champion St. Francis in Friday’s state semifinal.
“This was a redemption game,” star midfielder/defender Mairead Ruane said.
Jerantowski was surrounded by Ruane, senior midfielder Jacqueline Aleman and sophomore midfielder Danielle Irwin.
“It feels a lot better to be on the winning side,” Jerantowski said.
Lemont demonstrated toughness and resolve. Aleman took a nasty hit that knocked her breath out that required medical attention. She returned in the 69th minute and knocked home her penalty kick.
“The biggest streak we had was that were 0-5 in (state final games), and we needed to break that streak,” Aleman said. “I am just glad we didn’t go through extra people like we did last year in the Wheaton Academy game. We all had the physicality to play again today, but we were all devastated about losing in the semifinals yesterday.
“We all just wanted to play again and break that curse.”
Operating under IHSA rules governing third place games, the match proceeded directly to a shootout after regulation ended scoreless.
“I guess there’s a little justice in the world,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “It would have been nice to get the penalty kick finished in regulation and not have to go to that. I think both teams; their legs were gone by the second half. You could tell the game was getting stretched. Two evenly matched teams down to penalty kicks, it was all about mental toughness at that point.”
Ruane started the Indians off right in the shootout. This after she was denied by Wildcats’ star junior keeper Bekah Nielsen in the 62nd minute on a penalty kick.
“I take most of the penalty shots during the season,” Ruane said. “Last year during the Wheaton Academy game, I also missed. During the game I missed it again. They did not give me an option. They just told me I was going first.”
Ruane finished her remarkable career with 95 goals. She recorded team-bests of 23 goals and 20 assists. She also showed an extraordinary team-first mentality when she shifted to the back for the fourth-straight game in place of normal starter Katrina Redzke, who was injured in the sectional final.
“Going forward we are not nearly as dangerous,” Prangen said. “What Mairead gives you is that she can really hold the ball, and she can unlock defenses with her passing. How many goals has she scored in her career is a testament to her ability. I thought she played (defender) without missing a beat. I thought she was brilliant today, cutting passes out when she had to.
“It was a very giving thing, because other players would have been, I think, more selfish and wanted to score goals and do what they are comfortable doing. Now we have her playing center back and she embraced it completely. She is a very mature player, a captain, and I was very proud of her.”
Normal West's Nielsen, a brilliant athlete in her own terms, entered the game with a stingy 0.72 goals-against average (18 goals surrendered in 26 games). She kept the Wildcats in the game. Her decisive action to deny Ruane negated the best scoring chance of the day. She also showed her versatility by coming off the line to take free kicks. Several times, she made mad dashes to return to her end as Lemont tried to break out with counterattacks.
“One of our defenders usually takes the free kicks, but they want her to get a head on the ball,” Nielsen said. “It’s always nice to come out of the box and takes those. On the penalty kicks, I just try to stay focused and lock out everybody trying to talk to me. It’s my goal and my zone.
“The outcome did not come out our way, but I thought I performed very well. We really wanted to get to the championship game, and we played great even though we lost both of our games. That is all we can ask for. It’s more sad that our season is coming to an end rather than us losing.”
Normal West (20-7-3) finished second in the final regular season poll of the Illinois 10. The Wildcats had a rough start with a 2-2-2 record after their first six games. An impressive win over state power Notre Dame (Peoria) on April 17 flipped the switch.
“Our chemistry really came together. At the beginning of the year we were not playing to our potential. Now we are playing really well. We were just going sky high after that. We are losing girls (to graduation), and that is sad.”
Coach Val Walker directed the Wildcats to a state runnerup finish in 2014 and a third place trophy in 2008.
“We were not going to just throw in the towel here today,” Walker said. “We were going to do a good job. This is a good Lemont team. We have some history. (Previously) we lost to them in the supersectional, and we beat them in a supersectional. They have been a good program.
“I have a great group of girls. They went to the movies and had fun last night. They came back together as a team. They were ready for it. It’s still a cool thing to be fourth place in the state.”
Starting lineups
Normal West
GK: Bekah Nielsen
D: Sarah Hodgen
D: Jess Hieb
D: Hanna Simmons
DM: Julia Marsaglia
M: Rylee Billington
M: Oliva Teplitz-Crawford
M: Olivia Peters
M: Madison Bergeron
M: Anna Hollins
F: Audrey Marsaglia
Lemont
GK: Michelle Jerantowski
D: Danielle Irwin
D: Mairead Ruane
D: Sarah Knoepfle
D: Leti Salazar
M: Michaela Egan
M: Lily Hinkle
M: Isabel Silvar
M: Jacqueline Aleman
F: Niamh Hehir
F: Katie Knutte
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Michelle Jerantowski, sr., GK, Lemont
Shootout summary
Lemont (four converted)
Mairead Ruane (make), Niamh Hehir (saved), Danielle Irwin (make), Jacqueline Aleman (make), Isabel Silvar (make)
Normal West (three converted)
Olivia Peters (make), Rylee Billington (make), Audrey Marsaglia (missed), Sarah Hodgen (make), Jess Hieb (saved)