Bulldogs' win over Knights hurts so good

Wandolowski injures foot in final minutes

NAPERVILLE - With 22 minutes remaining, Batavia senior Mary Wandolowski hobbled past the Bulldogs' bench in obvious pain. A Kaneland player stepped on the big toe on her right foot and kept her on the sidelines for the rest of Wednesday's matchup.

After No. 6 seed Batavia defeated Kaneland 4-0 in the Class AA Neuqua Valley regional semifinal, there's nothing that a little ice and a championship to prepare for on Friday that won't cure her.

"I'll be ready," Wandolowski said with a laugh. "Even if I'm going through pain I'm playing."

And Batavia (8-7-1) will need the talented forward as it takes on No. 3 Neuqua Valley.

"If we start like that on Friday, we're going to be in trouble," Batavia coach Jim McAlpin said of his team's sluggish start. "You can't just go out and turn it off and on like a switch."

Batavia dominated time of possession, but Kaneland (8-14-1) nearly found the back of the net first as Sarah Goodrich crossed a perfect pass to Colleen Gebauer, who headed the ball off the crossbar in the fourth minute.

"That really would have done something," Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. "But I'm proud of the girls. They never gave up."

Neither did Batavia as it peppered goalie Sophia Blank. Wandolowski snapped the scoreless tie in the 15th minute as she took a pass from Haliegh Erwin, one-touched the ball to herself as she dipped past Blank and tucked it into the lower-left corner.

"That was a great pass," Wandolowski said. "All credit to (Haliegh), I just made the run."

Junior Megan Sutphen scored 10 minutes before halftime; Kailey Gear headed in a corner kick from Tara Lydon in the 47th minute, and Teresa Orlow added a goal 12 minutes later.

"Second half, we started to move the ball a little bit ... got lots of touches and pushed the point of attack," McAlpin said. Class AA Girls Soccer Regional: Batavia 4, Kaneland 0