Girls Soccer: St. Edward all smiles
ELGIN -- Whether she's chasing down a loose ball or getting sandwiched by two defenders, St. Edward senior midfielder Bianca Ramirez plays with a smile on her face.
On Monday, in the finals of the Westminster Christian Class A Sectional, Ramirez's smile got considerably wider for an extra half hour after she scored the game-winning goal on a rebound with 30 minutes remaining to allow the top-seeded Green Wave to beat No. 2 Elgin Academy 1-0.
(Jessie King/For The Courier News)
PHOTO GALLERY
• Green Wave victory again
At North Central College in Naperville
Friday
Columbia vs. Immaculate Conception, 11 a.m.
Williamsville vs. Rochester, 1 p.m.
Hampshire vs. Latin, 4 p.m.
St. Edward vs. Herscher, 6 p.m.
Saturday
Semifinals, 9 and 11 a.m.
Third place, 5 p.m.
Title, 7 p.m.
The win puts St. Edward (11-8-2) in the State Finals for the first time in program history. The Green Wave will play a quarterfinal match against Herscher on Friday in Naperville.
"I saw the ball and nobody was around so I just knocked it in," said Ramirez, whose score was set up following a free kick by sophomore Colleen Kerger. "I couldn't keep my composure after that. There was no way. It was a great feeling.
"Our school has never gone to State in soccer at all (boys or girls) so it makes it so much better. To be the first ones in our senior year is amazing and I'm excited for everyone."
While St. Edward continued to celebrate after the match, posing for pictures and taking turns parading around with the sectional plaque, Elgin Academy was left devastated for the second straight year. Last season the Hilltoppers were defeated in overtime by host Hampshire in the sectional championship game.
"This was another tough one," said Academy coach Greg Repede, whose squad was trying to become the first team to advance Downstate in any sport at the school. "We played hard and it could have gone either way. I think St. Edward deserved to win, they were quicker and more aggressive.
"I hope they win the whole thing."
Expected to be a tight affair, none of the estimated 400 spectators left disappointed despite the low score. For the match, St. Edward held a 12-9 advantage in shots on goal. Elgin Academy (12-9) did support a lopsided 6-0 edge in corner kicks, including an attempt in the final 20 seconds, but was turned away each time.
"Our defense was amazing once again," said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger, whose team posted its third straight postseason shutout. "We knew this was going to be a great game. The two teams were nearly identical. We gave up a lot more corner kicks than I would have liked, but the shots were even.
"I couldn't single out one girl from our team after this if I tried. There was not one girl that stepped up more than the other."
St. Edward dominated possession for most of the first half before Academy started generating an attack. The Hilltoppers didn't register their first shot on goal until 22:20 left when an attempt by junior Kristin Cella was easily corralled by Wave goalie Taylor Hunsberger (9 saves).
St. Edward had the best scoring chance in the opening 40 minutes, but junior Brittany Brozek's one-on-one opportunity with Academy goalkeeper Bianca Swegler -- following a slick pass from Ramirez -- came up empty after her low shot trickled wide of the net.
"No one deserved to lose this game," Brieger said. "I told the girls at halftime that I don't care how much it hurts, I don't care if you can't breathe, I don't care if your break your leg, you finish this thing off."
After taking the lead, St. Edward held off a desperate Academy team the final 30 minutes thanks to sparkling defense by seniors Mackenzie Malone, Katy Lally and Kerger, among others.
"(Malone) tells everyone where to go. She is the one who directs all of us," Lally said. "We had a couple of girls that we wanted to watch closely, but basically we were feeding off each other and we were talking a lot.
"This is what we've been working for all season, this kind of game and effort. I couldn't think of any better girls to share this with."
The loss for Academy ended the careers of five seniors, including playmakers Allison Clark and Kate Burnham.
"I just told the girls to keep their heads up," Repede said. "We are one of the smallest of the small schools and I'm just proud we were able to put together another amazing season. We put in a lot of hard work to get in this position for the second straight year."