Four first-half goals propel Carmel
LIBERTYVILLE -- This was soccer for the fans.
Playing an incredibly entertaining style of wide-open ball, the girls soccer teams from Carmel and Libertyville high schools put on quite a show for the enthusiastic crowd that was on hand for Tuesday's IHSA Class AA sectional semifinal-round matchup at Libertyville High.
(Josh Peckler/Special to the News-Sun)
In the end, Carmel prevailed 4-2 to earn a rematch with mighty Mundelein on Thursday at 6 p.m. for the sectional title. Carmel is now 20-1 overall, and the "1" was a 1-0 loss to Mundelein, on a rainy night on a sloppy, muddy pitch -- conditions that won't exist Thursday on Libertyville's flawless, artificial-turf field.
All the scoring Tuesday came in the first 40 minutes, as the teams found the back of the next six times out of eight serious scoring opportunities. But lest you think the teams went into a shell after intermission, nothing could be farther from the truth.
In the final 40 minutes, the teams had nearly a dozen excellent chances to score, but keepers Erin Waehner (Libertyville) and Maria Sapienza (Carmel) were up to the challenge.
Carmel actually won the game by scoring twice in the last minutes of the first half to break a 2-2 tie.
In the 33rd minute, Sara Petermann took a great pass from Maddie Ogrinc and beat Waehner to give Carmel a 3-2 lead. Then, with 22 seconds left in the half, Stephanie Swanson took a Cassidy Brown throw-in and found the back of the net for the decisive two-goal edge.
After the break, both teams threatened, with Waehner brilliant in keeping the Wildcats in the game.
"Those were three or four of the best saves I've seen as a coach over the past eight years," said Carmel coach John Halloran of Waehner's effort. "It was an exciting second half, even without any scoring. We finished enough chances to get by."
Libertyville got goals from Michele McCracken in the third minute and Leigha Bystol in the 24th minute to tie the game, first at 1-1 and then at 2-2. Carmel had scored 33 seconds into the game when Ogrinc converted a perfect lob pass from Petermann. PREP GIRLS SOCCER