Corsairs rally past Marist to claim win in ESCC opener

By Steve Millar

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Persistence paid off in a big way for Carmel in its East Suburban Catholic Conference opener Thursday against Marist.

The Corsairs, frustrated by several missed chances early on, broke through for their first goal on Katie Sandecki’s strike off the team’s third consecutive corner kick.

The game-winner, scored on a penalty kick by Shannon Jung, came about after a rebound opportunity led to a penalty.

Carmel's second and third efforts, combined with its dominance in possession over the final 30 minutes, led to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over the RedHawks in Chicago.

“We’ve been talking a lot about creating half-chances, keeping the ball alive and making something happen,” Carmel coach John Halloran said. “Our girls did a great job of that.”

The Corsairs (4-1, 1-0) were caught flat-footed at the start of each half. They got away with it in the opening moments of the game when Katie Larson (2 saves) made a lunging save to deny Marist’s Ailish Rispin on a breakaway.

Carmel wasn’t so fortunate after halftime, though, as Kara Bock was left wide open down the left side of the field and fired a rolling shot that slipped under the diving Larson to give Marist (1-2, 0-1) a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into the final period.

“We definitely came out flat,” Halloran said, “but, I was really proud of them for responding. We panicked for the first probably five to 10 minutes after that goal, but we started getting good chances.

“The first couple didn’t go in, and sometimes that can create even more panic, but we settled down, got the equalizer, and did a nice job finishing it off.”

Midway through the second half, Carmel had tested Marist goalie Tori Jercich with six shots on goal while surrendering just two to the RedHawks.

Still, the Corsairs trailed 1-0. At times, their chances were denied by quality saves from Jercich. In other instances, Carmel simply wasted golden opportunities.

The frustration finally ended for the visitors with just over 18 minutes to go when they connected on their third straight corner kick.

Jung sent all three of the corners toward the middle of the box. The first was deflected by a defender wide. The second went off a RedHawk and clanked off the far post before again deflecting beyond the end line.

Finally, on the third try, the ball found its way – after another deflection from a defender – to Sandecki in the middle of the field.

The sophomore didn’t completely connect, but her bouncer went off Jercich’s fingers and into the net for the equalizer.

“After our third corner, I was just hoping,” Sandecki said. “In practice, we’ve been working on finishing corners and I haven’t been doing well there. So to actually be able to finish one in an important game was great.

“The third time’s a charm. It had to go in.”

Carmel’s ability to stick with it after its initial chance went awry paid off again a few minutes later.

Jung, with a defender all over her, made a nifty play and was able to flick a lob shot towards the goal.

That sailed wide, but Ashley Orth had a beat on the rebound and a potential shot at an open net before being pushed from behind and earning a penalty.

Jung finished from there, calmly beating Jercich with a shot to the top-right corner for a 2-1 lead with 12:33 to go.

“Ashley helped us beautifully,” Jung said. “She put herself on sacrifice for us all. She got shoved and took one for the team. It was basically all because of her. I just had to stay focused. I was just really hoping it would go into the corner.

“This game was huge. You’ve got to come strong in conference.”

Sandecki put the nail in the coffin, scoring with six seconds left. It was the third goal of the season for Sandecki, who is in her first season on the varsity team and is playing forward for the first time.

“She’s actually a classically-trained defender,” Halloran said, “but she’s doing a really, really nice job for us at forward. It’s really awesome.”

The victory got the Corsairs off on the right foot in conference play, a big deal for a squad that’s hungry for a league crown after finishing second behind Fenwick last season.

“We’re very motivated this year,” Jung said. “We’re really, really hoping to come in first (in conference).”

Carmel’s backline, with Caitlin Jung, Bri Carlson, Sarah McHugh, Maggie Karich and Colleen Foley leading the way, denied Marist any strong chances over the final 20 minutes.

“Our defense was really working hard and us as forwards had to prove that we could help them out,” Sandecki said. “After (Marist) scored, it was a big-time wake-up call for us. We knew we had to work two times harder.”

The harder work paid off, and let the Corsairs breathe sighs of relief at the end of the night.

“Oh gosh, this game was way too close for comfort,” Shannon Jung said. “We just had to stay strong, stay together, stay composed.”

“I told the girls before the game ‘It doesn’t matter how you do it, this is essentially a must-win,” Halloran said. “There are so many tough games in this conference. You can’t afford to drop one.”

After taking time off for spring break, Carmel will face Stevenson on April 2. Two days later, a huge league tilt with Benet Academy awaits.

“I can’t tell you how many years the Benet game has decided the conference,” Halloran said. “It’s a big rivalry game and we’ve got to be ready to go after the break.”