Chicagoland Soccer

Cougars stay unbeaten with win at Fremd
By Dan Santaromita

Through each team’s first six matches Conant had scored two or more goals every time out and Fremd hadn’t allowed two or more goals in a game. One of those streaks had to end.

Fremd won the battle of the streaks, but unfortunately for the Vikings it still came in a defeat. The Cougars left Palatine with a 1-0 victory on a first half goal from Courtney Raetzman.

The two teams met in the Class 3A third place match last June, but are on opposite ends of the Mid Suburban League table at the moment. Conant (7-0, 4-0 Mid Suburban League) stayed perfect ahead of key matches against Barrington and Schaumburg.

“This was a very good game and this is something that we really needed, too, because it is going to push us,” senior defender Kelsey Foss said. “We play Barrington on Friday and then we play Schaumburg next Monday so we really have to just step up our game and make sure we’re working hard and we need these competitive games for us.”

The Vikings (2-5, 0-4) now have been on the losing end of five 1-0 results including the last three games.

“I told the girls it’s frustrating, but I told them please don’t get down because you’re right there,” Fremd coach Steve Keller said. “If you look at our schedule the last three games, three huge games, Barrington, Conant, Palatine, we’re right there. If we continue to do what we’re doing the results will start coming and what matters is that we keep improving.”

The Vikings will have positives to take away from the match and actually controlled much of the early possession. Jessa Rizzo provided the match’s first dangerous chance with a penetrating run with the ball down the left wing only to have Conant goalkeeper Hailey Anderson (6 saves) save at the near post.

Anderson is a freshman, but has fit right in at the varsity level so far.

“She’s been working her butt off the whole season so far and she is big and yeah she’s gonna get in there,” Foss said. “We’ve been very happy with her.”

Rizzo showed an ability to beat defenders on multiple occasions, but Fremd lacked the final ball to break down the Cougar defense.

“I thought she can go one-on-one, she’s one of the ones that we have that can do that so I’m trying to get her to do that and keep going to the goal because she can make something happen,” Keller said. “She just doesn’t finish it right now. We need to get her to keep going and finish it and create that opportunity whether it be an assist or a goal.”

Soon after, in the 16th minute, Raetzman showed a trait that Fremd has lacked in the early season. The dynamic senior forward took advantage of a deflected, loose ball in the box to score a goal seemingly out of nothing. Raetzman beat Vikings’ keeper Shannon Norris (10 saves) to the loose ball in the box and slid into the shot to poke it into the far corner of the net.

Raetzman displayed more of the magic that has made her one of the state’s most exciting players to watch, all while being hobbled with an ankle injury suffered in Wednesday’s win over Rolling Meadows. The Kentucky commit didn’t practice between games but was still on form.

Norris, in her second game back from injury, also starred. Raetzman poached a ball from the Fremd defense in the 25th minute and launched a shot on goal, but Norris made the first of quite a few spectacular saves.

“I think we had some of our best chances of the year, but I thought the goalie had a couple great saves, reaction saves,” Conant coach Jason Franco said. “We were in for breakaways and we don’t get those very often and we couldn’t really do much.”

Five minutes later Sammie van de Linde pounded a near-perfect shot from the left side that pinged off the far post and into the thankful arms of Norris.

“We take care of our chances in the first half and maybe we’re holding a 3-0 lead instead of a 1-0 and then it’s not so dangerous, but the way that they play they’re disruptive and they pressure you,” Franco said. “It was one of those we had to hang on a little bit.”

Both teams created shots, but neither came close until after the hour mark when Fremd freshman Katie Zara drilled a shot that appeared headed for the upper 90 but hit the outside netting instead.

Norris then made three fantastic saves to keep the Vikings in the game. First, she made a kick save on a laser from Sam Armando. Then when a Raetzman cross found Bianca Madonia at the far post Norris was positioned well to smother the redirected effort. Seven minutes from time she made an athletic save on van de Linde.

All the saves couldn’t help Fremd score on the other end, but Keller remains optimistic.

“I think tonight was probably the best game we played,” Keller said. “Offensively we were a lot better. We created some things, we had dangerous moments from the 18. It’s a sign that they’re working hard.

“There’s positives all across the board and we’ll continue to preach that to the girls and we’ll get a win sooner or later.”

Much of the credit for the shutout goes to Conant’s well-organized defensive line of Foss, Drew Wentzel, Katie Lomas and Kim Trinco.

“We’ve really been stressing at practice, just working on our shape and working on when someone steps, going up and covering and that’s what we’ve really been stressing because we have a brand new goalkeeper so we gotta make sure we’re there for her and talking for her,” Foss said.

On Wednesday, Conant plays Wheeling and the Vikings will try to break the losing skid at Prospect.