Huskies play with guts in loss to Loyola
By Mike Garofola

 

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Third-seeded Loyola is two games away from reaching the finals of the Pepsi Showdown for the second straight year after defeating Hersey 2-0 Thursday afternoon at its giant home sports complex in suburban Glenview.

Two first-half goals from Meeghan Smith and Margaret Walker ensured the Lady Ramblers (10-0-1) safe passage into the quarterfinals this Saturday against crosstown rival New Trier as the Pepsi moves to Olympic Park in Schaumburg.

"We may won the game, but (Hersey) was a terrific opponent, and one that was easily the best we've played this season," admitted Loyola head coach Craig Snower, who takes the reigning tournament champs into action against a New Trier side in which his club has defeated twice in a row in the sectional finals.

"Their midfield was really good, and they were the toughest opponent we've played so far, but our defensive back four is the best, and as a group they are very difficult to get through all the time," Loyola junior midfielder Corey Burns said, of a team that has yet to concede a goal during the 2012 spring season.

The No. 13 seeded Huskies (9-3-2) fell behind nine minutes into the match when the senior Smith fired in a low drive from a tough angle past a diving Morgan Harris, who had no chance of turning away the well-paced strike.

"They were very fast and quick on the outside, and for most of the first half, we were having trouble keeping them contained out there,” Hersey coach Brad Abel said. “That's where a lot of their attack was starting, and finishing against us.”

The visiting Huskies, playing in their third match in as many days, looked a little sluggish and ragged in the early stages, which on the big, wide pitch at the Lady Ramblers park proved to be trouble in the first 15-20 minutes on this day.

"Yes, I have to believe we had some tired legs at the start, and it showed in the way we played," offered Olivia Stasiuk, who enhanced her reputation with another superb 80 minutes, fitting of the 2011 MSL East Player-of-the-Year award she captured last season.

"(Loyola) obviously had fresh legs, fresher than outs, but after getting through a difficult first half, I really thought we picked things up in the second half, and had our chances to get back in the game."

Stasiuk's young mates alongside in the back, freshman Sara Magnuson and Kayla Knauss, spent plenty of time defending and tracking the likes of Smith, Walker and the midfield duo of Colleen McShane and Caroline Zadina, one of several in Loyola's first-11 which were 5-9 or taller.

With the help of senior Emily Moody in the back, this Hersey quartet defended with all its might while the Lady Ramblers flooded forward.

"They were such a big team and looked especially bigger than many of us who are so much smaller," said Stasiuk with a smile.

"Olivia had another monster game for us, and she really helped us withstand a lot of their pressure in that first-half,” Abel said. “But you could see our young players begin to gain more confidence in the second half, and begin to mark and tackle (their) more talented players, and that allowed our midfield to get more involved after the break.”

With the Huskies’ attack reduced to just a few forays into the Loyola end off of counters, or long balls up top, it was junior Lauren Gierman who would go at it alone against an air-tight backline.

Gierman’s long-range freekick to the spot had a chance to find Nicole Pietro at 16 minutes, but the senior was unable to catch up to it. Moments before, the duo quickly played a 1-2 combination that required Loyola’s Katie Taylor to fend off a hard-charging Gierman, who hoped to beat the big defender to the ball in order to get in on keeper Brittany San Roman.

The visitors fell further behind at 33 minutes, with the aforementioned Smith who was at it again, this time providing the helper for Walker in a frantic sequence inside the 6-yard box. Harris made an initial save but was unable to claw the loose ball out of danger before Walker slotted home the rebound to increase the Loyola lead to 2-0 before intermission.

"I really thought to give up two flukey goals like that was poor on our part, but it kind of forced us to wake up after we came out so flat," said Stasiuk, who refused to use the Huskies recent schedule, and emotional victory over Palatine the night before as an excuse for the performance of her team in the first half.

The Huskies showed some life after the Lady Ramblers doubled their lead, and it carried over after the break with some spirited play and a much more upbeat tempo, led by Pietro and Megan Boyle in the middle, and Gierman and Casey Weyhrich up top. Jessica Schmidt and Kaitlyn Smetana provided extra energy when Abel brought them on off the bench.

"Gierman always was dangerous to me because she was so capable of putting one her shots in from long distance, but the real story of the second half was the play in the middle from Boyle and Pietro," began Snower.

"I think we had the higher percentage of possession, but (Hersey) easily won the battle in the second half because of Boyle and Pietro, who brought so much pace and energy in that second half to keep us in our end for much of the time."

Stasiuk would add numbers along with her mates in the middle as her backline tightened its grip on the Lady Ramblers, and with Boyle, Pietro and Gierman, they all took turns looking dangerous as they tore forward, making timely runs while showing greater purpose in the Loyola end.

"We came out flat in that first 15-20 minutes, but we showed in the second half that we can play with one of the best programs around, just as we did against Schaumburg," said Boyle.

"Our midfield played very well in the second half, and they helped make our attack get up and go," said Abel. "We created a lot, and got in their final third so many times, but we just couldn't get a real serious look, or chance on frame despite all that terrific work."

Gierman drove a couple of fierce looking strikes at Loyola's San Roman to force a save from the junior keeper, who may have pushed over a filthy drive off the woodwork in the 73rd minute that the referee ruled a goal-kick instead of a corner. In between, Boyle, Pietro and Weyhrich helped stretch the Loyola defense but were unable to pry them open despite the effort.

"No doubt, playing that third game in a row took a little something out of us, and it showed at the start today, but I have to say that I am really pleased with our effort, and how we responded in the second half against a team like Loyola," said Abel.

"We played really hard in that second half, and put a lot of pressure on them, and made them work hard in their own end, and our younger players made another step forward in their development, which is (all) going to pay dividends during the stretch drive of the regular season and into the playoffs."

The Huskies take on a very fine club from Jacobs (8-4-2) at 3:00 this Saturday as their play continues in the consolation bracket of the Pepsi Showdown.