Chicagoland Soccer

Spartans get past Marian on Ramsey head shot
By Dave Miller

St. Francis didn’t like sharing the momentum Tuesday afternoon.

A minute after Marian Central tied the match in the second half, St. Francis reclaimed the lead on Katie Ramsey’s header. That goal in the 52nd minute held up as the game-winner as the host Spartans claimed a 2-1 Suburban Catholic Conference victory at Red Hawk Park in Carol Stream.

“After their goal I felt very motivated to pick our team’s energy up and do something about what they just did,” Ramsey said. “I was really mad that we had the lead and they took it back from us.”

Marian Central captain Laura LeFevour had just finished moving her Hurricanes (6-7-1, 2-1) into a tie at 1-1. The ball was bouncing around the St. Francis net before the senior put an end to the commotion with a score.

Before Marian Central had time to fully enjoy the moment, St. Francis (12-2, 3-0) struck back. Amanda Gaggioli sent a cross from the right corner to the front of the net and Ramsey headed a shot high that dipped under the crossbar for her third goal of the season.

“That was a huge answer,” Spartans coach Jim Winslow said.

St. Francis goalkeeper Jenna DiTusa made three saves the rest of the way to preserve the victory.

DiTusa’s final save was the scariest for the Spartans. DiTusa and Marian Central’s Robin Wenzel converged on the ball concurrently, and the ball wound up slowly squirting by DiTusa. The Spartans goalkeeper made a quick recovery, however, pouncing on the ball from behind for the save in the 72nd minute.

“We’re lucky to have a kid of her caliber because that makes such a huge difference,” Winslow said of DiTusa.

Winslow gave the Spartans off Monday to rest for their sixth match in eight days.

The first 30 minutes unfolded rather uneventfully. Neither team allowed the other much room to operate. Though St. Francis controlled the ball much of the time in its offensive half of the field in the area between midfield and the box, it had trouble advancing beyond that.

The Spartans started picking up the pace late in the first half. A shot by Bucaro hit the crossbar and bounced back. They put five shots on goal to Marian Central’s one in the first 40 minutes, but halftime saw both clubs locked in a scoreless affair.

“I knew it was going to be a rough (first) 20 minutes and we started to really pick it up and then halftime hit,” Winslow said. “Then the second half we were okay, but you could see our legs were tired. More than anything, their minds are tired.”

Five minutes into the second half, Sydney Fox attacked Marian Central’s defense from left of the net, then punched a pass to Bucaro in front of the right side of the net. Bucaro made no mistake, burying the ball into the net to give St. Francis a 1-0 lead on her sixth goal of the season.

“It was set up very well by Sydney Fox,” Bucaro said. “It came right to me. I saw the opportunity and got right after it.”

That play sparked the Spartans.

“It was a slow first half,” Bucaro said,” but we’re a great team this season. I feel like we’ve progressed very well. When we realized we needed to pick this game up, that’s what we did.”

St. Francis moved the match from its patchy, muddy field to the thick grassy one at Red Hawk Park.

“It’s different, that’s for sure,” Ramsey said. “It’s not the same being at our school with our school spirit around us, but it’s nice because it’s actually a better field. Honestly, I prefer to play here because the field conditions are a lot better here. The passing is easier, which our team is really good at.”

“Since this was our first time, I think we adapted pretty well to it,” Bucaro said. “I actually kind of like it. It’s a narrower field, but I think this is a pretty good space. It’s better than being at our school and playing on dirt.”

“It’s a lot easier on the kids,” said Winslow, whose team will play another home match at the park and two more on Glenbard North’s turf field. “It would have been a mudfest at our place. I’d much rather play on a good surface like this.”