Bison win MSL showdown with Barrington
By Gary Larsen

Buffalo Grove was under fire, against a Barrington team that controlled Monday’s first 25 minutes and had the host Bison in the unusual position of defending instead of attacking.

Sarah O’Connor couldn’t have picked a better time to shine.

BG’s sophomore goalkeeper raced off her line one minute into the game to beat a Barrington player to a through-ball, raced off her line eight minutes later to stop another, and then leapt after a hard-hit shot headed for pay dirt, tipping it over the crossbar at the 15-minute mark.

Not bad for a converted field player.

“I don’t even know how I saved that one,” O’Connor said. “I don’t think I’ve ever made a save like that. I haven’t played goalie since second grade so I’m just working hard to pick it up the best I can.”

O’Connor’s solid play helped Buffalo Grove weather Barrington’s opening storm en route to a 2-1 win for the Bison, on second-half goals from Colleen Zickert and Allie Ingham. The Bison picked up their play with 15 minutes left in the first half and the MSL rivals slugged it out from there.

“It was just a great high school soccer game,” Buffalo Grove Pat Dudle said. “It was fun to be a part of. Barrington has had so much success, so to get a win against them means you’re having a pretty good season.”

MSL West leader Barrington (4-3-1, 3-2-1 in MSL play) and East leader Buffalo Grove (13-0-1, 5-0) squared off in a downpour that didn’t affect the Fillies’ ability to find each other and apply pressure. Kelsey Muniz, Jenna Szczesny, and Aimee Pierce all flirted with dangerous scoring chances through 15 minutes.

“We knew they’d come out hard because it’s Barrington. They’re a great team,” O’Connor said. “Our defense did amazing by keeping out half the shots that they should have had. In the end, it was all about the defense.”

Dudle agreed.

“With all the goals we’re scoring, our defense is a little unsung but so important to our success,” Dudle said. “Our entire backline, to limit Molly Pfeiffer’s chances, was so important. JayJay Lowery, Sara Brawley, Kelly VandeMerkt, Shannon Guercio, and Elizabeth Chan have all stepped in and done a fantastic job.”

Barrington’s dominance at the outset was encouraging on one hand for the Fillies, but it also illuminated a recent problem; the Fillies have only managed two goals in their last three games.

“We’ve got to finish our chances,” Barrington coach Ryan Stengren said. “I’m tired of being the team that has the first 25 minutes and nothing to show for it. We worked hard but there’s a disconnect. We’re just not doing enough to get what we want right now. We’re still a good team and we’ll good at the end but right now it’s just frustrating.”

The game turned at roughly the 25-minute mark, when Buffalo Grove’s Kelli Zickert broke behind Barrington’s backline in pursuit of a ball sent over the top. Barrington’s Emily Decraene raced back to thwart Zickert, but the play essentially marked the end of the Fillies’ persistent pressure in the game.

“I think after a while, after they kept kicking balls at us, we realized we really wanted this game. It’s an important game, they’re a really good team, and I think we finally woke up,” Ingham said. “We started to play how we play – passing balls to our feet and not just kicking.”

The ability to knock the ball around has helped Buffalo Grove earn a 43-6 scoring edge over their opponents this season. “I think we started out slow but once we got into it, I think it was a matter of time before we scored,” Ingham said.

Unfortunately for the Bison, senior Kelly VandeMerkt collided with a Filly near midfield just before halftime. VandeMerkt was carted off the field and left the stadium in an ambulance.

When play resumed, the game boiled down to a six-minute span of scoring in the second half. Colleen Zickert put BG up 1-0 on a head shot from 12 yards out, off a feed from Jessica Kovach. The Fillies answered less than a minute later when Molly Pfeiffer sent a ferocious shot from 25 yards out sailing past a diving O’Connor.

The field tilted back-and-forth from there to the end of regulation, interrupted by Ingham’s game-winning shot at 67minutes from 14 yards out on the right side, on a feed from Sara Busse. “I saw the goalie creeping to the front post and the second post was open, so that’s where I put it,” Ingham said.

Monday’s MSL showdown was Buffalo Grove’s eighth game in 13 days. The Bison will get a day of rest on Tuesday before returning to practice to prepare for an MSL road game at Wheeling on Friday, and then heading to Toyota Park on Sunday to face Plainfield North in this year’s Pepsi Showdown title game.

Despite their grueling recent schedule, the Bison seemed to maintain fresh legs to the final buzzer on Monday.  “They’re young and it’s Barrington, so you get hyped-up to play them,” Dudle said.

Barrington will host St. Charles East Thursday and Evanston on Friday, the opening two games of this year’s Barrington Tournament, which is also part of the annual Naperville Invitational.