Corsairs blank Spartans to capture share of ESCC title
By Curt Herron
After missing out on East Suburban Catholic Conference titles the last few seasons, Carmel knows that won't be the case this year.
That's because the Corsairs have captured eight straight wins in league play to assure themselves of at least a share of the crown.
Carmel accomplished that feat on Saturday when it started slow but finished strong with a 7-0 road victory over Marian Catholic.
The Corsairs (14-1, 8-0) capture the undisputed championship with a win at Fenwick on Tuesday in the most-straightforward scenario.
If they don't beat the Friars, they would still claim the outright title if both Benet and Saint Viator pick up draws or defeats.
Either way, it's a pretty big deal for coach John Halloran's program, which hadn't been able to claim the ESCC plaque since 2009.
Carmel and Joliet Catholic Academy were co-champs that year. The Corsairs won it all in 2008 after sharing with Benet in 2006-2007.
Saturday's matchup in Chicago Heights was much closer than anticipated through its initial 25 minutes, with the sides still even.
Perhaps it was the fact that Carmel's players had their prom on Friday, or that the hour and a half bus ride affected their start.
Either way, the effort wasn't acceptable to Halloran, who was much more pleased by what he saw as the afternoon began to progress.
Meegan Johnston got the ball rolling by scoring her squad's first three goals and Sadie Jung added another within an 8:36 span.
Then the Corsairs opened the final half with a pair of goals by Bri Carlson and another by Leah Lach to reduce the remaining time.
"The first 30 minutes were about the poorest that we've played all season and it was kind of embarrassing," Halloran said. "I was glad that they found their games during the last 10 minutes of the first half.
"We told the girls that they had to play with some pride. But what I was really happy about was that they opened up the second half the way that they should have opened up the game.
"When we play Stevenson on Monday and Fenwick on Tuesday and then in the playoffs, we obviously have to put together 80 minutes. You don't want to leave a game close so one dead ball, one mistake or one bad call can cost you."
The Spartans, who hadn't won in ESCC play, seemed to be inspired on their senior day and held their own during the early going.
But Carmel finally connected in the 26th minute when Erin Johnston found Meegan Johnston, who got past defenders for the score.
She found the net again in the 32nd and 33rd minutes, following assists from Elizabeth Bream and Annie DiVenere, to make it 3-0.
Then in the 35th minute, Jung got free in front to increase the lead to 4-0, which is how the score stood at the intermission.
Things didn't stay that way for long, however, as Carlson scored off of an assist from Caitlin Murphy during the 41st minute.
Leah Lach made it 6-0 in the 44th minute and then assisted Carlson in the 46th minute to close out the scoring and cut the time.
Jenna Bauer didn't have to face an attempt as she recorded the squad's eighth shutout, with six of those coming in ESCC play.
Marian threatened a few times late but DiVenere and Colleen Foley headed away tries and Jen Capparelli thwarted a breakaway.
"We took Meegan off for a couple of minutes and talked to her and once we put her back in she was great," Halloran said. "Obviously Bri opened up the second half well for us and was also terrific.
"I really thought that our right back, Emily Helle, was great at getting our attack started in the first 20 minutes and in the next 20 minutes, Katie Sandecki and Kayla Handel started pushing forward.
"They were only playing one forward so we had to get our outside backs up the field to get numbers. Once our outside backs started pushing forward, that started to create some dangerous chances for us."
With just three matches left in the regular season, the Corsairs coach feels good about his team's chances in the postseason.
Carmel is the second seed in the Mundelein Sectional, which includes the likes of Buffalo Grove, Hersey, Prospect and Fremd.
"We've been great from start to finish this year," Halloran said. "We've got some real solid depth on the bench and when our kids are in the mood to play, they knock the ball around as good as any team that we've ever had.
"Our movement has been terrific and that's what really makes us dangerous. As long as we can keep our offense going and get two or three goals a game, that's going to make us pretty tough to beat if we can keep it tight in the back."
