Huskies post 6th straight shutout in draw with Conant
By Gary Larsen

Conant arguably had the edge in overall possession against Hersey in a pivotal MSL match on Monday, but after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer it was the host Huskies that ended up with the day’s best scoring chances.

In a game against Hersey at this point in the season, that may be par for the course.

“It’s frustrating because I think we could have won, but I don’t know if we had any good, close scoring chances,” Conant coach Jason Franco said. “I don’t know if teams do against (Hersey).”

Not in the last six games they haven’t, as Hersey posted its sixth consecutive shutout and ninth of the season.  After giving up 9 goals in its first three games, the Huskies have only given up five goals in their last 14 games.

Hersey is simply a team practiced at the art of disrupting an opponent's flow of possession, playing high-paced, physical soccer, and getting scoring chances to the feet of players like Kaitlyn Smetana, Casey Weyhrich, and Lauren Gierman.

“We bonded a lot since the beginning of the year and realized what we needed to focus on,” Hersey defender Megan Brant said. “This was a tough game to tie, but now Elk Grove is our next focus.”

Conant entered the game leading the MSL West , but Monday’s tie combined with Barrington’s 4-1 win over Elk Grove gave Barrington a 1-point lead in the division. If Barrington wins out against MSL foes Prospect and Palatine, Conant’s bid for a West title and a place in this year’s MSL Cup game will be over.

“We were really looking for the win. It was a tough game and both sides played hard,” Conant senior Alyssa Altosino said. “But it’s a tie so we’ll see what happens. We’re excited for this young group to try to get into the conference playoffs. It would be a good accomplishment this year.”

With a stiff wind at its back to start the game, Hersey (10-3-4, 6-1-2 in MSL play) applied steady pressure to the Conant backline. Gierman sent in a freekick three minutes in that led to a Hersey corner kick, with the Huskies’ Amy Kappelman sending a shot high at the far post on the serve.

Gierman shot wide and Conant keeper Haley Anderson saved a Gierman shot from distance, and Smetana nearly ran down a through-ball at 9 minutes, but Conant defender Drew Wentzel stayed on her hip and cleared it.

The Cougars (8-4-4, 5-1-3) began finding feet and moving into Hersey territory at the 20-minute mark and Hersey keeper Morgan Harris saved an Altosino offering from distance at 27 minutes.  Gierman took a long-range shot at 32 minutes saved by Anderson.

The final minute or so of the first half saw Weyhrich find the best two scoring chances through 40 minutes, but neither one found the net.

“Casey is the type of player that will get down on herself for not finishing those, but she’s also a player that puts herself in position to get those chances, and that’s all we can ask for,” Hersey coach Brad Abel said.

A back-and-forth second half saw Conant’s Leah Celarek sent a left-footed rip wide of net at 47 minutes, and two minutes later Conant defender Kayla Severinsen made a sliding clear of a Hersey through-ball sent by Smetana into the box with Weyhrich running on.

Conant’s Sidney O’Keefe swooped in on the dribble up the left side of Hersey’s penalty area at 62 minutes only to be met and thwarted by Huskies’ defender Kayla Knauss. Hersey earned a pair of corner kicks, on hustle plays up the right side by Kappelman and outside defender Brant up the left side, but Wentzel cleared the first corner and Hersey’s Anne Korff hit a shot wide off the second.

“I thought it was a good, typical, hard-fought Mid Suburban League game,” Abel said. “We’ve developed a good rivalry with them.

 “Conant’s a physical team and I’m sure they’re saying we’re physical as well. After the first fifteen minutes of the game we were kind of on our heels until the start of the second half. Then we started winning fifty-fifty balls and started picking up options a little bit, and created some chances. As long as we continue to create chances against quality opponents, that’s going to bode well for us down the road.”

Franco knew what his girls would get from Hersey before the Conant bus even rolled into Arlington Heights.

“They make you play high-tempo and it ends up being kickball,” Franco said. “Against Prospect and even against Waubonsie, we were knocking the ball around, looking dangerous, but we get into this game and there’s no time to make a play. You have to get used to handling contact and then still making a play.”

After regulation ended, Franco switched formations in pursuit of a goal that would give his side a win and allow the Cougars to maintain control of the MSL West. But Hersey’s best two scoring chances after halftime occurred in the first overtime.

First, Smetana hit a post with Anderson sprawled after leaving her line to challenge the shot, and Kappelman had a good look mid-way through the first OT but sent a shot wide.

“We went to 3-5-2 in the first overtime with the wind, and we got opened up. They should have scored but that was because we were throwing numbers forward, trying to get the win,” Franco said. “I’m assuming Barrington is not going to lose so we’ll just have to hope it happens and we’ll keep battling.”

Unfortunately for Conant, stalwart central defender Wentzel left the game with a leg injury in the first overtime and did not return. “She’s our most consistent player and hopefully she’s okay,” Franco said. “She hurt it kicking the ball, so it’s not like she got hit.”

For Hersey, Monday’s tie also all but ensured that MSL East-leading Buffalo Grove will take the division crown. The Bison lead Hersey by 3 points with the regular season schedule dwindling. But the Huskies are playing well with the postseason now looming.

“We had high expectations for the team this year and we’re really proving ourselves,” Brant said. “Now our main goal is our next game, to finish the season strong, and then focus on the playoffs, one game at a time.”

Abel applauded the day’s work put in by outside players Jessica Schmidt and Sarah Mulroe, and with defenders Korff, Brant, Knauss, and Sara Magnuson standing tall in front of keeper Harris in the team’s sixth straight shutout, Hersey is playing the kind of soccer their coach likes to see.

“We’ve made a big improvement since early in the season,” Abel said. ”This tie knocks us out of contention for the division title but we’re looking for a top-two finish in the conference, which would be good for this team.”