Short-handed Cougars edged by Griffins at Lemont Cup
By Steve Millar
Lincoln-Way East freshman Hanna Dawczak wasn’t even trying to shoot when she struck the ball towards the net from a tough angle in the second half of Saturday’s game against Plainfield South.
But what was supposed to be a cross ended up being a goal the Griffins sorely needed.
“I got the ball down the sideline and I was supposed to be on top, but the sidelines are where I’m the best at,” Dawczak said.
“I was just dribbling down and I brought it in. I meant for it to be a cross, but it went in and I was so happy.”
It snapped a four-match scoreless streak for East, tied the match 1-1 and was an attitude changer for the Griffins, who were playing their fifth match in six days and coming off a 2-0 loss to Andrew earlier in the day.
“I think Hanna’s goal picked us all up,” East’s Lindsey Murphy said. “We hadn’t scored in a long time. That got all our heads back up and got us into the game and we played even harder after that.”
Murphy scored the game-winner with 8:23 left as the Griffins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win in the Lemont Cup seventh-place match.
“It was big to get a win,” East coach Brian Papa said. “All the girls were all giggly out on the field after the game because we won. If we lost, their heads would be down.
“It was a big relief. We had a rough week. Five games in six days is tough on anyone’s body and when you don’t have any practices to correct things, that doesn’t help. But I thought we played really well in the second half.”
Plainfield South (8-5-2) led 1-0 at the half before Dawczak struck for East (8-8-1) with 24:32 left in the match.
“I was so excited,” Dawczak said. “My head was down from all the losses we had. Making that goal, it was a big sigh of relief for me and hopefully everyone else.
“After all the losses, the team started yelling at each other and getting frustrated. I think after this win, our spirits will be back up.”
East’s Jillian Kilrea said Dawczak answered a call from Papa at halftime.
“At halftime, coach was like ‘I’d like to see who can step up to the plate,’” Kilrea said. “After five games in six days and playing in the heat (Saturday), it was great to see a freshman step up.
“Hanna always before warmups is like ‘Don’t let me shoot, I can’t shoot, I can’t shoot.’ That was a good confidence boost for her.”
It was also a weight off the shoulders of all the Griffins.
“Everyone just kind of threw their hands down, looked up and was like ‘Thank God,’ Kilrea said.
Kilrea set up the game-winner, striking a free kick from the corner into the box. After players from both sides got a foot on the ball, it was Murphy who was able to get a shot off and put it past South goalie Sam Hlavac.
“The ball was going all over the place,” Murphy said. “I’m just happy I got a foot on it and it was a left foot which I’m excited about. I normally don’t score with my feet so it was a big accomplishment.”
The Griffins’ defense put the clamps on the Cougars from there.
South, which was shorthanded for both the game with East and 1-0 loss to Plainfield Central early in the day, got a first-half goal on an impressive individual effort from Kailyn Haski.
Haski corralled the ball near midfield, sped past a defender and fought off another defender that came to help before finishing with a shot to the far post.
The Cougars, though, could not keep their momentum going in the second half.
“We had five starters that weren’t with us today,” South coach Dave Brown said. “You saw kind of a shell of our team today. Two games in one day I think kind of wore us down a bit in the end.
“East played well. They earned their chances, they finished their chances. We created some of those problems for ourselves, but give them credit.”
For Brown, the match was a reunion with Papa, who coached Brown and Plainfield South assistant Shelly Soderborg at Lincoln-Way.
“I love ‘Pops,’” Brown said. “My assistant coach and I both played for him so we know how much he means to the game in Illinois.
“It’s a pleasure to be on the same field as him and Ryan Decker. We go way back with those guys. I grew up working their camps. It was a great experience to be on the same field as them.”
It was an experience Papa enjoyed as well.
“Before the match, I took the girls out for lunch and I had to buy something for my ex-players (Brown and Soderborg), too,” Papa said. “I told them ‘I never stop giving back to you guys’ and we all started laughing.
“Those guys were there for the heyday of Lincoln-Way. It was pretty cool playing against them. They have a great staff over there and I wish them all the luck.”
The Griffins, who host Marian Catholic on Monday, are hoping the victory will turn things around for them.
“This win felt good,” Murphy said. “We’ve been on a losing streak and we’ve been letting in a lot of goals. I think this will get our heads up and hopefully we can do well in regionals after this.”
