Carmel concludes ESCC-winning season at Fenwick
By Dave Owen

Kayla Handel provided a literal kick-start to Carmel’s offense Tuesday at Fenwick.

Looking to clinch its first ESCC championship since 2009, Carmel battled the Friars to a 0-0 tie for 52-plus minutes.

Then in less than 100 seconds, consecutive set pieces initiated by Handel sparked the Corsairs (16-1, 9-0 in ESCC play) to an eventual 3-0 win and a celebratory bus ride back to Mundelein.

“It’s huge,” sophomore Handel said of the conference title. “I love to see our seniors do this. They’ve been working so hard the last few years. It’s good to see all of our hard work finally paying off, and I love being part of that.”

Handel became a big part of the clinching win with 27:05 left in the game, when her perfectly-placed corner kick towards the far post was directed into the net by senior Bri Carlson to put Carmel ahead 1-0.

“I thought if I could put it in the air, we have a bunch of girls that can get on the back of it,” Handel said. “As long as I get it up there, someone’s there to finish.”

Handel followed accuracy with power on her next restart. Her 50-yard free kick with 25:36 to play bounced to Meegan Johnston breaking free down the middle, who finished her breakaway chance to continue Carmel’s scoring outburst.

“She (Handel) put it in the right spot,” Johnston said. “I knew when it was in the air that one of our players was going to flick it, so I was running right as she kicked it so I wouldn’t be offside. That was a great ball.”

“We’ve done a lot of practice this season with them (free kicks),” Handel said, “so my power has definitely improved.”

Johnston made another heads up play with 9:24 left in the game to seal the win. Intercepting a goal kick, the senior dribbled in on goal and lined a 15-yard laser inside the right post to make the lead 3-0.

“On the previous goal kick I went wide because I thought she was going to kick it there, but it ended up being a roller in the middle,” Johnston said. “So I just positioned myself there on the next one, and that’s where she kicked it again. I was ready for it.”

To Carmel coach John Halloran, the rapid fire finishes after the defensive standoff were a tribute to his team’s poise.

“Sometimes in soccer you wait for your chances, and when we had them we took them,” Halloran said. “That’s kind of been us all year. We don’t really get rattled. We just wait until we break the game down our way, and Meegan and Bri with the first two goals were really big to get things going.

“I think we work the ball around better than probably anybody I’ve seen this year, and maybe better than any team we’ve ever had. We just pass and move all day. It’s a really nice way to be able to play the game.”

Johnston noted some reasons for the Corsairs’ energized finish.

“In the first half we were kind of lulled,” she said. “We had just got off the bus and had a short warm up. We worked ourselves into the game, we started playing passes on the ground which was what Coach (Halloran) talked about at halftime, and that made all the difference for us.”

The first half was a different story, as Fenwick had the best chance in a closely-played 40 minutes.

The Friars’ Nora Madden broke in on right wing in the 24th minute of play, only to have her 15-yard blast stopped on a flying dive to her right by Carmel goalkeeper Jenna Bauer. Carmel’s Emily Helle then eventually cleared the loose ball rebound out of danger.

“Jenna obviously saved us big in the first half when we had broken down on the breakaway,” Halloran said.

Bauer made another big save with 20:15 left in the game. A corner kick by Fenwick’s Emily McGann deflected off a crowd in front towards an open net, but Bauer scrambled back to dive on the loose ball inches from the goal line.

A strong and deep Carmel defensive corps featuring Handel, Claire Ogrinc, Maggie Avampato, Leah Lach, Colleen Foley, Katie Sandecki (who shifted from center back to midfield in the second half) and Jen Capparelli otherwise limited or eliminated Fenwick’s offensive threats. Helle, Sadie Jung, Annie DiVenere, Sarah Bowles and Caitlin Murphy provided solid play as well at midfield and forward spots.

“I thought in the second half Leah Lach did a really nice job in the back for us,” Halloran said, “and Colleen Foley did a nice job at left back.”

Notable defensive sequences for the Corsairs included consecutive headers by Carlson and Lach to clear the box on a 22-yard Fenwick direct kick in a 0-0 tie with 30 minutes left. Foley repelled consecutive Fenwick attacks with two nice plays in succession with 19 minutes to play.

“I think a lot of our defense’s work goes unnoticed because all the action is up here,” Johnston said, “and everyone says ‘so and so got the goals.’ But we’re deep on the bench on the back line, and whoever comes in is going to give their all. They save us a lot of times.”

That’s especially been true late in the season. Tuesday marked the Corsairs’ fourth shutout in a row and 10th this spring.

“We definitely have a strong back line this year,” Handel said. “We were a little hesitant at the beginning of the year, but we were able to pull it together. We have some strength as well as technical ability back there.”

While the defense stood tall again, Carmel’s offense nearly added to its huge second half. With 2:30 to play, DiVenere narrowly missed a goal when her header off a Bowles cross hit the crossbar.
But Tuesday’s 3-0 final score erased a more important near miss for the Corsairs.

“I think the last time we won (conference) was ’09, so it’s been a few years,” Halloran said. “And it’s been a hard few years because each time we essentially lost out by a goal: you can find a game where one goal was the difference.

“That was kind of a bitter pill, but it’s nice to be back on top (of the ESCC). When you look at Benet, Viator, Fenwick, Nazareth, Marist – there are so many great teams in our conference, so to be on top is a testament to our kids.”

Senior Johnston has been part of many of those ESCC title close calls, making Tuesday’s celebration even more special.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “I’ve been on varsity since my freshman year, and every year we’ve struggled to get that conference championship. This year when we achieved it, it means so much to us.”