Skala's goal stands up to top Corsairs in ESCC battle

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By Mike Garofola

Aesthetically speaking, it wasn't very pleasing soccer to the eye.

Both coaches would admit it later, and even the players would follow in right behind their managers.

But in a match as important as the Carmel-Saint Viator game is in the East Suburban Catholic Conference, beautiful soccer sometimes is usually traded for 80 minutes of grit, pace, high energy and a do-whatever-has-to-be-done approach in order to come away with a favorable result.

That's what happened for the home side from Arlington Heights, when Taylor Skala's goal at 61 minutes held up to give the Lions (6-3-0, 2-1-0) a 1-0 triumph on Wednesday to help Mike Taylor's club stay within striking distance of ESCC leaders Benet and Fenwick.

Carmel head coach John Halloran saw it as another reminder that the best is yet still to come for his club as well.

"Pretty soccer it wasn't," admitted Halloran, whose club has endured far too many injuries this season already to be anywhere near full strength, and victims to a trio of 1-0 defeats this spring.

“Today we were without two top strikers (Ashley Orth and Brianne Carlson) - some of the players who have just returned aren't match fit yet, and maybe we lost another to an injury today," continued Halloran as he stood among a quiet, disappointed Corsairs bench, gathering up its belongings before heading home for the night.

"Hey, the girls played really hard today, and so did Mike's girls,” Halloran said. “Both teams had a lot at stake in this match, and maybe for us a little more, I don't really know - but a loss for either one of us gives you two and to be two games behind in the conference usually doesn't equal a championship later on, when you have Benet and Fenwick ahead of everyone else."

Taylor was perhaps looking for more than just a victory to help keep his club in the hunt, as both he and assistant T.J. King were anxious to see how his young side would respond to a dreadful 4-0 loss to Loyola last weekend at the Pepsi Showdown tournament.

"We'll see how come out today," said King, just a few minutes before the start.

"There was no way we were that bad of a team," offered Skala, who herself was ready to put that match quickly behind her, and focus on the task ahead of defeating an opponent which has always been a thorn in her side while an active player on the varsity.

"You always want to beat your big rival in the conference, and today wasn't any different,” she said. “I know the play today wasn't much to look at - but a win is a win, and we needed to get one today."

It appeared early on the Lions would be the first in to the back of the net, as the trio of Skala, Katelyn Hammerlund and Chloe Luthringshausen had good pace in the first quarter hour - as this group immediately put its opponents under pressure from the opening whistle, and continued to go forward with confidence.

It wasn't until the 16th minute that the Corsairs (3-3-1, 1-2-0) were able to possess inside the Lions’ end, when a nice build-up from Meegan Johnston and Maggie Karich resulted in Shannon Jung going wide of the post with her shot at keeper Melissa Stawicki.

The aforementioned threesome from St. Viator all had chances to finish on Corsairs keeper Katie Larson in the first-half. Luthringshausen had perhaps the best opportunity when Siobhan Klinkenberg put a ball on her foot  at the back post at 33 minutes, but the sophomore striker drove her shot off the bar.

"We had the chances to put the ball into the back of the net in that first half and if we had, we probably could have made it very hard for Carmel to stay with us, instead of allowing them to stay close and make it a real (rat-race) of a finish and the end," said Taylor.

Just before intermission, a strong flip-throw from Lauren Bowles resulted in a Johnston strike from in close that forced Stawicki into a save.

"With our scorers out of the lineup, and with so many players in different spots, it's been a little difficult of late trying to generate much in the way of an attack," said Halloran, who on this day had to lean on his backline to weather the storm, and fortunately for the Corsairs, Sarah McHugh and her mates along the back did just that.

McHugh, whom Halloran suggested was his player of the match, along with Caitlin Jung and Helen Wagner tackled with gusto and never gave in all throughout. Neither did the Saint Viator defensive unit of Erin Malone, Katie Gavin and Kathleen Kane, who were equally steady in front of keeper Stawicki, who wasn't tested much throughout the match.

The junior keeper, however, could only watch and hope that Kelly Trillhaase wouldn't finish her shot from in close after the senior was set free after a long free-kick from McHugh. Fortunately for the Lions' faithful, the talented senior went just over the bar to keep the match goal-less.

A clever run and carry nearly brought Bowles in on Stawicki, but an alert and quick tackle from Malone ended any chances of a 1-v-1 for the Corsairs senior at 54 minutes.

Seven minutes later, Skala broke the stalemate, with the help of Gavin, who initiated things from the center of the park, and Hammarlund, who drove hard to the endline, before sending a well-paced ball to the spot and off of Larson.

As most high-profile strikers do, Skala was there to thump her header into the back of the net.

"I really feel like a lot of younger players are beginning to understand what the focus has to be in order to compete against the type of teams we have on our schedule, and I've also seen our communication begin to improve. That will help us be more consistent in our play," said Skala.

Halloran would go with three up top for the final 20 minutes as the Corsairs went searching for the equalizer. Just after Skala nearly stung the gloves off of Larson with a cracker from 12 yards, the Carmel faithful thought it might have the chance do so.

Bowles would send Trillhaase through - and when a hard-charging Gavin tackled the Corsairs striker inside the box, the Carmel fans and its bench roared its disapproval. The center official ruled it a clean tackle, as did the assistant referee, who followed the play correctly.

"I thought it was a clean tackle," offered Taylor, while Halloran didn't mention the call or non-call in his post-game interview.

A long flip-throw from Bowles into the box at 80 minutes proved uneventful and seconds later, the whistle ended the match in regulation.

"We're still a long ways away from being where we need to be, but this was a good step forward for us," said Taylor, whose club will compete in the final weekend of the Pepsi this Saturday in Schaumburg at Olympic Park likely against Jacobs of the Fox Valley Conference.

For the Corsairs, better times are ahead, according to an upbeat Halloran.

"I really feel this team is built for a great stretch run, when we finally get fit and healthy and all the pieces of the puzzle are in place.

"We have continually told the girls that, and I really believe it. While it's important to win and make a run for a conference title, it's even more important to get yourself ready, both physically and mentally, for the post-season, and this is a team quite capable of doing so."