Chicagoland Soccer

Cougars' attack can't solve Hersey in MSL Cup loss

By Mike Garofola

With players celebrating all around the pitch - and others staring into space in disbelief, it was easy to pick out who had just captured the MSL Cup late Thursday night.

Playing in its most prestigious match since they last rubbed shoulders with the elite at the 2009 state finals, Conant saw its chances to win its first-ever MSL championship dashed by Hersey, 2 goals to 1, in a match which never saw the Cougars’ vaunted attack get off the ground thanks to 80 minutes of stifling defense by the home-side.

Eileen Zydek would send in her third goal in as many matches off a corner, and Megan Boyle would convert her PK attempt to give the Huskies (14-5-1) a 2-0 lead just after the hour mark.

A late strike from Conant’s Sammi van de Linde would bring the MSL West champs close - but not close enough - as the Huskies collected their second championship trophy in program history.

“It's almost like everything was aligned for us to win the conference championship," began Hersey senior Maeva Waterman, who has played in 4 straight MSL Cup matches.

"Last night we wait over two hours, then the match is called due to lightning. Then tonight, we get the first goal, not Conant -- which we all knew couldn't happen -- then after Conant really gets going, and is just coming at us, there's another long delay because the Thor-guard went off. I really feel that when we got back to play, all that momentum they had built had gone away."

"Then our defense took over, and that's what we do better than anyone, collectively as a team."

"We knew how important it was for us to be the first to score, and how much harder it would be for Hersey to play from behind,” Conant junior Courtney Raetzman said. “I don't know if it was a lack of concentration, but we gave up another goal off a set piece and then they just pack it in, and stay compact and composed, and we just couldn't find a way to break through when we got in that final third.”

In an evenly-played match during the early stages, freshman Drew Wentzel would have a go on frame in the 6th minute, only to thump her shot off the football crossbar. On the other end, Waterman nearly beat Cougars keeper Lindsay Fillingim to a 50-50 ball just on top of the box to worry half of the big crowd on hand.

Just after Fillingim's brave challenge off her line, Zydek would head her 9th goal of the season the other way, when she met a wonderfully struck corner from Laura Gierman. Suddenly, the Cougars (15-4-0) were chasing a side which just doesn't allow much to find its way into its own net.

"That was not the ideal situation for us to be in," admitted Conant head coach Jason Franco.

Although obviously shaken by the Zydek strike, the Cougars did well to quickly summon the courage and conviction in their search to equalize. With outside backs Wentzel and Kim Trinco joining the fray, it looked as if the Cougars were on the brink of drawing even when Trinco found Kaitlin Chiero inside the box - and the senior striker appeared to be brought down from behind.

However, the center official did not see it that way, and played continued as the Cougars’ bench and fans howled in vain.

"You obviously don't want a game of this magnitude to hinge on a call, or non-call, but we really felt that Chiero was hauled down and it warranted a PK," said Franco.

"I don't know what would have eventually happened, we could have missed, or drew even, and then maybe both teams play differently, but if that PK in the second half against us -- which was correctly called -- was indeed a PK, then this one was as well."

Conant fired back despite it all, and likely played its best quarter hour of complete soccer of the night, as its trademark possession game would begin to cut the Huskies to shreds. But when the Cougars neared the final third, the home-side suddenly tightened up and allowed nary a quality touch or shot at its keeper, Erin Reiff.

The build-up the Cougars had created went away when the first of many lightning alerts sounded, but when play did resume, Raetzman, Chiero, van de Linde, and freshmen Bianca Madonia, who was just brought on, produced energy and continued pressure in and around the area.

But still, nothing of substance at the aforementioned Reiff.

"As a unit, we knew that we couldn't allow either Raetzman or Chiero to turn, because then they become even more dangerous to stop,” said Hersey junior Olivia Stasiuk, who leads the Huskies backline. “We all knew that, and it was something that we worked on as we prepared for this match tonight."

Chiero would open up the second half with a left-footed blast that sailed over the bar, but the Huskies would answer with four consecutive corners, one in which Fillingim, still on the ground after stopping another Gierman corner - was able to somehow get enough of her glove on to push around the back post to save what could have been a disastrous goal.

The Huskies had successfully slowed the pace and looked to counter, while the Cougars tried to possess and jump start its attack through a sea of white shirts, and what seemed like at times, two banks of compressed groups of four inside the Hersey end.

"You've got to credit Hersey with the way they play, and how disciplined they are as a team when they defend," Franco said.

After Waterman helped her club to another corner, Stefanie Mueller was brought down inside the box, and Boyle would calmly send her spot-kick into the net to make it 2-nil with 16 minutes to time.

Raetzman would roar down the left side after the restart, and hit a fierce left-footer at Reiff, who made the save. Conant’s Alyssa Altosino would have a go from 20 yards which was sprayed wide, as the Cougars continued to push.

van de Linde would cut the lead in half with 5 minutes to play with a professional side-foot touch past Reiff, but while the final 5 minutes were all played in the Huskies end, there wasn't enough sharp play when the visitors were in so close.

"We just couldn't find a way to solve Hersey in its own end tonight," said Franco.

"It wasn't for lack of effort but again, you give up an early goal and get behind, then you allow them to do what they do so well. You've got to give them credit. Now we just have to regroup, and turn our focus on the post-season, and look to erase this game from our memories."

Added Raetzman:

"It might have been a different game if we had been given that PK and it became 1-1, but we didn't really get a lot of good touches in their end, and we struggled to defend all of their dead ball and set piece opportunities, and that usually leads to trouble if you don't.'

"Now we have to get back to training hard, and sorting a few things out in time for our regional opener next week."