Kowalski's late goal lifts Warriors past Bloom Twp.

 

 

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By Curt Herron

They say that persistence pays off, but Lincoln-Way West's players were having a hard time believing that point on Tuesday against Bloom Township.

After falling behind 2-1 late in the first half of its nonconference match in Chicago Heights, the Warriors found themselves stymied in a comeback attempt.

The host Blazing Trojans were doing an effective job of trying to hang onto the lead and in the process hand West its fourth straight loss to open the season.

But after watching a series of good opportunities just miss the mark, things finally started to click for coach Jeff Theiss's squad during the late going.

Even though Cori Brennan scored her second goal of the match in the 67th minute to even things up, West still looked like it might have to settle for a draw.

However, with less than a minute remaining, Emily Kowalski stayed aggressive in a pursuit of a loose ball, and that extra bit of hustle paid off in a big way.

As Bloom keeper Kaitlin Wallek came out of the goal to try to get to the ball, Kowalski got there first and sent a liner from the side that found its mark.

Kowalski's decisive score with just 48 seconds left proved to be the difference as the Warriors claimed a 3-2 win over the Blazing Trojans at Sarff Field.

The Warriors had been outscored by a 18-3 margin in their first three matches due to a combination of injuries and youth that resulted in makeshift lineups.

So getting any sort of a win, and then doing so with a comeback, was obviously well-received by a Warriors squad that has had a frustrating first two weeks.

"I thought we did a really job of keeping our composure, staying together and knowing what our goal was, which was putting the ball into the back of the net," Kowalski said.

"We're a young team that's still learning how to work together so pulling off this win will really help us. With the way that our season has started, we really wanted this win.

"Knowing if we work hard we can get results like this will push us even more. I love how we're so compatible and work together so easily and that should help us get more wins."

With Bloom (1-1) content to hunker down on defense after carrying its 2-1 lead into the second half, West (1-3) began to apply regular pressure on Wallek.

But the Blazing Trojans' keeper proved to be up to the challenge, stopping several of the good attempts that eventually wound up heading in her direction.

Those began with regularity during the final half hour of the match, with Brennan providing most of the threats and Kara Winans also getting into the mix.

Brennan unleashed a liner in the 52nd minute and Winans followed just over a minute later with another line drive that was deflected for a corner kick.

After Kylie Hermanson delivered the subsequent corner in front of the net, Katie Brncich had a short attempt denied by the Blazing Trojans' keeper.

It was more of the same a few minutes later as Kara Winans, Kalin Winans and Brennan were all denied on short attempts before the midpoint of the half.

The breakthrough for West came with just under 14 minutes remaining when Brennan got free and fired in the equalizer to give her squad a much-needed lift.

"It was nice to see us recover during the second half," Theiss said. "Not only that, it was good to see us get the win because we created a lot of opportunities during the second half.

"We looked good in the first 10 minutes and we punched one in. But then Bloom got a nice goal and our heads dropped again and we got a little disconnected and they scored a second goal.

"The important thing is taking the things we do in practice and applying them on the field. So wins and losses aren't that important to me now but this win is good for the girls' morale."

Another key for West that was evident during the second half was its defensive play, which kept Bloom from challenging for most of the 40 minutes.

Part of the reason for the improved play there is due to Ashley Sichak moving back to her usual defensive spot while Kayla Lojas took over in goal.

About two minutes after West tied things, it nearly took the lead when Brennan sent a cross to Kara Winans, who saw her try shut down in front.

In the 72nd minute the pair hooked up again but this time Kara Winan's chip shot following a forward pass from Brennan went just wide of the net.

After Brennan was again denied during the 75th minute, Bloom effectively killed some time by possessing the ball in the Warriors' side of the field.

But just as time was winding down and it looked like West would have to settle for a draw, Kowalski's persistence paid off with the winning score.

"Emily made a great run and didn't just anticipate that the goalie was going to pick up the ball," Theiss said. "Then when she won the ball she was very composed and got her head up and slotted a ball in the near post.

"I told Emily that that goal didn't happen because of one sprint, it happened because she was working during the last 30 minutes of the game. Good things are going to come when we're working on both sides of the ball."

Things started off well for the Warriors, who struck during the eighth minute when Kara Winans assisted Brennan, who leads her squad with five goals.

But that early momentum didn't last for long as Bloom got a quick pair of scores shortly after the midway point of the first half to move in front.

Monica Chavolla scored in the 22nd minute and then set up a goal by Jazmin Aldape in the 26th minute following a free kick to give Bloom a 2-1 lead.

"I thought we played a good game today," Bloom coach Kelly Gutierrez said. "The girls have been getting along and they're also encouraging. They're starting to learn each others' moves and styles.

"Jazmin can play all over the field, Monica controls things in the midfield and Lupe Mendez is our sweeper. The three of them along with our goalie Katelin are the backbone of our team right now.

"The rest of our team features some new girls who are coming up from the junior-varsity and they're working hard. So we're still trying to get things together and organized and we're coming along."

While Bloom had the momentum going its way after scoring the quick goals, the Warriors set up their second half with a good effort before the break.

During the last five minutes of the opening half, West began applying pressure similar to what the Blazing Trojans would see later during the match.

Lea Gindville started the sequence with a liner that sailed over the net before Brennan had a short try halted and fired another attempt just wide.

"It was really nice for us to win since we needed to boost our confidence," Kara Winans said. "We've been working our butts off in practice every day and it's nice to see the results of that.

"Things get tough when you're not finishing like we're supposed to, but we have our teammates to back us up and we kept our cool. The big thing for our team is effort and that's what we showed.

"We took our chances and put it all out there and no matter how much time is left, we keep pushing. We've had a rough start but this win is great and it will get us ready for the season ahead."