Schaumburg ends Cougars' season in OT
By Gary Larsen

 

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The end of Conant’s 2012 season came at the hands of a Schaumburg team that – well, had had enough.

Despite trailing 1-0 to the Cougars on a first half goal from Sammie van de Linde, the Saxons weren’t about to let the fact that Conant had knocked them out of the postseason in each of the last two seasons get in their heads.

Instead, Schaumburg played at an energy level that Conant struggled to match for most of the second half, tying the game on an Ali Schmalz header off a Teegan Eberle corner kick, and then winning in overtime on a Sarah Kozlowski goal.

“We knew it was our last chance and that we have some people that aren’t going to be playing (after high school) if we lost,” Schmalz said. “We knew we had to win it for them. We kept positive energy and we knew we could do it.”

Conant coach Jason Franco thought his team fought hard, but that Schaumburg fought a little harder, chasing a goal after halftime.

“Give credit to their center mids, they did a nice job on (Courtney) Raetzman, good team defending, and they got a quality goal at the end,” Franco said. “I’m not going to say we didn’t battle because I thought we battled, too, but I think they were the fitter team and that just took over.

“You can’t win them all. You can play well and lose, and I thought we played well for the most part, but when you’re playing good teams that’s what happens sometimes. They definitely outplayed us in the last thirty minutes and in the overtime.”

Second-seeded Conant (18-4) and third-seeded Schaumburg (16-2-4) share a heated Mid-Suburban League rivalry, and the stands were filled to watch the teams play in a 3A sectional semifinal game.

One of Schaumburg’s primary keys heading into the game was slowing Conant’s Courtney Raetzman, one of Illinois’ most dynamic attacking players. The task fell largely to senior Kelsey Steenstrup, who did a whale of a job and quickly applauded the team-wide effort used to hold Raetzman without a legitimate shot on frame on Wednesday.

“She’s an amazing player and we had to figure out how we were going to stop her,” Steenstrup said. “She scored on us in our last game against them (a 2-1 Conant win on April 16) so we had to work as a team to stop her. It wasn’t just a couple people. It was a team effort.”

Conant took a 1-0 lead just before halftime when van de Linde cut a ball back to her right, 25 yards out near the left touchline, and struck a perfect ball to the upper ninety at the far post.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime against a team they’ve struggled to beat in recent years might have gotten into the Saxons’ heads, but their response after the break showed that they weren’t letting the past affect them.

“We just didn’t want to give up,” Steenstrup said. “It wasn’t over for us. We play an eighty-minute game. We just had to stay mentally there.”

It was Schaumburg’s Alexa Ben that fired the shot that Conant keeper Haley Anderson tipped over the crossbar, which led to an Eberle corner kick in the second half. The senior Eberle has been an assist machine for the Saxons this year, and she sent a ball to the far post that Schmalz headed home to tie the game.

“I think that was the key to the game,” Franco said. “If we don’t give up that set piece goal, I think we hold on. But you give that one up and then you let them believe.”

Before regulation ended, Ben tore up the right flank on the dribble and fired at the near post but Anderson made the stop at 72 minutes. Conant flirted with a dangerous ball or two in its attacking third at the outset of the first overtime, but Schaumburg wasn’t having it.

Just after Anderson saved Ben on a shot from close-range, the Saxons won a tackle near the touchline on the right side, sending a ball ahead to Becky Sneddon. The senior took it to the endline and sent a feed across the goalmouth, where Anderson fought to get a hand on it before the freshman Kozlowski etched her name in the rivalry’s history book.

A massive crowd of celebrating Saxons engulfed Kozlowski after her game-winner sent Schaumburg into a sectional title game on Friday, on its home turf against fourth-seeded St. Charles North (16-5-2).

“It was a great cross from Becky,” Kozlowski said. “Jenna (Eaker) got a foot on it and I was just lucky enough to finish it.”

Franco will say goodbye to a stable of seniors that elevated the program to new heights. Graduation will take away rostered seniors Raetzman, van de Linde, Christina Rosales, Kelsey Foss, Kim Trinco, Sam Armando, Juliana Ramirez, Brittany Hoffman, and Marisa Andruecetti.

“It’s the best senior class we’ve had and it will be the best senior class for a while,” Franco said. “They’re the most decorated class we’ve ever had. They’re something like 71-20, and I think it’s even better than that. Our last four seasons have been outstanding.”