Mustangs head downstate with win over H-F
By Gary Larsen

 

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Twenty years from now, Downers Grove South senior Rachel Ruggiero can say she once scored a goal that got her high school team to the state finals.

Ruggiero’s goal was only the first of six that the Mustangs scored against Homewood-Flossmoor in a 6-0 super-sectional win, but technically it was the game-winner that sent the Mustangs and coach Barry Jacobson to the Class 3A Final Four.

"It feels so good, I’m in denial right now," Ruggiero said of going downstate. "It feels amazing. It's such a long journey and we just want to give (Jacobson) a nice going-away present."

Jacobson will retire at the end of this season with more wins than any girls’ soccer coach in Illinois history. The 29-year veteran has now overseen 488 wins and Tuesday’s victory guarantees that he’ll coach in two more games before calling it a career.

Downers South (19-5-3) scored twice in the game’s first eight minutes, led 3-0 by halftime, and essentially never allowed H-F (17-5-3) to be a part of the conversation.

"We played hard," Jacobson said. "We talked about coming out and attacking and I thought our schedule paid off tonight. About mid-season we were playing the top teams, game after game, and the kids were a little down but it has paid off in the second half of the year.

"We're on a good roll right now. (Jess) Bronke is giving (Sarrah Ludwig) good balls, Flo (Beshiri) played a great game, the backline played a great game -- our goal was just to attack and we did a nice job of that."

Set-piece domination carried the day for South, with Ruggiero locating a corner kick near the goalmouth and scored the game’s first goal just three minutes into the contest. The Mustangs’ size caused H-F fits throughout the contest.

"It was a corner kick and I just saw the ball in the middle and decided to take it," Ruggiero said. "I don't know if it bounced off of someone or not but it went in so I'll take it."

Flo Beshiri scored at 8 minutes and when Brittany Dietz netted a ball at 14 minutes the Mustangs had taken firm control of the game. "We wanted to come out and be the aggressor," Beshiri said. "Right when that whistle blew, we wanted to come out hard and fast and just end the game quickly."

Homewood-Flossmoor advanced to the super-sectional with a 3-1 win over Carl Sandburg in a sectional title game, while DG South won a shootout over Hinsdale Central to reach Tuesday’s game.

In that game, the Mustangs led 2-0 before the upstart Red Devils scored twice and forced four overtimes and a shootout. With his side up 3-0 at the break on Tuesday, Jacobson’s message to his girls was clear.

"I thought we were a little complacent in our last game when we were up 2-0 and we didn't want to do that again," Jacobson said. "So in the second half we wanted to outscore them and we'd be fine. And we wanted to get Sarrah (Ludwig) out and rest her a little bit."

Ludwig scored two goals after halftime – the third consecutive postseason game in which the senior striker has netted two goals. After bombarding H-F’s goalmouth with long throw-ins throughout the contest, Mustangs’ senior Jess Bronke netted a goal of her own to end the day’s scoring at 69 minutes.

Afterwards, Jacobson cited his side’s schedule as a key factor in the win.

"When you're playing Neuqua, Naperville North, Naperville Central, and Conant game after game after game, it takes a beating on you mentally for a while but I think it pays off in our area of the state, and I think that's why you're seeing teams from our area do well, year after year," Jacobson said. "We all play each other and beat each other up, and when it comes down to the end of the season, hopefully you're ready to play.

"We're where we want to be. We wanted to be in the final four so I'm thrilled to be able to finish out my career downstate.”

The Mustangs will take on St. Charles North (18-5-2) in a state semifinal game on Friday at 7 p.m. at North Central College in Naperville. The North Stars won 1-0 over the Mustangs on March 28 on a Lauren Koehl goal.

"They're a very good team, very well-coached, and very disciplined," Jacobson said. "We played them early in the season and they beat us 1-0 at our tournament. We'll have to play hard and we'll see what we do.”