Collinsville good, and lucky,
in win over Glenbard E.
Goal in 2nd OT give Kahoks semifinal win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Sometimes a team needs to be good to win and other times it needs to be lucky.
Collinsville was both on Friday night.
The Kahoks benefitted from a Glenbard East mistake to score the tying goal in the second half, then won the Class 3A semifinal 2-1 on the strength of Emily Holten’s goal in the second overtime.
The victory propelled Collinsville (22-1-2) into its first state championship match, where it will take on two-time defending state champion New Trier (25-3-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at North Central College.
Glenbard East (23-5-0) saw its historic Cinderella run come to an end after pulling off four-consecutive playoff upsets. The Rams will play Huntley for third place at 5 p.m.
“It feels amazing,” the Mississippi-bound Holten said. “We made history. We had never got this far, but now we got to finish it and tomorrow’s the day.”
Holten made sure Friday was not Glenbard East’s day, firing a well-placed 16-yard shot inside the right post with 7:55 left in the second overtime to give the Kahoks their first lead of the game.
It was the team-leading 25th goal of the season for Holten, who had been denied on six previous shots.
“They did a very good job defensively marking me,” Holten said. “It left space open for other people, but I just had to keep shooting.”
The Kahoks outshot the Rams 21-8 and had nearly taken the lead in the first overtime, only to see a 20-yard shot by Tayler Devine sail just over the crossbar.
Forced to defend for much of the game, Glenbard East’s backline led by Katie Hansen, Faith Davies, Paige Taylor and Sammie Sarles did well to keep the potent Kahoks, particularly Holten, in check.
But with a first-time spot in the state championship match on the line for both teams, Holten made sure her side was the one moving on.
“The defenders were pushing me one way but then I was wide-open on the other side and the goalie was marking opposite side,” Holten said. “(Rams goalie Sierra Dana) was going to the left side, and the whole right side was open, so I took a shot.”
Holten’s strike was Collinsville’s only well-struck goal, though nobody denied the Kahoks deserved the win.
Glenbard East, while not as sharp as in its 2-0 supersectional upset of Naperville North, had taken a 1-0 lead on Brittany Paganucci’s 31st goal of the season in the first half and was trying to hold on for yet another stunning victory.
But the Kahoks tied it at the 25:42 mark of the second half when a mistake by Dana allowed defender Dayle McEwen to score her second goal of the season.
McEwen was attempting to pass when she lofted the ball up from 30 yards out on the right wing. Dana, who earlier had made three outstanding saves, misplayed the ball and had it bounce over her head.
Dana scrambled backward, but slipped and the ball rolled over the goal line before she could get control of it.
“I wasn’t looking to shoot,” McEwen said. “I was looking to play the ball in and (for) someone to run on and the goalie bobbled it up and missed it.
“It wasn’t (a shot). I didn’t think I was going to score.”
Neither did anyone else.
“As a keeper, I think that’s one of the best things about Sierra is she’s so mentally tough,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “All the pressure is on her as a keeper.
“If there’s a goal somewhere along the line there was a breakdown up the field, but you still feel like it’s your fault and it’s not.
“In the first half we didn’t quite have enough energy, and they had a lot of shots around the 18 that could have gone (in) and Sierra kept us in the game. So it’s unlucky, but that’s the way the ball bounces.”
Paganucci had Rams fans bouncing up and down when she took a lead pass from Holly Ward into the right side of the Collinsville box and made a tremendous move to weave through two defenders. A six-yard shot under Kahoks goalkeeper Julie Scheiter gave Glenbard East the lead just 9:48 into the game.
“All of our parents always say, score fast and score often and that was in the first 10 minutes, I believe, so that was great,” Glenbard East senior midfielder Amanda Chlebek said. “We had a lot of adrenaline, and I think we might have stepped back a little, but we brought it to them to them in the second half.”
Indeed, the Rams seemed content to sit on the lead, which was not a good idea against the more athletic Kahoks.
Collinsville would have tied it in the 21st minute if not for the great play of Dana and Taylor, who combined to make three quick saves in succession.
First, Dana lunged to her right to parry Holten’s 28-yard free kick, then got up and dove off her line to deflect a centering pass from Alynnah O’Leary.
But the ball went straight to Collinsville midfielder Hanna Liljegren, whose shot beat Dana. Taylor, though, stopped the ball on the goal line, knocking it back into Dana’s hands.
The Kahoks were clearly the better team after that, amassing 12 corner-kicks in regulation and a couple dozen dangerous flip throw-ins from defender Chayse Richardson.
But the play was more even in the overtimes and the Rams had one chance to tie after Holten’s goal when Paganucci got a touch on a long bouncing ball from Sarles in the box with 5 minutes remaining.
The ball got past Scheiter but was cleared around the right post by a defender and the Kahoks defended the ensuing corner-kick well.
“We played amazing defensively,” Holten said. “(Our defenders) held us together several times.
“We had so many shots in the game but we wouldn’t give up. We just had to keep shooting, find the flanks. We have so many fast people. Everybody was taking shots.”
That wasn’t the case for the Rams, who could not regularly get the ball to the Illinois State-bound Paganucci. She mustered just three shots.
“I think we played a lot better towards the ends of each period,” Chlebek said. “These two overtimes I think we really brought it, and I think we proved to them that we could play to be first in state, but we just didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
Despite the loss, which snapped the Rams’ nine-game winning streak. Overbey was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought the girls played well,” Overbey said. “I think we’ve been on a tremendous run.
“Obviously give the credit to Collinsville. They really played hard and they came out hard the second half.
“Maybe we took a step back a little bit and made some mistakes, but they have a ton of technical players in the center of the field and made some nice plays. The good thing is, only two teams get to end their season with a win. We can still be one of them.”
Indeed, Chlebek, one of six seniors who will be graduating just two hours before the kickoff against Huntley, is determined to end her prep career on a high note.
“We’re not done,” Chlebek said. “We want to end the season with a win.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Sierra Dana
D Faith Davies
D Paige Taylor
D Katie Hansen
D Sammie Sarles
M Ali Liljestrand
M Holly Ward
M Amanda Chlebek
F Brittany Paganucci
F Elizabeth Toledo
F Dana Plotke
Collinsville
GK Julie Scheiter
D Danilee Knutson
D Chayse Richardson
D Dayle McEwen
M Alynnah O’Leary
M Andrea Frerker
M Emma Knoebel
M Hanna Liljegren
F Courtney Marten
F Tayler Devine
F Emily Holten
MVP of the Match: Emily Holten, F, Collinsville.
in win over Glenbard E.
Goal in 2nd OT give Kahoks semifinal win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Sometimes a team needs to be good to win and other times it needs to be lucky.
Collinsville was both on Friday night.
The Kahoks benefitted from a Glenbard East mistake to score the tying goal in the second half, then won the Class 3A semifinal 2-1 on the strength of Emily Holten’s goal in the second overtime.
The victory propelled Collinsville (22-1-2) into its first state championship match, where it will take on two-time defending state champion New Trier (25-3-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at North Central College.
Glenbard East (23-5-0) saw its historic Cinderella run come to an end after pulling off four-consecutive playoff upsets. The Rams will play Huntley for third place at 5 p.m.
“It feels amazing,” the Mississippi-bound Holten said. “We made history. We had never got this far, but now we got to finish it and tomorrow’s the day.”
Holten made sure Friday was not Glenbard East’s day, firing a well-placed 16-yard shot inside the right post with 7:55 left in the second overtime to give the Kahoks their first lead of the game.
It was the team-leading 25th goal of the season for Holten, who had been denied on six previous shots.
“They did a very good job defensively marking me,” Holten said. “It left space open for other people, but I just had to keep shooting.”
The Kahoks outshot the Rams 21-8 and had nearly taken the lead in the first overtime, only to see a 20-yard shot by Tayler Devine sail just over the crossbar.
Forced to defend for much of the game, Glenbard East’s backline led by Katie Hansen, Faith Davies, Paige Taylor and Sammie Sarles did well to keep the potent Kahoks, particularly Holten, in check.
But with a first-time spot in the state championship match on the line for both teams, Holten made sure her side was the one moving on.
“The defenders were pushing me one way but then I was wide-open on the other side and the goalie was marking opposite side,” Holten said. “(Rams goalie Sierra Dana) was going to the left side, and the whole right side was open, so I took a shot.”
Holten’s strike was Collinsville’s only well-struck goal, though nobody denied the Kahoks deserved the win.
Glenbard East, while not as sharp as in its 2-0 supersectional upset of Naperville North, had taken a 1-0 lead on Brittany Paganucci’s 31st goal of the season in the first half and was trying to hold on for yet another stunning victory.
But the Kahoks tied it at the 25:42 mark of the second half when a mistake by Dana allowed defender Dayle McEwen to score her second goal of the season.
McEwen was attempting to pass when she lofted the ball up from 30 yards out on the right wing. Dana, who earlier had made three outstanding saves, misplayed the ball and had it bounce over her head.
Dana scrambled backward, but slipped and the ball rolled over the goal line before she could get control of it.
“I wasn’t looking to shoot,” McEwen said. “I was looking to play the ball in and (for) someone to run on and the goalie bobbled it up and missed it.
“It wasn’t (a shot). I didn’t think I was going to score.”
Neither did anyone else.
“As a keeper, I think that’s one of the best things about Sierra is she’s so mentally tough,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “All the pressure is on her as a keeper.
“If there’s a goal somewhere along the line there was a breakdown up the field, but you still feel like it’s your fault and it’s not.
“In the first half we didn’t quite have enough energy, and they had a lot of shots around the 18 that could have gone (in) and Sierra kept us in the game. So it’s unlucky, but that’s the way the ball bounces.”
Paganucci had Rams fans bouncing up and down when she took a lead pass from Holly Ward into the right side of the Collinsville box and made a tremendous move to weave through two defenders. A six-yard shot under Kahoks goalkeeper Julie Scheiter gave Glenbard East the lead just 9:48 into the game.
“All of our parents always say, score fast and score often and that was in the first 10 minutes, I believe, so that was great,” Glenbard East senior midfielder Amanda Chlebek said. “We had a lot of adrenaline, and I think we might have stepped back a little, but we brought it to them to them in the second half.”
Indeed, the Rams seemed content to sit on the lead, which was not a good idea against the more athletic Kahoks.
Collinsville would have tied it in the 21st minute if not for the great play of Dana and Taylor, who combined to make three quick saves in succession.
First, Dana lunged to her right to parry Holten’s 28-yard free kick, then got up and dove off her line to deflect a centering pass from Alynnah O’Leary.
But the ball went straight to Collinsville midfielder Hanna Liljegren, whose shot beat Dana. Taylor, though, stopped the ball on the goal line, knocking it back into Dana’s hands.
The Kahoks were clearly the better team after that, amassing 12 corner-kicks in regulation and a couple dozen dangerous flip throw-ins from defender Chayse Richardson.
But the play was more even in the overtimes and the Rams had one chance to tie after Holten’s goal when Paganucci got a touch on a long bouncing ball from Sarles in the box with 5 minutes remaining.
The ball got past Scheiter but was cleared around the right post by a defender and the Kahoks defended the ensuing corner-kick well.
“We played amazing defensively,” Holten said. “(Our defenders) held us together several times.
“We had so many shots in the game but we wouldn’t give up. We just had to keep shooting, find the flanks. We have so many fast people. Everybody was taking shots.”
That wasn’t the case for the Rams, who could not regularly get the ball to the Illinois State-bound Paganucci. She mustered just three shots.
“I think we played a lot better towards the ends of each period,” Chlebek said. “These two overtimes I think we really brought it, and I think we proved to them that we could play to be first in state, but we just didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
Despite the loss, which snapped the Rams’ nine-game winning streak. Overbey was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought the girls played well,” Overbey said. “I think we’ve been on a tremendous run.
“Obviously give the credit to Collinsville. They really played hard and they came out hard the second half.
“Maybe we took a step back a little bit and made some mistakes, but they have a ton of technical players in the center of the field and made some nice plays. The good thing is, only two teams get to end their season with a win. We can still be one of them.”
Indeed, Chlebek, one of six seniors who will be graduating just two hours before the kickoff against Huntley, is determined to end her prep career on a high note.
“We’re not done,” Chlebek said. “We want to end the season with a win.”
Starting lineups
Glenbard East
GK Sierra Dana
D Faith Davies
D Paige Taylor
D Katie Hansen
D Sammie Sarles
M Ali Liljestrand
M Holly Ward
M Amanda Chlebek
F Brittany Paganucci
F Elizabeth Toledo
F Dana Plotke
Collinsville
GK Julie Scheiter
D Danilee Knutson
D Chayse Richardson
D Dayle McEwen
M Alynnah O’Leary
M Andrea Frerker
M Emma Knoebel
M Hanna Liljegren
F Courtney Marten
F Tayler Devine
F Emily Holten
MVP of the Match: Emily Holten, F, Collinsville.