Girls Soccer
ALGONQUIN – A.J. Cappello looks at former soccer teammates who are coaching at the high school level and marvels at his good fortune.
All Prairie Ridge senior Kyli Humm wanted was a chance to play soccer in college – that she will get some of her education paid for playing is a bonus.
WEST DUNDEE – Scott Cahill shot a 4-under-par 32 to lead Jacobs’ boys golf team to a 157-172 win at Randall Oaks against Dundee-Crown in Fox Valley Conference play Wednesday.
NORTHWEST HERALD
This is one of those you-never-know-who’s-watching stories.
LAKE IN THE HILLS – Alyse Williams put one foot in front of the other, arms at her sides and hands wrapped around light weights, and lunged forward.
Some athletes are naturally gifted; others are diligent workers who push themselves to their bodies’ limits.
Many fans had high expectations for the Huntley girls soccer team this season, but the players were not quite sure what to expect.
It’s not uncommon for teams to sit down during the preseason and outline what they would like to accomplish.
Northwest Herald All-Area First Team
ALGONQUIN – All the Barrington girls soccer team wanted to do was make it back home, and Huntley did not do much to stand in the Fillies’ way.
BELVIDERE – Sycamore’s girls soccer team knew Crystal Lake Central would put plenty of pressure on the Spartans’ defenders with wave after wave of players.
ALGONQUIN – Panic settled in within the first few minutes of McHenry’s girls soccer match against Barrington on Wednesday. Although the Warriors played a more confident second half, it wasn’t enough.
ALGONQUIN – The official, who was soaked through his jersey by the driving rain, must have looked disappointed that Huntley’s match against Boylan on Tuesday was headed into overtime.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Huntley coach Kris Grabner thinks that his Red Raiders should have met Cary-Grove later in the girls soccer playoffs instead of Saturday’s IHSA Crystal Lake South Class 3A Regional championship.
BURLINGTON – At the start of the season, Crystal Lake Central sophomore Nelle Youel had a difficult time seeing the soccer field.
MACHESNEY PARK – The postseason certainly agrees with the McHenry girls soccer team.
CRYSTAL LAKE – To say that the outcome Tuesday was to make up for last season or to complete a three-game sweep were understating the accomplishment.
MACHENSEY PARK – The McHenry girls soccer team didn’t look like a lowly No. 4 seed Tuesday.
BURLINGTON – Crystal Lake Central’s girls soccer team hoped to take advantage of this year’s shift in the regional playoff matchups.
WOODSTOCK – Marian Central’s girls soccer team advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Marian Central Regional championship game with a 4-0 win Monday against fourth-seeded Johnsburg (1-15-1).
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Huntley girls soccer team has much to prove this postseason after a 22-win regular season and earning a No. 1 seed in the IHSA Class 3A Crystal Lake South
IHSA Regional semifinals begin this week for most local girls soccer teams. Here are five key regional story lines to follow as the postseason unfolds this week.
MARENGO – As time wound down in Saturday’s regional opener against Burlington Central, Marengo girls soccer coach Brandon Holton was starting to lose hope with his team trailing by a goal.
HARVARD – The most meaningful win of the season could come Tuesday, but Saturday the Harvard girls soccer team was content to celebrate what it already had.
RICHMOND – Alden-Hebron’s baseball team added another impressive win to an already impressive season Friday, defeating Richmond-Burton, 5-0, in a non-conference matchup.
Athlete of the week
CRYSTAL LAKE – In a season that has seen as many ups as it has downs for Jacobs’ girls soccer team, Friday was the high-water mark for the Golden Eagles.
WOODSTOCK – Capitalizing on opportunities recently had been a strong point for Marian Central’s girls soccer team.
MARENGO – Marengo’s softball team made it to last season’s IHSA Class 3A state tournament behind great pitching.
CARY – Sophomore midfielder Allie Simon scored only her second goal of the season Tuesday, but it was one of the most important of the year for Cary-Grove’s girls soccer team.
GRAYSLAKE – Johanna Turner struck out 11 in seven innings, and Prairie Ridge’s softball team hung on for a 4-3 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division win Monday against Grayslake Central. Turner improved to 21-4, and the Wolves (23-5 overall, 10-0) remained undefeated in conference play.
McHENRY – The key moment of a comeback win is not necessarily when the game-winning hit occurs.
Athlete of the week
CARY – Cary-Grove’s softball team scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday and hung on for a 5-4 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division win against Jacobs.
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Huntley girls soccer team came into Thursday’s Fox Valley Conference Fox Division match against Prairie Ridge looking to clinch its third consecutive division title.
CARY – Cary-Grove’s girls soccer team remained undefeated in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division play with a 1-0 victory in penalty kicks against Crystal Lake South on Tuesday.
RICHMOND – Faced with an intense situation Tuesday in its girls soccer match against Richmond-Burton, Hampshire needed only to call on past experience.
HUNTLEY – Whichever team wins tonight’s rematch between two of the area’s biggest girls soccer rivals can say the foundation for that victory was laid Monday.
GRAYSLAKE – In a game in which both starting pitchers brought their best stuff to the circle Monday, Johnsburg’s Amanda Daly prevailed with a 3-0 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division win against Grayslake North.
Athlete of the week
HARVARD – A three-goal loss seemed easier to take when assessing the sheer luck that occasionally goes along with soccer.
GRAYSLAKE – If the season has had a turning point for Huntley’s girls soccer team, it probably came the last time the Red Raiders faced Grayslake Central on April 17, Cory Wronski said.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Johanna Turner didn’t need much run support Wednesday in Prairie Ridge’s 12-0 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division win against Grayslake Central.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South’s girls soccer team found all the right offensive combinations Tuesday against McHenry in a 4-0 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division win against the Warriors.
GRAYSLAKE – Johnsburg senior pitcher Amanda Daly dominated the Grayslake Central lineup Monday in the Skyhawks’ 5-1 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division softball victory.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Julie Schwartz knew Prairie Ridge had to score coming out of halftime of its 1-0 win against Marian Central on Saturday in the Prairie Ridge Soccer Tournament.
Athlete of the week
CRYSTAL LAKE – Kelly Petty and the Marian Central girls soccer team established themselves as the team to beat in the Prairie Ridge Soccer Tournament on Friday with a dominating 5-0 opening-round win against Round Lake.
CRYSTAL LAKE – The Fox Valley Conference Fox Division softball opener between Prairie Ridge and Johnsburg shaped up as a pitchers’ duel Thursday, and two of the area’s top pitchers did not disappoint.
