Boylan falls to Burlington Central as last girls soccer team bows out of postseason

Boylan, the final girls soccer team from the Rockford area still alive, was bounced from the IHSA Class 2A state playoffs Saturday by a 2-1 setback at the hands of Burlington Central in the Belvidere Sectional finals.

The Titans trailed much of the day, but with just over five minutes left they got re-energized by a goal, and came back to life. It made for a crazy finish with a lot of shots on goal, but nothing went in, and Boylan (18-3-3) bowed out.

More Rockford-area soccer: Down goes Belvidere North and Cortlyn Hefty, leaving Boylan as last girls soccer team standing

"We just couldn't quite get it done," said Kiley Beck, a Boylan assistant coach who, earlier in the season, took over for head coach Taylor Meyers while she had her first baby. "It's tough to go out this way, but Burlington Central is a quality squad, and they sure showed up for this one."

Freshman Delilah Hawley found a good angle and put one into the back of the net late in the game to rally Boylan.

"She got a quality look, and she finished," Beck said. "We had a lot of good looks tonight, we just didn't finish them... They, on the other hand, got like two good shots tonight, and they both went in."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Down goes Boylan, and the last remaining girls soccer team in the area