Williamsville girls soccer punches ticket to state, Althoff sinks SHG: 1A supersectionals
Here are the Class 1A girls soccer supersectional results around the Springfield area:
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WILLIAMSVILLE 1, ROCK ISLAND ALLEMAN 0: At Chillicothe, a pair of sophomores catapulted the Bullets (23-4) to their first state appearance since 2016 and second overall.
Kendyl Mirabile assisted to Brooklyn Termine on a cross in the 12th minute and Williamsville will meet Chicago University in the state semifinals hosted by North Central College in Naperville on Thursday at 7 p.m. CU prevailed 4-2 over Elmhurst Timothy Christian with three goals in the second overtime.
It was Termine's 46th goal of the season. The sophomore midfielder was named Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-sectional with 28 goals and 10 assists as a freshman last year, but coach Joe Fandel emphasized this team is different from past seasons with an array of different contributors on offense.
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Sophomore Calynn Frye is second on the team with 35 goals while junior Emile Mikus has 21. Mirabile has 15 goals and team-best 26 assists.
"I think it's a great learning experience for them," Fandel said of his young team that features just three seniors. "This Rock Island Alleman team was at state last year and they didn't have a single senior on the team then. It's a nice reward for the hard work these girls have put in."
Alleman (9-10-3) was state runnerup last season.
Fandel said his team left everything on the field.
"It was a good team effort today," Fandel said.
BELLEVILLE ALTHOFF CATHOLIC 1, SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 0: At North Mac, Gabby Orlet scored on a Molly Lanter free kick that caromed off the crossbar in the 22nd minute and the Crusaders will return to the state finals for the first time since winning the 1A crown in 2021.
Althoff (13-9-3) will meet Des Plaines Willows Academy in the other state semifinal on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The championship game is Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
"That’s a new play," Orlet said of the free kick. "We’ve never run it in a game before, so I was a little nervous. But I looked at my teammates and I was like, ‘Just find the ball,’ and Molly played a perfect ball. It couldn’t have been better, so it was easy to finish."
Orlet huddled with other teammates around the ball before spinning around and darting toward the net as Lanter launched the ball.
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"I would be confused if I was playing defense and people started running in circles," Orlet said, "but it worked and I couldn’t have been happier."
SHG concludes 20-6.
"They had a really good game plan and they have girls in the back who are really good," SHG coach Mike Lindsey said. "The biggest thing is we just couldn’t catch a break. We played what we wanted to do. Up until the second half, we had the push and then we got a little out of shape.
"Overall, I’m really proud of the girls and what they did this year. It’s not what we wanted to do in the end, but in time, they’ll look back at it and think, ‘That was really good.’"
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Williamsville girls soccer grabs state berth, SHG bows to Althoff
