Girls soccer: Crystal Lake Central defeats Vernon Hills to win 2nd straight Class 2A sectional title

DEERFIELD – After Crystal Lake Central and Vernon Hills played an even first half with neither team able to produce many scoring opportunities, Central put the pressure on the Cougars in the second half of their Class 2A Deerfield Sectional final.

The Tigers put 10 shots on goal to one for Vernon Hills over the last 40 minutes of play and finally broke through in the 77th minute after a corner kick from senior midfielder Maddie Gray.

Gray’s corner kick was headed in the air initially and smacked off the crossbar. A rebound shot was stopped by Vernon Hills goalkeeper Carly Sides, but Tigers senior forward Jillian Mueller was there to tap in the go-ahead goal when it came back out to her with 3:59 remaining.

Top-seeded Central kept the shutout intact and topped seventh-seeded Vernon Hills 1-0 to win its second consecutive sectional title. The Tigers (20-2-2) move one step closer to state and will face third-seeded St. Ignatius (13-8-3) in the Deerfield Supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Central also set the team record for wins in a season, reaching 20 for the first time. The Tigers’ previous high was 19 last year and in 2019.

“It was a mad scramble in the box, we had a ton of corners right before, so we knew we had to finish on one,” Mueller said. “It could have been anyone, but I’m glad that I tapped that one in. It was pretty chaotic, and I’m really glad we got a goal out of it.”

Gray had a string of corner kicks down the stretch for the Tigers, who nailed the crossbar once and the post another time during a flurry of scoring chances late. Central finished with eight corner kicks, and Vernon Hills had none.

Central senior midfielder Olivia Anderson had a shot from about 30 yards sail just wide of the goal with six minutes left.

“It was a mad scramble in the box, we had a ton of corners right before, so we knew we had to finish on one. It could have been anyone, but I’m glad that I tapped that one in.”

—  Jillian Mueller, Crystal Lake Central senior forward

“The end of the game can get pretty hectic, so my main goal is to focus and set my teammates up with the best opportunity,” Gray said. “I know when they are given good opportunities, they’re able to put them in. And thankfully they proved me right.

“It was definitely a lot of nerves because we want to go as far as we can. Our team has a really good ability to focus when we need to, so that was the main priority.”

Central senior goalkeeper Addison Cleary made saves on all four shots on goal for Vernon Hills.

Vernon Hills coach Cory Smith felt great about his team’s chances after a close first half. The Cougars just could not hold off the Tigers in the end.

“They are a physical, aggressive team who brings tidal wave after tidal wave against you,” Smith said. “By halftime, that scoreboard looked even. They put bodies in the box and they beat you up physically. To get outshot 26-7, that puts so much pressure on our backs.”

Sides, a senior who will play next year at Northern Michigan, finished the game with 11 saves.

Vernon Hills (11-8-2) earned its first regional championship since 2019 with a 1-0 win against Deerfield. The Cougars beat St. Viator in penalty kicks to reach Saturday’s sectional title game.

“We were seeded seventh, and we were able to beat the No. 2 and 3 seed (Deerfield and St. Viator), which I thought was really special,” Sides said of the Cougars’ postseason run. “I think they’ll still have a strong team next year. We’re going to have a young team, but I think in the next few years they can make it out to another sectional.”

Smith said the team will miss its nine seniors: Sides, Ella Winsett, Meagan Winckler, Sara Budziak, Ava Lukyan, Lauren Hampton, Lydia Kessel, Sarah Zimmerman and Berenice Gonzalez.

“I’m super proud of these girls and sad that nine of them are leaving,” Smith said. “By the time we were rolling into the playoffs, it really started to feel like we had some talent in particular spots where we can put pressure on people even if the quality of the team is good. By the time we beat Deerfield, there was belief. We had the ability to be smart, stay organized, weather the storm and counter. And that was a bit of the formula for a fun season.”

The Tigers are hoping to make it back-to-back state tournament appearances after taking third last season.

“Every game is a little bit more intense, a little bit more pressure, but these kids – we have a lot of seniors, a lot of experience,” Central coach Sarah Fack said. “I think they’re going to be OK with keeping their composure, playing their game.

“All we can do is play our best, play with our hearts and not give up.”