Girls lacrosse: Crystal Lake Central co-op stays undefeated, downs Huntley 6-3

HUNTLEY – Addison Bechler didn’t panic when Crystal Lake Central co-op trailed Huntley by a goal 12 minutes into their game Wednesday.

Bechler knew if the Tigers stayed connected on the field, their high-scoring offense would eventually click like it had throughout the season.

Her confidence paid off as Central grabbed a lead it wouldn’t give up to win 6-3 to stay undefeated.

“Our team connection helps with everything,” Bechler said. “We work really well, just talking and communicating on the field. If that chemistry wasn’t there, I don’t think we’d be as good as we are now.”

Central (9-0, 2-0 Fox Valley Conference) averaged 14.4 goals per game heading into Wednesday’s contest and showed off just how quickly the Tigers can score once they got going. Bechler tied the game 1-all with 13:02 left in the first half when she took the ball and drove down the middle to the net and fired it past Huntley goalie Savannah Stone.

The Tigers took the lead for good when Fiona Lemke took the ball out from behind the net and decided to shoot instead of pass, scoring to make it 2-1 with 4:34 left in the first half. Maddi Lieflander made it 3-1 24 seconds later, and Bechler added her second goal with 2:14 left in the first half.

Bechler scored her third goal in the second half, and Colleen Dunlea also scored. Central finished the night with 15 shots on goal, eight of which came in the first half.

“I just think keeping the positivity up helps out,” Bechler said. “If we get down on ourselves and get negative then everything just goes downhill. Staying positive really helps.”

The Tigers had the task of replacing Piper LeFevre, who was the Northwest Herald Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. But Central coach Joe Capalbo has had different players step up in the first nine games of the season, with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 121-32.

Capalbo has watched the offense become more dynamic this season.

“This is definitely the best offense we’ve ever had,” Capalbo said. “Giving up one goal early on doesn’t rattle us, we know we’re going to score with any team. Just having confidence.”

Huntley’s Ally Schneider scored with 22:32 left in the first half to give the Red Raiders (2-6, 1-1 FVC) an early 1-0 lead. She added her second goal with 13:15 left in the match, and Allie Ambrogio rounded out the scoring.

“Our team connection helps with everything. We work really well, just talking and communicating on the field. If that chemistry wasn’t there, I don’t think we’d be as good as we are now.”

—  Addison Bechler, Crystal Lake Central co-op sophomore

Huntley limited the Tigers’ to their fewest goals scored in a game this the season in a performance coach Joe Domka said should be a boost moving forward.

“That’s probably the best that we have played against them,” Domka said. “I think we’re starting to be competitive in our division. Even though we lost, I think we showed ourselves that we’re a good team.”

Huntley will host the Plainfield co-op on Friday, while Central will host Hampshire on Friday.

Capalbo has been impressed with his team’s 9-0 start, but he knows there’s more work to be done with a tougher schedule coming up. The Tigers will play Lake Forest, which defeated Central in the supersectional last season, as well as other strong programs like St. Charles co-op, Hersey and Stevenson.

“We know that our schedule is only getting tougher from here,” Capalbo said. “We’ve got a couple hard weeks coming up. It’s trying to keep them level-headed, not get super confident, because we know what we have ahead of us. We’ve got some big goals moving forward.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/sports/2023/04/20/girls-lacrosse-crystal-lake-central-co-op-stays-undefeated-downs-huntley-6-3/