Girls soccer: Crystal Lake Central earns redemption, wins sectional title in OT

BURLINGTON – All Olivia Anderson did was act on instinct when she sprinted toward the ball in the first overtime period against Boylan Catholic on Friday night, but when her shot went past Titans goalkeeper Natalya Razo, Anderson completed a year’s worth of work toward redemption for Crystal Lake Central.

The Tigers wanted another shot at the Titans after losing to them in penalty kicks during last season’s sectional final. Central got exactly what it wanted and delivered when Anderson’s overtime goal went in and Central held on to win 4-3 to capture the Class 2A Burlington Central Sectional title.

“I was blessed that I was in the right place at the right time,” Anderson said. “It could’ve been anybody but I was so thankful that I could sink that one in. All that’s running through my head is joy.”

The two teams battled to a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation after neither team could hold on to a lead for more than six minutes. Central (17-3) came out aggressive to start the second half and kept up that intensity into overtime when the Tigers forced Razo to make a save that bounced farther in front of her than she could bring in.

[ Photos: Crystal Lake Central vs. Boylan in the IHSA Class 2A Burlington Central Girls Soccer Sectional ]

The Tigers talked about following up on rebounds, so when Anderson saw the ball rolling away from Razo, she sprinted toward it and shot it past Razo’s outreached hands to give Central a 4-3 lead with 5:07 left in overtime period.

“She’s just a smart player that’s just insanely determined,” Central coach Sarah Fack said. “When she puts her mind to it, she’s got everything she needs to get there. She was just on tonight and she wanted it, she got it.”

The Tigers limited the Titans in the final period and in overtime, but Boylan still created some scoring chances. Boylan had a free kick just outside the box with two minutes left in the match and a corner kick with less than a minute left, but Central goalkeeper Addison Cleary and the Tigers defense kept the lead to earn the sectional title.

“We didn’t lose sight of what we wanted,” Anderson said. “We wanted to win.”

Central took control early when Brooklynn Carlson scored with 34:49 left in the first half to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Boylan battled right back when Maggie Schmidt scored with 33:04 left in the first half. The Titans took their first lead when Joscelyn Posada scored with 11:21 left in the first half but Lizzie Gray responded with a goal to tie the match with 9:32 left in the first half.

“I was blessed that I was in the right place at the right time. It could’ve been anybody but I was so thankful that I could sink that one in. All that’s running through my head is joy.”

—  Olivia Anderson, Crystal Lake Central junior

The Tigers thought they scored the winning goal when Shaylee Gough headed in a goal off a corner kick with 8:05 left in the match, but Boylan fought back, tying the match 3-3 when Kyra Cruickshank scored with 2:10 left in the match.

Central knew Friday wouldn’t be a one-goal match, and both teams knew the other could quickly overcome 1-0 deficits after each did so in the sectional semifinals Tuesday. Fack was proud of how strong her team was mentally to overcome the highs and lows of an important match.

“It just shows a lot of mental toughness, it just shows their grit, their beliefs that we talked about this year,” Fack said. “They believe they can do it and keep working toward it.”

The Tigers will have to change their goals quickly when they play Lake Forest (11-7-3) on Tuesday at the Grayslake Central Supersectional for a chance to advance to state for the first time in program history.

After spending an entire year working for Friday’s moment, the Tigers are ready for their new goal.

“We’re just feeling really optimistic,” Anderson said. “This is what we’ve worked for all season and we’re blessed to be in this moment. we’ll savor this moment, but when practice starts, it’s next game. We want to win state, that’s the goal.”