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BURBANK – Alex Lehnert wasn’t on the Lincoln-Way Central girls soccer team last year.
She made sure the Knights repeated as the Reavis Windy Ram City Soccer Classic Tournament champions this season.
Lehnert, a junior who played only club soccer the past two seasons, converted the Knights’ final penalty kick as they won the extra-session shootout 5-3 to defeat Lockport 1-0 on Thursday evening in Burbank.
“It was exciting watching them play last year,” Lehnert said. “So I wanted to be part of it, and I’m glad I am.”
Especially when Lincoln-Way Central (5-0) shot first in the penalty kick session and converted the first four. Lockport (4-1) missed its first attempt off the crossbar. That left Lehnert with an opportunity to end it, and she delivered with a sharp shot into the left corner.
“That was a moment I’ll never forget,” Lehnert said of the game-winner. “It was just great. I love being around my teammates.”
Senior Christine Erdman, sophomore Abby Sudkamp, junior Lila Hadley, and senior Madisyn Kenworthy also converted for the Knights in the shootout. Lockport’s three scores were by juniors Heather Canny, Emma Czech and Natalie Zodrow.
“Find a way is what we did,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey said. “Lockport is loaded with talent. We just had to take away as many options of theirs as we could.”
The Knights did just that, but it wasn’t easy. Lockport had more offensive opportunities, including a shot by Canny that just missed 20 seconds into the game.
“I thought it was going in. It was just to the right and so close,” said Canny, who missed all of last season with an ACL injury but already has six goals this season, including one with 38 seconds left in overtime as Lockport defeated Glenbrook South 2-1 on Tuesday in the second semifinal. “But we have a lot of good things happening. I tore my ACL in club season of my sophomore year, but I’m glad to be back. We will be back as a team.”
Zodrow also had an excellent opportunity for the Porters, but her shot was tipped by sophomore Sofia Jumes and hit the crossbar six minutes into the first half.
Jumes was on the JV team last season and didn’t expect to be the starting keeper but she’s worked herself into that position.
“I tipped it up and heard the clank,” Jumes said of the save. “Then I wasn’t sure where it was but we cleared it.
“I was nervous being the starting goalie but I love it now. I owe so much to my defense. They are amazing.”
Erdman, Sudkamp, along with seniors Chloe Grundhofer and Alexa Stockrahm anchor a Knights’ defense that hasn’t allowed a goal all season.
Lincoln-Way Central didn’t get an offensive attack into the Porter zone until 22 minutes into the game. Kenworthy had a corner kick, and Erdman had a good shot that was headed out by the Lockport defense in the first half.
The halves are shortened to 35 minutes in the tourney. Junior Meghan Mack had a nice send-in during the opening minute of the second half, and Canny had a touch on it. But Jumes fell on it. Bella Diorio, one of only three seniors on the team, had numerous opportunities on restarts in the second half for the Porters, but none could find the mark.
Madi Watt, a sophomore, had a great chance for the Knights just over a minute into the second overtime but sophomore keeper Liz Rock corralled it.
“We have three great defenders,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei said of juniors Czech and fellow juniors Kaylin Klutcharch and Brinlee McNabb. “We have plenty to build on and a lot of good things. But we also have a lot of new players and it’s going to take us a while to completely jell.”
The title game was very reminiscent of last year when the Knights toppled Lincoln-Way East 2-1, including 4-3 in six rounds of penalty kicks to win the championship.
“We have a great, scrappy group who play big for each other,” Fahey said. “They take pride in these shutouts.”