SYCAMORE – Gracie Lepage ran up the left side and connected with a goal in the first half. Sixteen minutes later, the Crystal Lake South freshman ran up the right side and the result was the same.
Those two goals were all the offense the Gators had against the Sycamores, but they were also all they needed for a 2-0 win against the Spartans on Thursday.
“We had to play and compete against good teams,” Lepage said. “We knew how to handle the ball when we led 2-0. We just relied on each other.”
Lepage's first goal for the Gators (2-2) came on a counterattack in the 14th minute, past a raised Sycamore defense. Spartans (1-1) goaltender Tyra Brannstrom also got up and tried to slide to disrupt Lepage's run.
However, Lepage broke through and caught up with the ball, slamming it into a wide open net for a 1-0 lead.
“I'm just asking for the ball down the line,” Lepage said. “I just calmly chose a spot in front of the goal to shoot.”
The next goal was a one-time shot from the right side. Looper's shot went over Brannstrom's head and under the crossbar. That goal in the 30th minute gave the Gators a 2-0 lead.
“The second game was a little disappointing,” Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley said after his team played its second game in as many days. “It seemed like she got the ball up in the air and caught her line, but the bounce didn’t seem to go the way we wanted it to.”
Bickley said LePage and Autumn Samples are the Gators' top dangerous attackers.
And while Samples is a senior, the Gators started five freshmen on Thursday.
“It's tough sometimes to have a freshman like that come in and contribute like she does,” Crystal Lake South coach Caitlin Dayton said. “The girls took her into her heart. … It's not about whether a player is a freshman or a senior, it's about who can come out and compete.”
The Sycamores had chances, but couldn't connect on shots or get the bounce the Spartans needed. Near the end of the first half, Kortni Kruzenga fired a rocket toward the Gators' goal, but the shot went over the crossbar.
Kruzenga also fired a rocket in the second half that was on target but deflected away by goalkeeper Emily Stewart in the 60th minute. The Spartans had another chance in the 74th minute when Izzy Segreti's looper shot hit the bottom of the right upright. However, the ball bounced off the net and the Sycamore offense and was easily cleared by Crystal Lake South.
“We hit the post twice, which could have tied it,” Bickley said. “I think we fought in the second half and did some good things. … It's up to you to take advantage of his two chances. [by Kruizenga] And it's hard to say, but maybe they're changing their playstyle. The ball bounced a little bit, but that didn't seem to happen. ”
With this win, the Gators ended their losing streak at two. They lost 3-1 to Schaumburg on Saturday and 5-1 to Belvidere North on Tuesday. These two teams have a combined record of 6-1.
“I think that was a good response after two tough games,” Dayton said. We played some good teams and got off to a good start against a good team in Grayslake North, but the next two games we had a little bit of competition and a little bit of a wall to break through. . So I think the goal we scored in the first half definitely set the tone. ”
