BUFFALO GROVE -- Penalties were needed late Tuesday night following a hard fought 1-1 draw after 100 minutes between Elk Grove and Conant at Buffalo Grove High School’s Grant Blaney Stadium.
Conant’s Annabel Danso made two shootout saves, while her teammates were perfect in all four rounds to lead Conant edge past Mid-Suburban League foe Elk Grove in a Buffalo Grove Regional semifinal.
Next up for the Cougars is second-seeded Fremd at 5 p.m. Friday. The Vikings downed the host school 2-0 in the opener.
"The first time we played Elk Grove, they beat us maybe in the 78th minute. We kind of gave up a soft goal," recounted Cougars manager Jeff Melone of the 1-0 home loss May 1 in a Mid-Suburban League match.
"I am sure that Annabel would have liked to have that goal back, but tonight she redeemed herself with a terrific effort all night long.”
Conant (9-6-1), the 10th-seed in the Hersey Sectional, will look to upset West Division champion Fremd, which handed Melone’s club a 4-0 setback April 5.
Seventh-seeded Elk Grove was on the outside looking in after the match.
"I thought we played well enough to win tonight," said Grenadiers manager Gabby Whittinghill, the East Division Coach of the Year who has turned her program around from a 7-10-1 season a year ago and a 1-12-0 record in 2021. “But as everyone usually says, this is a hard way to go out.
"We had an unbelievable group of seniors who gave so much, on and off the field. Right now, I feel really bad for them.
"We'll miss them, but there's a very nice core of players coming back. We know the future is bright."
Only five of Elk Grove’s first 11 were seniors on a club that finished 14-6-0 overall for the school’s best record since 2018. The Grenadiers finished second in the East Division with an 8-3-0 mark. The program last won a regional in 2017.
"Gabby has a very good team,” Melone said. “They have a solid freshman keeper (Idabelle Hoebert) and a quality backline with no. 15 (Kayce Wadas) always in great position and a very smart defender. We knew we were in for a tight match tonight."
"We talked about how our game last time with (Elk Grove) didn't end the way we wanted, because of that late goal we gave up," began Cougars senior Megan Ferengul, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor with Wadas.
"We knew if we wanted to play in the regional final that it was important to play 80 full minutes of soccer. Even though it was 100 minutes, I felt like all of us gave it all that we could the entire night."
Both sides suggested they started the contest better than the other. An impartial viewer thought Elk Grove enjoyed more of the play during the first 20 minutes.
Conant nearly hit the opener in the sixth minute when an early ball attempt from Gabby Coyne found Vivian Brand, who forced Hoebert to parry a dangerous shot out of bounds for a corner, which then led to a deep throw.
After Amani Urban made her toss into the box, it spilled freely to Sophie Dobrincu, whose one-timer called Hoebert back into the action to quash a glorious opportunity for the Cougars.
Elk Grove slowly began to find its form with the ball on the foot of scoring star Megan Maher (24 goals, 10 assists) up-top and from some terrific work from Caroline Hadler and Mia Jonas, and Taylor Wirtz coming out of the back that tilted the play in favor of the green shirts.
Maher played a lovely early ball to Azzul Rascon, who tested Danso from in-close.
Danso elevated high off the ground to stop the effort but lost the ball on the way down. The ball fell on her goal line as Melone and his bench held its collective breath, but Elk Grove was unable to slot home the first goal of the game.
"That was close," Melone said with a wry smile.
Ferengul gave her side first blood when she finished what Urban started with a throw-in.
Dobrincu worked herself free before providing a terrific ball inside the box that Elk Grove failed to clear. That allowed Ferengul to fire home the opener in the 22nd minute.
"Sophie did a great job on our goal. She works so hard out there for us," said Ferengul.
"Sophie has not been healthy all year long,” Melone added about the three-time all-MSL player. “She goes out there for us at maybe 70 percent and gives us great distribution, a difficult target player and someone who is unselfish with each game she plays."
Conant was derailed in the final third on two-consecutive occasions thanks to Elk Grove’s well-executed offside trap. A third attempt to pry open things ended when an Olivia Hagler offering, through Urban and Dobrincu, was collected when Hoebert ventured far off her line.
Hagler skimmed the roof with her half volley just after the half hour. Dobrincu ended the first half with an effort over the bar.
"I thought we played much better after Megan's goal," said Coyne, the Cougars terrific all-conference freshman. “We came out a little slow after the break, and they took advantage of it.”
Elk Grove charged out of the intermission.
"I was really happy with the way we came out in the second half,” Whittinghill said. “We got back even right away, and then had a couple of great chances to add another.”
Ella Duckmann, Jonas, Maher and Hadler, and Wadas from out of the back, went in search of the equalizer. It came just four minutes into the new half.
Hadler ran on to a corner from Wadas and redirected past Danso, who had no chance on the shooter’s seventh goal of the season.
Now playing with more confidence than at any time in this contest, the Grenadiers moved free and easy.
Quick passing, a higher percentage of completed passes and better ball movement led to several corners and deep throws but nothing of great quality on frame.
Maher broke free from a trio of players with some deft footwork to earn another corner. Later she had a shot attempt blocked on the way in. Jonas got to the ball but sent it wide and over the bar in the 61st minute.
"We really felt like we had another one (goal) coming with the way we were playing,” said Whittinghill. “But we just couldn't put one in."
"(Elk Grove) put us under some pressure during the last 10-15 of regulation, but our backline came up big. So did both Brianna Serna at the six and Gianna (Richter), who each won so many balls for us," said Melone.
Added Ferengul, "Gianna was just amazing today.
"She won so many first and second balls for us. She and Reese (Staniak) were great today. So was Gabby, who really helped in our attack."
Knowing the next goal could be the game-winner, the final 10 minutes of regulation featured end-to-end action.
After Maher went wide, Conant got another well-struck free kick from Staniak that was volleyed out of the area by Hadler, and a Coyne smash that went over the bar.
With neither side able to solve the other, the contest went to extra time with a pair of 10-minute guaranteed periods.
Once there, the first 10 saw both clubs play conservative and coy.
Not so during the next overtime.
Elk Grove keeper Hoebert was kept busy with a trio of saves, her best coming in a crowd with a brave effort that punched away yet another Staniak free kick in the 98th minute.
Maher and Jonas each went close for the Grenadiers before the referee ended the 100-minute affair and sent the semifinal into penalty kicks.
The Cougars proved masterful with their spot-kicks, steering in four-straight from Brand, Ferengul, Avery Connelly and Coyne.
Danso dashed the hopes of Elk Grove with terrific saves on the first two shots.
"Annabel came through for us when we needed it most, and we also did a great job putting our chances in," said Melone.
"Annabel led the way in the shootout, and the rest of us did our job to help give us the win," Coyne said.
Elk Grove’s Maher and Wadas steered in their spot-kicks, but it wasn't enough for the Grenadiers.
"It's been a great year for Elk Grove soccer," began Whittinghill.
"I am very proud of this group of girls, and even though right now everyone is disappointed, we can all look back and know we accomplished a lot this season."
STARTING 11
Conant (4-3-3)
GK- Annabel Danso
D- Amani Urban
D- Gianna Richter
D- Reese Staniak
D- Olivia Hagler
M- Avery Connelly
M- Megan Ferengul
M- Brianna Serna
F- Gabby Coyne
F- Sophie Dobrincu
F- Vivian Brand
Elk Grove (4-3-3)
GK- Idabelle Hoebert
D- Emily Fiorito
D- Taylor Wirtz
D- Kayce Wadas
D- Darien Koszeqski
M- Ella Duckmann
M- Caroline Hadler
M- Chloe Eizenga
F- Julia Jacorzynska
F- Maggie Maher
F- Mia Jonas
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Megan Ferengul, sr., MF, Conant;
Kayce Wadas, sr., D, Elk Grove
Scoring summary
First half
Conant: Ferengul (Dobrincu), 22'
Second half
Elk Grove: Hadler (Wadas), 44'
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout (Conant wins 4-2/4)
Conant: Brand, Ferengul, Connelly, Coyne.
Elk Grove: save, save, Maher, Wadas
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