NAPERVILLE — Sometimes the best moments are the unplanned ones.

There wasn’t any doubt that Triad had a corner kick to take late in Friday’s Class AA state semifinal game against Notre Dame (Peoria), but there was uncertainty regarding who was going to take it.

Ultimately it was senior Maddie Hunt who stepped up to the ball. What ensued was the biggest corner kick of her season. Sophomore Kamryn Bohnenstiehl got on the end of it with 7:57 remaining. The volley hit the underside of the crossbar and bounded down and behind the goal line to provide the difference in a 1-0 victory.

It sends the Knights to yet another state title game – they’ll attempt to win the program’s fifth state title since 2017.

“We were all moved around, and the other one who was supposed to take it was in the middle,” Hunt said. “So, I guess I was the one who had to go take it.

“The original plan was for (sophomore) Reece (Windsor) to take it, but she was in the middle marking. We didn’t want to take her out of the middle, because it would be dangerous. I do take corners, but usually on the side I’m playing on.”

The fortuitous switch and its aftermath means Triad (22-4-1) will be matched against Crystal Lake Central (22-2-2) in the Class AA title game Saturday. The start time is listed as 4:30 p.m., but it could begin later if the Class A championship game goes to extra time.

“I feel like we’ve had a lot of motivation,” Hunt said. “A lot of coaches and other teams from down from where we’re from (the St. Louis metro area) thought it would be an off-year for us. That helped for our motivation. 

“And we get yelled at quite a bit. We are always correcting those little things, and it shows it’s all worth it in the end. We’re playing in June.”

Bohnenstiehl has grown up watching her sisters win state titles for Triad. In a way, she’s used to this, despite playing in the Final Four for the first time.

Sisters Avery Bohnenstiehl and Carson Bohnenstiehl were on the 2022 championship team that defeated Benet. Today, Carson is a senior captain for the Knights. Avery and Carson were also on the 2021 championship team that went undefeated. 

Another sister, Morgan Bohnenstiehl, was a senior on the 2017 championship team that edged Wheaton Academy on penalty kicks after Sam Bassler, Meaghan Smith, Molly Suess, Sierra Schlemmer and Jody Ellis converted their attempts.

The shot attempt that Kamryn Bohnenstiehl took was especially meaningful, because she shared the field with one sister and the other two cheering her on in the stands.

“It feels really good,” she said. “I’ve watched all three of my sisters win state championships so it’s really exciting for me to be playing for one now. I remember watching all of their games. They were so much fun to watch.”

Now she’s the one providing the entertainment for her sisters.

“They just kind of said to go nonstop until the game is over,” she said. “They said your hurt on the field will go away once you win.”

Whether the ball found Bohnenstiehl or she found it is a matter of perspective on the game-winning play.

“I saw everybody crashing back post, and the ball was just coming to me. So I decided to hit it,” she said. “It’s definitely the best goal I’ve ever scored.”

She was recognized as the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her game-changing play.

Notre Dame (Peoria) was dangerous, especially during the second half. Having allowed just nine goals coming into the match, while scoring 105, the Irish were hoping a victory and 21st shutout. Instead, they fell short of playing for the title.

“I thought we did well,” Irish junior defender Alli Stickelmaier said. “We gave ourselves chances. Unfortunately, we just didn’t bring it well until the end. They got that goal in the last few minutes, but we kept going and didn’t stop fighting. It just didn’t come out the way we wanted it to.”

Triad nearly took a 1-0 lead late in the first half. Hunt fired a shot that goalkeeper Sydnee Wharton denied, but Looby followed with a shot off the rebound. Their appeared to be an opening for her shot to enter the net, but Notre Dame (Peoria) senior defender Elly Bare blocked it with just under nine minutes left.

In the 36th minute, the Irish’s Ava LaFollette secured possession, turned and took a quick shot, but Triad sophomore goalkeeper Payton Hartmann made a diving save. About a minute later, the Irish had a nice cross centered in the box but no one could turn it into a shot attempt. 

Notre Dame (Peoria) fought from start to finish.

“I feel like (the key to this season) has been not giving up no matter what,” Stickelmaier said. Today wasn’t the best, but when we’ve been down a goal in the season, we’ve kept fighting. It’s not the end of the game. Even today we didn’t stop fighting. Unfortunately, it didn’t come out the way we expected.”

The Irish will look to regroup and finish the season with a victory in the Class AA third place game against Burlington Central at 10 a.m. 

“We’re not playing for the championship, but no matter what we’re going to bring it (tomorrow), because we can still win that third place trophy,” Stickelmaier said. “And I still want the best for our team and for us to get the best place we can.”

The Irish were able to keep Triad’s Looby out of the scoring column. The sophomore leads the Knights with 16 goals.

“They had a really good defensive line and their motivation was to take it up the field,” Looby said. “I think we were having trouble getting it down and possessing.”

On the flip side, the Knights didn’t allow LaFollette (24 goals, 12 assists) to beat them. While the sophomore could potentially score nearly every time she has the ball, the Knights limited her touches. When she did break free someone was always there to break things up or Triad relied on Hartmann to provide the ultimate security.

Starting lineups

Triad
GK: Payton Hartmann 
D: Reece Windsor 
D: Maddie Hunt 
D: Hannah Sparks 
D: Isabel Boyd 
MF: Kamryn Bohnenstiehl 
MF: Maddie Conreux 
MF: Sophia Bohnak 
F: Emma Correale 
F: London Looby 
F: Alina Ayran

Notre Dame (Peoria) 
GK: Sydnee Wharton 
D: Addison Bellamy 
D: Ellen Dahlquist 
D: Alli Stickelmaier 
D: Emy Wardle 
MF: Elly Bare 
MF: Maddie Stickelmaier 
MF: Abigail Shaddock 
F: Parker Miller 
F: Mya Wardle 
F: Ava LaFollette

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Kamryn Bohnenstiehl, so., F, Triad

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring

Second half
T: Kamryn Bohnenstiehl (Maddie Hunt), 73’