HP_052418

28 | May 24, 2018 | The highland park landmark Sports
hplandmark.com
Girls Soccer
Penalty kicks knock Giants out of postseason
Brittany Kapa, Sports Editor
After 100 minutes of
play, Highland Park and
Lake Forest were deadlocked
in a scoreless tie.
The regional semifinal
game went into penalty
kicks, since the game can’t
end in a tie, and after firstround
misses by both teams
it was still anyone’s game.
Jamie Stern scored in
the penalty kick to keep
Highland Park even with
Lake Forest, but the Giants
missed the next two
attempts and lost the series
3-1.
Ultimately, the Giants
fell to the Scouts 1-0 in the
IHSA regional semifinal
game May 15, ending their
season.
Highland Park (6-8-4,
2-3-2 Central Suburban
North) spent the first 20
minutes of the game defending
Lake Forest and
was unable to break past
the midfield line.
“It just really came down
to us settling down,” Highland
Park coach Kate Straka
said. “In the first half we
were all over the place. We
weren’t really confident.
“In the second half I really
think our defensive
backs, Sydney Cohn and
Eva Hanson, really took
ownership of the game.”
Sophomore Hanson
played a solid game, and
in her time with Highland
Park has started every
game. She has become a
reliable member for the Giants
squad.
“When Sydney Cohn
went down with a cramp,
here comes Eva Hanson as
the anchor for our back,”
Straka said. “She has just
done an amazing job. I
think we put a lot of responsibility
on Eva and she
did awesome.”
The Giants defensive
core was the cause of much
frustration for the Scouts
the entire game.
“It’s hard to break them
down,” Stuckslager said.
“I thought Eva [Hanson] in
the back did a great job. Up
top, their No. 3 (Kirby Bartelstein),
she’s a smart player,
and 11 (Jolie Carl) can
dribble. It’s a hard one.”
The Scouts had an excellent
scoring opportunity
when Grace Hardy headed
a Dimi Schweitzer corner
kick but the Giants’ Mae
Ohlwein thwarted the opportunity,
clearing the ball.
“I think that is her third
goal line save of the year,”
Straka said. “She just has
a knack for being in the
right place at the right time.
We’re so thankful that
Mave is always there.”
Ohlewin, a junior forward,
will return next year.
Offensively, players like
Nancy Iden and Bartelstein,
both seniors, worked to get
shots on net during the
game. Both players stepped
up their game in the second
half and overtime halves to
give the Giants plenty of
opportunities.
“She was just so strong
up top,” Straka said of Bartelstein.
“She was battling;
she was running. She, I
think, put the Lake Forest
defense on their heels for
a little bit. That allowed
our midfield some room to
work, especially Jolie Carl.
She was able to squirm
around as she normally
does.”
Carl and Sydney Cohen
are normally the dynamic
scoring duo for Highland
Park, and even though they
found each other a few
times the Scouts defense
Sydney Cohen (21) heads the ball during the Lake Forest regional semifinal game May 15 in Lake Forest. Photos by
Brittany Kapa/22nd Century Media
shut down any possible
scoring attempts.
In net, freshman goalkeeper
Morgan Cohen
peaked at the right time for
Highland Park and thwarted
the Scouts’ offensive
scoring opportunities.
“This is the best game
I’ve seen her play, in terms
of confidence,” Straka said.
“She was able to own some
of the crosses and take
ownership of the 18-yard
box, which we’ve been
waiting for all season. I’m
so proud she was able to
mature in this game.”
In the end, Straka said
she was happy with the
game her team put out even
if it didn’t end their way.
“We were able to put together
a really lovely team
game,” she said.
Highland Park’s Jolie Carl (left) watches the ball head for the sideline.