MK_031419

38 | March 14, 2019 | the mokena messenger sports
mokenamessenger.com
Cales, Clark combine for eight goals in season-opening win
Central aims for
sectional title with
many returning
starters back
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
When the Lincoln-
Way Central girl’s water
polo team was eliminated
from the postseason in the
sectional semifinals last
spring, coach Pam Dettman
looked forward to this
year.
“This was a rebuilding
year for us as we only had
two seniors,” Dettman said
after a 10-4 loss to eventual
sectional champion Lincoln-Way
East on May 11,
2018. “I’m very proud of
them. They’re hungry and
still want more. After the
[East] game they all said
they can’t wait to come
back next year.”
Well, next year is here.
Armed with a bevy of
returners and a new goalkeeper,
the Knights are
looking to return to the
form that allowed them to
go to the State Finals four
times in a six-year span
between 2012-17.
Central took its first step
toward that and got off to
a good start this season by
breaking away in the second
half, leading to a 10-7
victory over St. Charles
North in a nonconference
clash on Thursday, March
7 in New Lenox.
“We have all but two
people back,” said Dettman,
whose team graduated
three-year goalkeeper
Claire Connors and
Caroline Heathcock from
last year’s team. “Obviously
we hope to take our
[Southwest Suburban]
conference and sectional
titles back. But ultimately
we want to see the girls
grow and improve. The
team will improve in the
process.
“I’m definitely happy.
This was a good way to
start the season, with a
nice victory.”
It was the fourth straight
season that the Knights
(1-0) opened the season
against St. Charles
North (1-1), which defeated
Schaumburg 14-6
on March 4 in its season
opener. Last year Central
won a wild game by the
score of 9-8 in overtime.
This time around the
score was tied 3-3 at halftime
and it looked like
the game was headed
for another down-to-thewire
finish. But Central
had other ideas and after
regrouping at halftime,
came out and scored six
straight goals to open the
third quarter and take control.
Senior Megan Cales, a
four-year varsity player
who finished with a gamehigh
five goals, had four
of them in the run. She
tallied into the upper right
corner 37 seconds into
the quarter to start the
spurt. Junior Sierra Maze
and senior Maddie Clark
(3 goals) followed with
scores and then Cales
completed the run with a
trio of goals, the last one
at the 1:45 mark of the
quarter for an 8-3 Knights
lead.
“[In the second half] we
all went into fight mode
and each girl contributed,”
Cales said. “They
all stepped up and that allowed
me to be open.
“It’s always fun to face
[St. Charles North]. Last
year was a really fun game
and it’s a great game to see
Lincoln-Way Central’s Sierra Maze (right) blankets a St. Charles North’s Anna Devries
at the point during the Knights’ season opener Thursday, March 7.
Photos by James Sanchez/22nd Century Media
Jackie McGuire fires a shot.
where we are at as a team.
We have a lot of good underclassmen
and I’m excited
to see them play.”
The North Stars tallied
a pair of goals by seniors
Jules Engesser (2 goals)
and Megan Hamilton in
the last 49 seconds of the
third quarter to draw within
9-5. St, Charles North
sandwiched a pair of goals
by senior Kayleigh Lewis
around one by Clark in the
fourth quarter to account
for the final score.
“On defense, we isolated
them and forced them to
make mistakes,” Dettman
said of her teams secondhalf
strategy. “We knew if
we focused on defense our
offense would come. Their
goalie is great, but we put
it together on offense and
found the open girls.”
The teams traded goals
in the first half. Senior
Olivia Traxler had a pair
of first-quarter tallies for
St, Charles North and in
the middle of that, Clark
scored for the Knights.
Cales tied the game at 2-2
early in the second quarter
but Engesser put the North
Stars back ahead 3-2 before
a goal on the right
side by sophomore Mady
Athos knotted the game
again at 3-3 with 2:48 left
in the half. That stood up
as the halftime score.
While the Knights got it
in gear in the second half,
they also had a masterful
performance by goalkeeper
Bekkah Schimick. In
her first varsity game, the
junior showed no nerves
and came up with nine
saves.
“I practice really hard
and our defense was spot
on, that really helped me,”
Schmick said. “...I think
we can be very good when
we want to be. When we
go to state we will show
that we’re good. We’re
just going to have to fight
for it.”
Schimick, who won the
SWSC Red diving competition
and got fifth place
at the sectional this past
fall, has a great reason that
she’s a goalie.
“I don’t like to swim,”
Schimick said. “When I
was a freshman I didn’t
even know what water
polo was. My friends
wanted me to try it but
being a diver, I don’t like
to swim. So I tried it and
played goalie because I
don’t have to swim too
much.”
If she finished the season
not swimming at Stevenson
High School — site
of the State Finals — in
mid-May she, then and the
Knights would be happy.
This week the Knights
hosted Riverside-Brookfield
on Tuesday, March
12 and then have a home
match with the Bremen
Co-op team on Thursday,
March 14. This weekend,
Friday, March 14 and Saturday,
March 16, Central
is at the Naperville North
Invitational.