Breaks, it has been said, can be the difference between winning and losing.
After Friday`s rather unimpressive opening quarterfinal match of the girls state soccer tournament in St. Charles, Hoffman Estates agrees.
Shannon O`Neil`s penalty-kick goal 7 minutes 13 seconds into the second quarter was all the third-ranked Hawks needed to eliminate Collinsville 2-0. Katjie Swangren added insurance with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter to send Hoffman Estates (18-1-4) to Saturday`s 9 a.m. semifinal and Collinsville
(15-6) home.
”Sometimes it takes breaks,” said Hoffman Estates coach Angelo Testone. ”It`s part of the game. But you make the breaks. You put pressure on people and that causes breaks.”
The break in question came when Collinsville defender Becky Thompson swatted a ball that hit the post and was headed for the upper left corner of the Lady Kahoks` net. The call was handball in the penalty area, creating O`Neil`s scoring chance.
”The ball probably would have gone in anyway,” said Collinsville coach Andy Strasberg. ”Becky did what she had to. (Goalkeeper) Julie Corrie didn`t have a chance on it.”
Indeed, O`Neil`s well-placed shot into the lower right corner was as unstoppable as she has been this season. The goal was her 38th of the season, to go along with 35 assists.
”It`s really great to win the first game,” said O`Neil. ”We`re assured of playing two games (the semifinals and either title or third-place match)
Saturday, no matter what. I didn`t want people to think it was a fluke getting here.”
Although Hoffman Estates wasn`t overly impressive as a team, O`Neil, Swangren and striker Stacey Dolezal looked good the entire match.
”The real key was Katjie Swangren,” Testone said. ”She made the runs and played a heckuva game. With Collinsville concentrating on Shannon and Stacey, Katjie got the opportunities. She missed one (a header over the crossbar about a minute before her goal) and came back.”
Hoffman Estates reached the tournament by upsetting previously unbeaten Schaumburg in Tuesday`s Conant sectional title match. Since then, it has been a whirlwind week for the Hawks.
”It was great,” said O`Neil. ”Teachers were being totally cool. I didn`t do my homework and nobody said a word. If I had known it would be like this, I would have gotten here the last two years.”
How about Saturday`s semifinal?
”I think we`ll be more relaxed,” O`Neil said. ”We`ve played our first game at state. The tension of being here for the first time should be gone.”
