Hampshire knew the score when offensive standout Christine Schumacher went down with a sprained knee Friday. The knowledge made the Whip-Purs’ 2-0 loss to Rochester in the Class A third-place game Saturday at North Central College in Naperville more palatable.
Hampshire entered the tournament with 38 goals scored and 14 allowed. Without the 11-goal scorer, the Whip-Purs’ stingy defense was under near-constant attack.
“It was a big loss for us — it hurt us,” said senior defender Jessica Rago. “But she was with us. She boosted our morale from the bench for sure. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t be here today.”
Sophomore Schumacher tried to be stoic with a brace on her left leg that stretched from her ankle to above her knee.
“I tried to help them stay in the game, just keep playing without being sad,” she said. “They all wanted it really bad. They worked their hearts out.”
The Whip-Purs enjoyed the fruit of their labors with individual medals and a fourth-place trophy presented at halftime of the championship game.
“It was a great experience continuing on from last year (quarterfinal appearance),” Rago said. “We really stayed strong together as a family. It was a good year.”
Hampshire (15-5-2) fell 3-0 to Rockford Lutheran in the semifinals.
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dsurico@tribune.com
