Scoring 13 goals in 12 games this season for Lockport, senior forward Karolina Stasik has had plenty of opportunities to celebrate.
“The feeling you get when you score is crazy,” Stasik said. “I live off that. I just love having all my teammates run over, jumping around and hugging me. It’s the best feeling.”
Sometimes, it goes a bit too far. Like when Stasik scored the game-winning goal Saturday with less than three minutes left in the Porters’ 3-2 win over West Aurora.
“After that header, everyone was running around and cheering,” Stasik said. “I’m pretty sure I scratched one of my teammates from hugging her.
“She’s literally got a gash on her neck from the excitement. It was crazy.”
Aside from that scratch, however, Stasik has inflicted the most pain on opposing defenders this season.
Stasik and fellow senior forward Anna Domina — who has 11 goals — have formed a dynamic duo up top for the Porters (8-4).
“Me and Anna love playing off each other,” Stasik said. “One of us makes the pass and the other one scores. One of us checks back and the other makes the run.
“We’re always trying to complicate things for the defense so they don’t know who’s doing what.”
Stasik had seven goals and seven assists last season, earning all-conference honors, but she has taken things to a new level this year.
She’s scored at least two goals in five games this season.
“You like to see good kids succeed and Karolina is top notch,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei said. “She always has a good attitude. She’s always smiling. When she comes out of the game, she always tells the girl going in for her, ‘Good luck.’
“She’s just got that character and she’s a hardworking kid.”
Stasik has been playing soccer since she was 7 years old, typically at forward or outside midfielder.
“I did play defense for a year, but I didn’t like that very much,” she said.
At forward, Stasik’s teammates are helping her do what she does best — put the ball in the back of the net.
“I think from last season to this season, we’re connecting a lot more with our forwards,” she said. “Last season, I feel like it was like, ‘Get the ball and score.’ This season, I feel like we’re connecting on all our goals.
“I’m always getting the ball from the back and then they tell me to take it and shoot. It’s been working.”
Milestone win: Rick Prangen earned his 400th win as a girls coach at Lemont with a 5-0 victory on April 5 over Reavis.
Prangen was unaware of the milestone until assistant coach Mark Tomczak surprised him with T-shirts for the team following the game.
“I was actually not in a great mood about how we played and I was reading the riot act a little bit,” Prangen said. “I was being grumpy and old man-ish, and then Mark pulled out the T-shirts and said it was time to celebrate.”
In his 27th season, Prangen’s teams have won 17 regional titles and eight sectional titles while going to state six times.
“It’s been a long time but it’s also gone really quick,” Prangen said. “I’m just proud of how we’ve built things here and have tried to make it a great experience for the girls.”
Trojan triumphs: Bloom beat Latin 6-2 and Rockford Auburn 6-1 last weekend at the BodyArmor Series to earn a spot in one of the tournament’s championship games April 24 against an opponent to be announced.
“I thought they started to put it all together,” Bloom coach Zack Radtke said. “They’re moving the ball well. We’re attacking better than we did at the beginning of the season.”
Junior forward Charlene Mendoza leads Bloom (8-2) with 20 goals, while senior midfielder Ixchel Pelayo has dished out 11 assists.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
