It was quite a Saturday for Lincoln-Way East’s Camden Cosich and her family.
In the morning, Cosich was in the stands watching her older brother, Jack, drive in two runs for the Griffins’ baseball team in a sectional championship win over Lockport.
At night, Cosich — a freshman defender — lifted the first state trophy in the girls soccer program’s history.
“We are breaking records,” Cosich said. “Our school has never been here for state soccer and our school hasn’t won baseball sectionals (since 2011). It’s kind of crazy that in the same year, with him being a senior, that we’re both able to do something like that.
“It’s a really great experience.”
Cosich helped the Griffins battle toe to toe with Libertyville before losing 2-1 in the Class 3A third-place game at North Central College in Naperville.
Sophomore midfielder Payton Lucitt scored for the Griffins (22-5), while junior goalkeeper Mattea Arroyo made two saves.
Shea Krakowski and Molly Koch scored goals for Libertyville (18-3-2).
Cosich, meanwhile, has stepped up in a huge way for the Griffins’ defense, especially since starter Thea Gerfen went down with a season-ending injury in the final month.
“I’ve been an outside back my entire career and all of a sudden (coach Mike Murphy) was like, ‘Let’s move you to center back, just in case someone gets hurt,'” Cosich said. “Then Thea got hurt.”
Cosich became a starter after Gerfen’s injury, pairing with junior defender Mia Hedrick in the center of the Griffins’ back line.
“Mia Hedrick has been the best role model and leader I could have asked for this season,” Cosich said. “She’s been such a help to me in my development, and she’s always been so encouraging.
“During sectionals, I was having a mental block and I wasn’t playing my best game. She came up to me and gave me talk, and it just made me play so much better.”
Murphy said Cosich is a major reason why the Griffins made it to state.
“She’s been outstanding for us,” Murphy said. “She has so much speed in the back. She has the intelligence to go and challenge the ball. She’s been an invaluable part of the team, and as a freshman, she’s stood up to the challenge.”
After Krakowski opened the scoring for Libertyville, Lucitt answered for the Griffins just 46 seconds later, tapping in a rebound after Cami Butler’s shot off the post to make it 1-1 with 18:38 left in the second half.
It was the second goal of the spring for Lucitt, who was called up to varsity a few weeks into the season.
“It felt great,” Lucitt said. “My team put me in position to get that goal, and I couldn’t have done it without them. I’m so proud of us.”
Brooklyn Mortell, one of two senior starters for the Griffins along with Madison Dziedzic, was thrilled for Lucitt.
“If you ask anyone on this team, Payton is one of the best human beings on this Earth,” Mortell said. “She’s younger, she came late to the varsity level, but she’s extraordinary. She has a lot in store for her.
“Am I disappointed in us? Not whatsoever. I think saying disappointed is a horrible way to put it because by losing, you learn more. Perseverance, growth. This is just a benchmark for future generations, and I’m really excited to see what they can do.”
Cosich hopes to be a big part of that future. But the present felt pretty special Saturday night.
“At the beginning of the season, we would have never imagined being here,” she said. “We just all fought to the end. We always wanted the best for each other.
“It’s the best season I could have imagined for us, no matter the outcome.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
