Sports
Cesario's OT Goal Lifts L-W North Past Andrew for Regional Title
Lincoln-Way North's Kristi Cesario broke a scoreless tie with 1:22 left in overtime on Friday and the Phoenix beat Andrew for the Class 3A Lincoln-Way North Regional championship.
Kristi Cesario might never forget where she was on Friday, May 20, 2011.
With 1:22 remaining in overtime, Cesario scored the game-winning goal to lift Lincoln-Way North to a 1-0 victory over Andrew in the Class 3A Lincoln-Way North Regional title game.
"It feels unbelievable," said Cesario, a junior midfielder. “We did it for Jamie Beniac (who suffered a torn ACL in the previous game) and wanted to make up for that, and we did it for the seniors. It feels very good. We tied them (the T-Bolts) for conference and now we have this to ourselves."
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The match appeared destined for a second overtime until Lincoln-Way North's Rita Craven secured possession of the ball in the far right corner and sent a cross off teammate Becca Morris. Cesario recovered the ball after it caromed off Morris, and she hammered it past Andrew goaltender Kaitlyn Kosary and into the far right corner of the net.
"From the sideline, I thought it was going wide," Lincoln-Way North coach Mike Murphy said. "All of a sudden I saw the net moving and was like, 'Oh my God!' "
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It was only the third goal for Cesario this season, and it was easily the most significant goal of her her career.
"It's probably the most exciting soccer moment in my life," she said. "After it hit off of Becca I shot it in the best I could. I went with instinct and kicked it toward the far stick."
It couldn't have come at a better time, with time dwindling down and fatigue setting in.
“I knew there wasn't much time left and we didn't want to go to a second overtime," Cesario said. "Things were getting a little dirty, so it was a good time to end it."
Friday’s was the second meeting between the schools this season. Lincoln-Way North won 2-1 when the teams met on May 3. The teams shared the Southwest Suburban Red conference title, but the Phoenix were the ones left standing after Friday’s showdown.
"We battled the entire time and all the credit goes to the girls," Murphy said. "We have a great bunch of girls with great chemistry who love playing with each other, and more importantly (we) have a common goal, and today it was to win that regional plaque.
"We had to share the conference title, but we did not want to share this title."
Phoenix goalkeeper Michelle Bacerzak posted the shutout. She wasn't tested too often but came up with a solid save on a 35-yard shot by Monica Chavolla midway through overtime.
"We knew it was going to come down to one goal today and I told them that early on," Andrew coach Loren Zolk said. "I'm really proud of our girls. They gave it everything they had, and the thing that upsets me most is we've come so far as a team and I believe this is the most enjoyable group I've ever coached."
Andrew finished with a record of just 10-10-2 on the season, but the T-Bolts faced some of the top teams in the state this spring in Conant, Downers Grove South, Lyons, Neuqua Valley and Sandburg.
Lincoln-Way North (17-6-1) has now won back-to-back conference and regional titles. The Phoenix advances to Wednesday’s Mother McAuley Sectional semifinal at 7 p.m., against the winner of today’s Homewood-Flossmoor vs. McAuley match.
"To do this in just the third year of the program says a lot about the girls," Murphy said. "That's outstanding. They're a great bunch who never give up and hustle 100 percent of the time. We're not as deep as last year, but everybody contributes."
