Trevs Boot Kits With Second Half Rally

Evanston’s soccer team had the No. 19-ranked team in the country right where the Wildkits wanted them Tuesday night in Northfield.

But in the end, all the Wildkits had to show for it was another rivalry loss.

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Trailing 1-0 with 16 minutes left, New Trier rallied for a pair of goals and snatched a 2-1 decision from a possible defeat.

Standing toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best squads might be considered a moral victory for most programs. Not for Evanston coach Stacy Salgado and her players, who never back down from the touted Trevians and rose to the occasion with one of their best defensive performances this spring despite dropping to 6-5-1 on the year.

The two teams could meet again in a couple of weeks in the Class 3A Evanston Sectional tournament and Tuesday’s outcome might result in a sleepless night or two for New Trier head coach Jim Burnside when he contemplates a rematch.

But New Trier showed the will of a champion with that second half rally and improved to 16-1-1 overall while clinching the Central Suburban League South division championship.

Salgado has been forced to mix and match up with opposing teams on a weekly basis, and not necessarily by choice. A rash of injuries has forced the veteran coach to utilize position players at different spots than they’re used to, and it happened again Tuesday.

And while the ETHS coach always prefers to have versatile players on the roster, that philosophy has been pushed to the extreme this spring.

Starting defender Maizlyn Kelly was the most notable missing person Tuesday. Her absence created a domino effect on Evanston’s back line, as Dami Adeniyi and Ella Dunlap moved to center back slots from outside.

“This was a great test for us to see where we’re at as a team,” Salgado said. “We’ve had to weather a lot of injuries this year and we’re still trying to find our groove. But I’m really proud of all of the girls who have stepped up in places they didn’t expect to play.

“Obviously New Trier is a strong team. We knew it would be a battle for 80 minutes and there was still quite a bit of time left when we scored. I think we got a little tired in the second half, and fatigue can bring on some lapses. We needed to win more of those second balls in the second half, and we needed to create more dangerous opportunities on offense.”

After an evenly played --- and scoreless --- first half, Evanston goalie Kanako Wagner (10 saves) made sure it stayed scoreless when the hosts turned the pressure up a notch at the start of the second half, as is their habit. Wagner stopped a point blank attempt in the box by New Trier’s Noa Boeing with just five minutes elapsed in the half.

A burst of speed by Evanston sophomore Leah George in the 58^th minute resulted in just the break the visitors needed. George earned a penalty kick when she was tackled on her way to the net, and hammered a shot past New Trier keeper Annie Fowler for a 1-0 Evanston edge. It marked just the seventh goal the Trevians have surrendered all season.

But the home team countered with a PK of its own at the other end when Trevian star Addy Randall was taken to the turf. Randall booted her attempt past Wagner, pulling the hosts even with 13:55 left on the clock.

Just two minutes later, New Trier’s Maeve Driscoll blistered a line drive from her 25-yard line that Wagner got a hand on but couldn’t stop.

“We knew coming in what New Trier’s game plan would be,” Salgado said. “I liked the fight we showed, and we were able to win a lot of balls in the air.”

Evanston hosts Deerfield Friday at 7 p.m. in the conference finale. The Wildkits are seeded No. 3 in their own sectional, behind New Trier and Loyola Academy, and will open regional tournament play at Saint Ignatius on Tuesday, May 19 against No. 14 Payton Prep. Winner of that game will meet either St. Ignatius or Jones for the regional title.