Fremd Sneaks By Barrington In Super-Sectional

The Barrington Fillies soccer team suffered a tough loss to the Fremd Lady Vikings, losing 2-1 in the Super-Sectional match.

Recollections of Fremd’s second-place finish in the 2009 state finals helped spur the Lady Vikes on this year’s playoff run.

“We knew how fun it was back then and how great it was to get (to the state finals),” junior Emily Basten said after Fremd's victory. “This is for the seniors; it’s all for them.”

Basten, a defender on the 2009 squad too, felt that this super-sectional matchup at host site Barrington was about making sure seniors Kristin Abruscato, Jennifer Freeman, Elise Kotsakis and Alexis Tice were able to relive that glory felt two years prior, which coincidentally had Fremd playing Barrington at Barrington Community Stadium for the Super-Sectional.

And it was the juniors helping to make sure that the seniors continued playing.

After an intense defense battle for most of the first period, where neither team was able to get much offensive footing, it appeared that both teams would be heading to intermission tied at zero.

However, Fremd (18-3-2) was awarded a corner kick at the six-minute mark that gave them a valuable set piece in the final minutes of the first half. Lady Vike's midfielder Freeman volleyed in a nice pass to the box that Barrington was unable to cleanly clear which allowed junior midfielder Kira Heggleland to find the back of the net for the game’s first score. The redirect off of Heggleland dribbled past Barrington’s senior goaltender Kelly Pedersen.

“(Kira) was in the right place at the right time,” Fremd’s coach Steve Keller said. “We got the bounces and we got the breaks against a real good team.”

Fremd’s early lead was the first goal allowed by the stifling Fillies defense and goalie Pedersen in over 300 playoff minutes.

Barrington (17-7-1) was hoping to start a new scoreless streak to start the second half, but Fremd’s Basten was able to score off another set piece (28-minute mark) that pushed their lead to 2-0 early in the second half.

Fremd’s Freeman accurately passed another corner kick into a wide-open Basten, who then drove the header past Pedersen for the Lady Vike’s insurance goal.

“A lot of times in these games it’s set pieces that matter,” Basten said of her goal. “I knew I had to make any chance I had (at the ball) count.”

“Leading up to this game we talked about challenging any ball in the air,” Keller said of set piece play. “And she certainly did that on that play.”

It was an important goal because minutes later (22 minute mark) Barrington would get a goal back on their own set piece, a 23-yard bender from sophomore forward Molly Pfeiffer. The play was set up when Fremd was called for a penalty near their net. Pfeiffer’s 14th goal sailed past the fingertips of outstretched junior goalie Shannon Norris and cut the Lady Vike's deficit 2-1.

“We came out strong with a lot of energy during that second half,” Pfeiffer said of her goal. “But (Fremd) definitely had the control of play in the first half.”

“We have to credit Fremd’s defense today,” Barrington’s coach Ryan Stengren said. “We never really got anything into the (offensive) flow of the game today.”

Barrington, averaging about two goals per game during the playoffs, was hoping to build on the momentum and win their own Super-Sectional, but Fremd’s defense clamped down as they secured the 2-1 victory. This was the second time this year Barrington has lost by a 2-1 result to Fremd (Lady Vikes won on April 13) and the second time in three years that Barrington has been eliminated by Fremd in the Super-Sectionals. This is the third straight year that the Fillies were hosting and losing their own Super-Sectional.

“There were two good teams, and we were fortunate Barrington didn’t win,” Keller said. “Every game in the MSL is a battle and we beat one of the best teams in the state tonight.”

“To have three (MSL) teams in the final eight is pretty special,” Keller went on to say. “The conference should be pretty proud.”

The MSL West conference was heavily represented in this year’s Super-Sectionals. Remarkably, Conant, Fremd and Barrington comprised three of the eight teams playing in this round of the IHSA class 3A tournament, and with the win Fremd will be moving on to play Granite City in the semifinals. 

The state finals will be played at Naperville Central with the Lady Vikes taking to the pitch at 7 p.m. June 3 for their semifinals match. The winner of Fremd and Granite City will play the winner of Conant and Naperville North (playing at 5 p.m.) to decide the state championship Saturday.