Been there, done that. That’s essentially what Aurora Central Catholic scoring leader Jordyn Sundberg and goalkeeper Bry Mandarino said to describe the game-winning play Friday.
Despite falling behind just over five minutes into the first half of the Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock Regional championship game, ACC rallied for a 2-1 victory over Lisle.
“We’ve executed that many times this year,” Sundberg said in recalling the Mandarino punt that bounced over a Lisle defender for a breakaway.
Sundberg gained control of the ball and then blasted a shot home to help the Chargers (12-7) advance to a 4 p.m. Tuesday semifinal of the Lisle Sectional.
“I always like to punt to our forwards,” Mandarino said. “And most of the time I look for Jordyn because she has such a good first touch and can take it one-on-one.
“Giving up that first goal is never something I want to do, but as a keeper you can’t mentally give up. You simply refocus to make the next stop and the one after that, keep encouraging your teammates, and continue making stops.”
The stop that got away turned into a goal for Lisle (11-6-1) a mere 5:19 into the game.
Kelsey Kretman sent a textbook cross to the middle, where Amy Tromp’s kick caromed off the right post and in. The Lions lost three 1-0 games to open the season, including to ACC, and were thinking revenge.
Senior goalkeeper Hannah Prindeville was instrumental in the turnaround. She had five consecutive shutouts coming in as part of her single-season school record of 10, which added to her career record.
However, it took just 1:16 for ACC to draw even as Gina Cortino sent a 25-yard shot from the right wing into the upper-left corner.
“My first thought was, ‘Just don’t kick it over the goal,'” Cortino said about her ninth goal. “But seeing it dip into that upper-left corner felt great. It’s the best feeling to have all the practice pay off.”
Five minutes later, the Chargers grabbed the lead thanks to the Mandarino-Sundberg connection. The senior tallied her 21st goal and eighth game-winner with the 14-yard shot.
“You have to take advantage of every opportunity, so knowing how far ‘Bry’ can punt it and that it could take a big bounce, it was a chance to go down the right side and do this for the team,” Sundberg said.
The second half featured close calls for both sides, with Sundberg putting a pair of long direct kicks on goal. One was tipped to the crossbar by Prindeville and the other was cradled by the Lisle goalie.
At the opposite end, Mandarino averted a tie with 18:20 left in regulation by stopping Lisle’s Kara Laue, who had broken through the defense for a one-on-one. In addition, Charger freshman Anna Dudziak repeatedly made defensive clears or intercepted potentially dangerous passes.
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“This (regional title) is just great for this group, it’s a group I adore because they deserve it so much,” ACC coach Kristy Kane said. “We probably came from behind more often last year than this, but as I told them at halftime, we came back by staying composed and playing smart.”
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