In her two seasons as the Loyola girls lacrosse team’s starting goalie, Ana Freda has built a reputation of coming through in the Ramblers’ biggest games.
Freda fortified that reputation in Loyola’s 10-7 victory over New Trier on Wednesday, April 27. The senior made a number of point-blank saves in the game, including four — one on junior midfielder Katherine Gjertsen (Stanford commit), one on senior midfielder Tace Sutherland (Bucknell signee) and two others — in the second half.
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Freda and Loyola’s defense held New Trier scoreless for 21 consecutive minutes in the second half. The Ramblers’ powerful, potent offense turned a 6-5 deficit into a 10-6 lead during that stretch.
“Ana played amazing,” said Loyola junior midfielder Katie Enrietto, a Winnetka resident who scored a game-high four goals. “She always does. She was just a brick wall in net.”
Afterward, Loyola coach John Dwyer said Freda’s confidence in herself, athleticism and toughness have all helped her play well against tough competition like New Trier and the Ramblers’ out-of-state foes. Dwyer added that Freda also has benefited from working with goalie coach Brooke Jones, who was a goalie at Northwestern from 2012-15.
Freda, a Wilmette resident, also excels at staying focused during games — and re-focusing when necessary. The cold, wet and windy conditions in Loyola’s win over New Trier in Glenview didn’t bother Freda, she explained, because cold is just a mindset. The American University signee also was able to get over the shots she didn’t save and move on quickly.
One of the biggest reasons Freda has come through for Loyola (10-5) in its biggest games is the Ramblers’ practices.
“The offense pushes the defense very hard in practice and I feel like the reason we’re both so strong on both ends is because most of our work comes in practices,” Freda said. “We’re really there to help each other. Honestly, some of the girls that play offense on Loyola, I’d rather play with them than against them.”
The Ramblers have arguably the best player in the state in junior midfielder Brennan Dwyer, who scored twice against the Trevians (9-3) despite being face-guarded the entire game. They also have Enrietto, junior midfielders Caroline Witkowski (two goals against New Trier), Tessa Waters (one goal) and Madison Kane (one goal), and several other options.
“She’s going against a great offense,” John Dwyer said of Freda. “We’ve got snipers on our team and we practice at a high pace, so she sees a lot of good shots in practice.”
In fact, Freda feels a sense of relief on game days when she, for example, doesn’t have to try to stop Enrietto and her powerful shot.
“Katie Enrietto has one of the hardest shots I’ve ever faced, so game time is nice because I get to take a break from that,” Freda said.
Game notes
* New Trier was led in scoring by Gjertsen and freshman attacker Lucy Murray, who finished with two goals apiece. Sutherland, junior midfielder/attacker Isabelle Sennett and sophomore attacker Sophia King each scored one goal.
* Loyola and New Trier raised money for JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, on Wednesday, April 27.
Eric Van Dril is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @VanDrilSports