Nora Gaffney has stepped up in a major way this season for Lincoln-Way West, leading the team with 16 goals.
The senior forward credits a lot of her success to being a part of a dynamic duo with Ava Peterson.
“We’ve played with each other on club since we were pretty little,” Gaffney said. “Having that bond and connection on the field really helps us. She assists on a lot of my goals and I assist on a lot of her goals.”
Gaffney and Peterson each scored twice Tuesday in a 5-0 victory over Stagg in a Class 3A Lincoln-Way West Regional semifinal.
The third-seeded Warriors (12-6-3), who also got a goal from Ava Casner, advanced to take on fifth-seeded Sandburg (7-15) at 4 p.m. Friday in the regional championship game.
Lincoln-Way West is looking for its first regional title since 2019.
Gaffney, a Loras recruit, said the team is extra hungry after coming up short in regional championship game losses to Andrew and Lincoln-Way East the last two seasons.
“It’s been our goal since the beginning of the season,” Gaffney said. “It’s exactly what we wanted, and it’d mean a lot for me to get that regional title.”
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Lincoln-Way West coach Joe Stephens said Gaffney’s soccer knowledge has helped the Warriors immensely this season.
She’s like an extra coach on the field.
“She never comes off the field with her head down going to the bench,” Stephens said of Gaffney. “She’ll come to me and say, ‘Hey coach, I see this. What do you see?’
“She’s always asking what she can improve on and she’s telling us what she sees so we can adjust our game plan to either get her an opportunity, or if she’s getting doubled, figure out how we can get someone else involved.”
Stephens also sees the way Gaffney and Peterson, a junior midfielder, play off each other.
“They have a great dynamic,” Stephens said. “Nora leads the team in goals and Ava is second. Ava leads the team in assists and Nora is second. It’s a nice yin-and-yang thing they have going.”
Gaffney is quick to defer the credit for her scoring success.
“It’s honestly my teammates,” she said. “They’re super special to me. They do a great job of getting me the ball and making sure I have the opportunity to score. Everything I do is for them, for sure.”
Peterson, though, knows Gaffney’s skills are a big reason why the Warriors have won games.
“She throws her body into every play 100%,” Peterson said. “She does not give up on the ball. She’s constantly cheering on her teammates. And she’s a goal scorer. She knows how to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Terrific twenty: Lockport (20-2-1) reached the 20-win mark for the first time in program history with Tuesday’s 7-0 rout of Plainfield Central in a Class 3A Aurora East Regional semifinal.
TCU recruit Bella Diorio scored her 36th and 37th goals of the season to lead the way.
“For a long time, the girls have been asking what the number was,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei said of the most wins in program history. “I just said, ‘Let’s not think about it until we get there.’ Now that we’re there, the girls can enjoy it.
“This group has played together and connected the most of any team I’ve ever coached.”
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The fifth-seeded Porters will take on fourth-seeded Naperville Central (9-5-1) at 5 p.m. Friday in arguably the toughest regional championship game in the state.
Star performances: Sophomore midfielder Veronica Jones scored four goals Tuesday for St. Laurence in a 9-0 win over Crete-Monee in a Class 2A regional semifinal. Senior forward Emily Garcia added a hat trick for the Vikings (10-7-4).
Junior forward Taylor London scored four times as Andrew (14-7) topped Joliet Central 8-0 in a Class 3A Homewood-Flossmoor Regional semifinal.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.