Senior defender Grace Grundhofer loves setting up her Lincoln-Way Central teammates.
Whether it be on her long throw-ins — when she does a flip with the ball — or on corner kicks or free kicks, the Fort Hays State recruit is constantly making dangerous plays.
“I take a lot of pride in knowing that I’m able to get the ball to them and they can get on the end of it and finish those opportunities,” Grundhofer said. “I’m always confident that if I can get it there, they’ll get on it and they’ll be able to get it in the back of the net.”
Grundhofer assisted on both goals Friday night as the top-seeded Knights beat the second-seeded host Eagles 2-0 in the Class 3A Sandburg Sectional championship game.
Jenni Andjelic and Christine Erdman scored as Lincoln-Way Central (23-1) won the program’s first sectional title since 2007. Alexa Hadley made four saves to record her 21st shutout.
The Knights will take on Glenbard West (15-6-1) — which upset top-seeded Lyons 2-1 in a penalty kick shootout — at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Sandburg Supersectional.
Guevara Alsheikh had five saves for Sandburg (14-9), which came up just short of its second straight sectional championship after beating the Knights 2-0 in last season’s final.
“It feels good,” Andjelic said. “This was basically a re-creation of last year, which didn’t go our way. We turned things around this year. Everyone has worked so hard from preseason conditioning until now. We deserve this.”
Grundhofer played her typical table-setter role on Andjelic’s opening goal in the 15th minute, taking a 25-yard free kick along the left sideline and sending a well-placed ball into the box.
After a deflection, Andjelic got her foot on the loose ball and directed a shot into the top of the net.
Then, with 22:10 left in the second half, Grundhofer’s corner kick was headed home by Erdman to make it 2-0.
“Growing up, I always worked with my club coach on lofted balls and knowing where we wanted to place it, paying attention to the weight to make sure it gets to the right spot,” Grundhofer said.
Grundhofer’s value is certainly not lost on Lincoln-Way Central coach Sean Fahey.
“She’s just a warrior,” Fahey said. “She’s really stepped up these last two games.
“The way she reads the game, her ability to read balls in the air, run with people and play physical. Then you toss in the flip throw, which is super dangerous, and her ability to put in great balls on corners and set pieces.”
Grace Grundhofer, Chloe Grundhofer, Erdman and Abby Sudkamp led a swarming defense for the Knights, who held Sandburg without a dangerous opportunity for most of the night.
Late in the game, though, Hadley made two terrific saves to deny Dayton recruit Karli Ferguson. The first, a kick save on a breakaway, came with the game still in doubt with just over 10 minutes left.
The second, a leaping stop, occurred with only three seconds left to play with the outcome decided but still meant a lot to Hadley.
“I like my shutouts,” Hadley said. “They’re kind of my thing. I like a good top-hand save too. Those are my favorite, so I was super pumped I got to throw it out in this game.”
With the loss, Sandburg says goodbye to eight senior starters, including four-year players Erin O’Connor, Rosie Richardson and Alyssa Palacios.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done this time,” Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz said. “But in their four years of high school soccer, they got to three sectional finals and won one.
“That’s pretty impressive for any group of kids. I told them they have a lot to be proud of and thanked them for bringing Sandburg soccer back where it should be.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.