Senior co-captains Sydney Ross and Jocelyn Leigh are dynamite on the field. When the pair fans out on the front line, there’s little an opposing goalkeeper can do but brace for impact. On Thursday night, the Ross-Leigh pairing proved lethal for Deerfield, as Ross netted two powerful shots to secure the 3-0 win.
The match cemented Evanston’s (15-1-1, 4-1 CSL) place on top of the Central Suburban League-South, edging out New Trier, who dealt the Kits their only loss of the season. Deerfield (13-5-2, 1-3-1 CSL) is locked in at fifth.
“We were able to control whether we won [conference] or not,” Evanston head coach Stacy Salgado says. “We didn’t have to rely on anyone else’s scores to see if we clinched it. It’s a great win.”
The Kits hit the turf running, dominating possession for the opening half. Several crosses from Leigh narrowly missed completion. Just shy of a half-hour into the game, Ross secured her first goal, a shot lofted over Deerfield goalkeeper Lauren Gottlieb’s outstretched hands.
“We were very dangerous,” Salgado says. “We didn’t put away as many as we had wanted to, and we didn’t quite get on the end of a lot of great crosses, but everyone had some really great showings.”
Evanston’s defense had a chance to shine, with freshman Maizlyn Kelly and junior Maddie Ball providing an impenetrable wall that kept the Warriors offense from sophomore keeper Kanako Wagner. Wagner had taken over for senior co-captain Shea Lucas after an injury put Lucas out of commission.
“They shut [Deerfield] down,” Salgado says. “All of them worked together. [Deerfield] did not have any opportunities.”
Ross’ second goal of the night, off a perfectly placed pass from Leigh, occurred midway through the second half. It was followed by a rocketing score from freshman Maya Klein to round out the 3-0 shutout.
“[Klein’s] got a wicked shot. That’s one of her strengths,” Salgado says. “When she’s on fire with her shot, it’s got a good chance of going in.”
“We have a bunch of different girls that can get forward,” Ross states. “We also got the outside backs involved in the attack today.”
The conference title marked Ross and Leigh’s third year as CSL champions. The two seniors eagerly anticipate the end of the season, especially playoffs.
“I’m really psyched to have won conference again,” Ross says. “It was a great team effort, and we battled through five tough games.”
With the conference victory as their head start, the road to state begins on Tuesday, May 14. Before then, the Kits have their senior night game against Stevenson on May 4.
