Senior co-captain Jocelyn Leigh needed less than two minutes of the sectional semifinals to score her first goal—after a cross from freshman forward Alexandra Merriam, Leigh slipped a shot by Lane Tech’s keeper to put the Kits up 1-0. The Champions, however, replied with their own goal, a one-two punch from sophomore forward Jackson Caffey and junior midfielder Grace Carman, beginning a back-and-forth battle of the offenses.
Though the fight continued until the last seconds, the Kits couldn’t rebound from a 2-4 deficit at the half. Lane Tech secured their spot in the sectional match against New Trier with a 4-5 victory, ending Evanston’s season.
After the Champions brought the match to a 1-1 tie, Leigh scored a solo goal to once again allow the Kits to take the lead—still no more than 10 minutes into the game. Immediately following Leigh’s success, fellow senior co-captain Sydney Ross earned a yellow card for proximity to a free kick. That free kick led to a goal by senior forward Abigail Snowden for Lane Tech, tying the score 2-2.
A deflected shot by Carmen, followed up by Caffey, gave the Champions their first lead of the night, a deficit widened by a goal from senior midfielder and co-captain Kristiyana Sevova just before the close of the half.
Down 2-4 entering the second half, Evanston struggled to pick up the energy, allowing another Lane Tech goal and widening the gap 2-5. Though the odds looked bleak, the Kits refused to quit.
After a slew of substitutions, the Kits rallied, with junior Lily Hammock earning the Kits a goal with just 13 minutes remaining in the game. With renewed vigor, Evanston hammered the Champions defense, seniors Ross and Leigh taking point positions with sophomore Bridget Durkin and freshman Merriam.
As her final sendoff, Leigh passed multiple defenders as well as the keeper for a wide open goal, the third goal of a hat trick, leaving two minutes on the clock. Unfortunately, despite the late-game momentum, there simply was not enough time for the Kits to make a full comeback, ending the night with a score of 4-5.
The loss repeats the fate of the 2022-23 season, where the lower-seeded Champions scraped by Evanston in a 1-0 victory to advance in the state series. While the team’s returning players had hoped to gain the upper hand this time around, it appears they will have to wait until next season to earn revenge.
The team has to say goodbye to several key players—between Leigh, Ross, keeper Shea Lucas and defender Sydney Johnson, Evanston’s starting lineup is taking a hit. However, between Merriam, Durkin, freshman defender Maizlyn Kelly, junior midfielder Mia Darer and the rest of the team’s reliable underclassman talent, they aren’t looking at a fresh start.
All three co-captains will be continuing their soccer careers in college—Leigh playing Division l at Loyola, and Ross and Lucas at Swarthmore and UW-Stevens Point, respectively.
