Girls Lacrosse: Loyola dominates Hinsdale Central in championship rematch
Updated: April 18, 2012 9:48PM
Wednesday night’s match between Loyola and Hinsdale Central followed an almost identical script to when both teams played for the state championship last season.
Hinsdale Central dominated the first half’s draw controls Wednesday and, as a result, managed to stay within two goals of Loyola at halftime.
The Ramblers won the second half’s draw controls and dominated possession, however, and responded with an offensive onslaught in both games. Loyola scored 11 second-half goals against Hinsdale Central to win 2011’s state title, and the Ramblers scored the same amount Wednesday night en route to a 16-7 victory.
“We lost seven out of nine draw controls, and we knew that was basically the reason the score was what it was (at halftime),” said Loyola’s Anna Schueler, who had three goals and five assists Wednesday night. “They’re a good team and we knew we had to step it up, and I think we did.”
Loyola (7-3) ran its offense with extreme effectiveness against Hinsdale Central (6-3) in the second half, often taking advantage of Schueler’s speed and athleticism in one-on-one situations. Schueler gave the Red Devils’ defense fits throughout the match’s final 25 minutes, routinely beating the defense to either create a shot on goal or force a penalty.
“There really isn’t anybody in this state that can guard (Schueler) one-on-one,” said Loyola coach John Dwyer. “She’s just too fast.”
While Hinsdale Central experienced its first loss to a team from Illinois this season, its mood wasn’t entirely negative after the match. Hinsdale Central was effective in the game’s first half, and the Red Devils’ Kate Christian and Amy O’Grady each scored three goals against a talented, experienced Loyola defense.
“Defensively they guard you man-on and they’re always watching and looking to see who’s cutting. That makes it hard to get open,” Christian said. “We tried to keep possession and go in hard. We just couldn’t get the draws in the second half.”
Meredith Abrahamson scored a game-high five goals for Loyola.
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