Scouts are as good as ever
Lake Forest Kelsey Adams (23) battles with Lake Forest Academy Lauren Stevenson (14) | Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media
Updated: September 12, 2011 8:13PM
Until last week’s 2-1 loss to Loyola Academy, the field-hockey program at Lake Forest High School hadn’t lost a regular-season match since 2008.
But despite that loss, the Scouts (8-1-1 after Monday’s 1-0 double-overtime win over pesky Lake Forest Academy) are as rock-solid as the teams that have won state championships on a regular basis for more than a decade.
“We had a great tournament in St. Louis (2-0-1 against elite competition),” said Scouts coach Melanie Walsh. “I think we came back just exhausted and Loyola played a really good game.
“In my mind, I think it (the loss) will be a positive thing for us. It’s tough going into the state finals undefeated. We’ve done it the last two years and it’s been brutal.”
In Monday’s win, Jessica Staton tallied on a breakaway off a long pass from Brenna Carberry with 2:35 left in the double-overtime match.
“Today’s game was a lot tighter than we anticipated. LFA played a great game,” said Walsh. “Their goalie (Jane Strudwick, 12 saves) played just out of her mind. I’m proud of our girls for just sticking with it ... Showing their composure and never giving up.”
For the season, Lake Forest’s top scorer is sophomore Halle Frain with nine tallies.
Another key player is midfielder Morgan Dever.
“She played so hard. I had to pull her finally because she was gassed,” the coach said, “but she had an incredible game. She kept the midfield together for us.
“You get the stats for scoring, but she does a lot of things that don’t show up on the score sheet.”
Lake Forest goalie Lina Trucco had six saves in earning the shutout, including three in extra time (A game is two 30-minute halves, followed by two 10-minute extra periods).
“Lina played a great game in the cage,” Walsh said. “We don’t get challenged a whole lot defensively, but our girls played beautifully today.”
The season is about half over, and Walsh knows her club can get better.
“We need to improve our footwork and we need bigger hits on grass,” she said. “We play a lot on (artificial) turf during the offseason, and it’s hurt our grass play.
“During the season, we go from field to field to field, and we’ve had a little difficulty adjusting.”
Next up for the Scouts is mighty New Trier on Wednesday.
LF Academy is 2-3-1.
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