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SYCAMORE – Izzie Segreti connected on a shot in traffic, and all of a sudden Sycamore was on the scoreboard and within a goal of Burlington Central in the second half of the Class 2A Sycamore Regional championship game on Saturday.
Carmie Winkelhake made sure any rally by the Spartans was short-lived.
The Burlington Central junior midfielder took a feed from freshman Elsa Carlson and fired it home in the 54th minute to help the fifth-seeded Rockets secure the 3-1 win and advance to the Class 2A Belvidere Sectional semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Belvidere North.
“It was a big deal because they wanted to score again,” Winkelhake said. “We kind of had to make that one.”
The Rockets (11-10) led 1-0 at the break. Less than 30 seconds into the second half, Carlson got her first assist of the day on a perfectly placed pass to freshman Avery Fry, who knocked it home to push the lead to 2-0.
With 26:49 left in the second half, Segreti scored on a pass from Cortni Kruizenga to cut the lead in half. But Winkelhake scored 34 seconds later with what would be the game’s final goal.
“All three of their goals came at unfortunate times,” Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley said. “We talk [at halftime] how we need to come out and get the first one in the first five minutes, and they go down in the first minute and get the second. We fight back, make it 2-1, then they go down and make it 3-1 probably less than a minute right after.”
The game was scoreless in the 36th minute when Fry was in a footrace with Sycamore goalie Brooke Cutlip. Fry got just enough on the shot as Cutlip was charging out to get it past the senior as the two collided.
A minute after Winkelhake’s goal, Kruizenga seemed to get a goal for the Spartans (18-4-2), but an offside call negated the goal and kept the game at 3-1.
Burlington Central coach Jessica Arneson said she was proud of the intensity her team brought to the pitch on Saturday throughout the game. That was evident, she said, with Winkelhake’s goal.
“They scored and had the momentum,” Arneson said. “That’s what happens in regional games. You have to be there until the end. And Carmie’s goal kind of just sealed it off. It was perfect to kind of gain the momentum back in our favor.”
Freshman Lydia Petkovich was in goal for the Rockets after starting goalie Kenzie Lorkowski injured her fingers a couple games ago.
Arneson said she was pleased with not only how her freshman stepped up, but the defense around her.
“She didn’t want to disappoint anybody,” Arneson said. “She did a good job. ... We kind of gave our defense the objective, ‘She does not want to let you down. Protect her with your life.’ And I think she knew they were confident in her and she was confident in them. It was a good partnership.”
The season comes to a close for the Spartans. They shared the Interstate 8 title with Kaneland. Bickley said he’s pleased with the season.
“It was a great season for us,” Bickley said. “Only four losses. The defense played well, hardly gave up any goals. ... We got a lot of younger girls quality time. It’s a great season. It’s always hard because there’s only one winner at the end. Everybody else loses their last game, so you don’t want that to define your season.”