Prairie Ridge finally breaks through in 2-1 win over Cary-Grove

CARY – For almost two years, Prairie Ridge coach Lindsay Gertz has repeated the same refrain to her team: The Wolves can compete with anyone in the Fox Valley Conference.

It was hard to believe at times. On the field, Gertz saw a team that puts its heart on the pitch each time. But on paper, the wins didn’t come.

Until Tuesday.

PR faced plenty of adversity against Cary-Grove in a match between two top-five FVC teams. But the Wolves held on to win 2-1 to earn their third FVC win of the season, the most they’ve won in a year since 2021.

“It just feels really good,” junior Maria Falkowska said. “Everyone works so hard, truly works for it, and then once it pays off, it just feels really good, especially against such a big rival like this.”

Falkowska and PR (6-3-3, 3-1-1) had plenty of work to do early against C-G. The Trojans put four shots on goal and had three corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of the match. But sophomore Wolves goalkeeper Winter Gallivan turned away each scoring chance.

Then PR had some luck. With a crowded box in front of junior Trojans goalkeeper Ainsley Kemp, the ball bounced off a Trojans defender straight to Wolves freshman Anna Mertel. She knocked in the ball to give her team a 1-0 lead with 20:05 left in the first half.

“To knock in one first, that was good,” Gertz said. “That was a shift in momentum. Obviously raised their spirits, our confidence, and it showed in the way that they played.”

The Wolves turned away more chances late in the first before Falkowska scored off of run in some space to make it 2-0 with 35:53 left in the match. Trojans junior Julia Valaitis broke up the shutout to make it a one-goal match with 27:44 left, but C-G couldn’t tack on another goal late.

Gallivan finished the match with seven saves in net.

PR has worked hard to get back to the high level of play it had during the 2010s. The Wolves won eight straight regional titles from 2012 to 2019, finishing runner-up in Class 2A in 2013 and competing near the top of their conference each season.

But after winning seven FVC matches in 2021, PR had gone 4-22-1 in conference play. The Wolves went winless in FVC action in 2022.

That’s why Tuesday felt special to many in the program. Although players and coaches know they hadn’t won a championship Tuesday, it was a big-time win that was years in the making.

“The girls don’t ever stop,” Gertz said. “[I’m] proud of them for that. To be able to get this win, I mean, it’s big time.”

C-G (4-4-2, 3-2) came off two big FVC wins over Jacobs and McHenry, respectively, where they scored five goals in each of their wins. But the scoring didn’t come over Tuesday.

The Trojans got plenty of good early scoring chances and even pressured after making it a one-goal match. But Trojans coach Anne Santucci said her team couldn’t recover after some unlucky moments in the first half.

“We were back on our heels after they scored their first goal in the first half and we came back in the second half with no energy,” Santucci said. “We lacked our intensity. So you can’t really come back from a deficit with no intensity.”

Both teams will try to build off Tuesday. The Trojans aim to right the ship against Hampshire Thursday before playing league-leading Huntley next week.

“It just feels really good. Everyone works so hard, truly works for it, and then once it pays off, it just feels really good, especially against such a big rival like this.”

—  Maria Falkowska, Prairie Ridge junior

The Wolves hope to use Tuesday’s win as momentum heading into the second half of FVC action. They’ll play Dundee-Crown on Thursday before playing Burlington Central and second-place Crystal Lake Central next week.

After waiting years to see their hard work pay off, PR is ready to build off the moment.

“It makes you feel hopeful for the harder games and the second half of the season and playoffs,” Falkowska said. “It just makes you feel really great. The team is able to connect more on and off the field. It just shines a big light for the second half.”