Wheaton Academy drops Sycamore, reaches 2A final

For the first time in her life, Wheaton Academy’s Leah Fortune twisted her left ankle during training.

But even though the Texas-bound star only played 20 minutes Friday in Naperville, the senior played a huge role during the Warriors’ 5-2 victory over Sycamore in the Class 2A semifinals at North Central College.

Fortune recorded a goal and one assist in that short span as Wheaton Academy raced out to a three-goal cushion midway through the opening half.

“It’s swollen, but I just have it taped up,” said Fortune, referring to her injury which happened Wednesday afternoon in West Chicago. “We came out strong, and it was awesome that we got on them right away.”

Up next for Wheaton Academy (21-3-2) is Lemont (21-5), a 1-0 winner over Chatham Glenwood, in the 1 p.m. title game on Saturday.

“We were only going to play her until we had a two goal lead,” Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. “But when we scored two quick goals, we decided to leave her in a little bit longer.”

Fortune helped get the offense started when she assisted on Alexa Sharkey’s goal less than 10 minutes in. Ally Witt (two goals) made it 2-0 a mere 10 minutes later, and Fortune closed out the first-half scoring three minutes after that.

“They came out and put us on our heels,” Sycamore coach Dave Lichamer said. “Leah is a great player and just her presence on the field makes them a better team.

“If you start to overplay her, they have so many other weapons that can beat you too. They’re a very good team.”

Jenn Lee and freshman Crystal Thomas hooked up on the Warriors’ fourth goal, with the latter hammering it home less than two minutes into the second half.

Sycamore (25-2) finally got on the board with 15 minutes to play on Nici Newquist’s tally. Emma Norris scored a minute later to bring the Spartans to with 4-2.

“We had a great crowd, and this was cool to be a part of today,” Thomas said. “The goal (Saturday) is to go out there and keep having fun.”

Jasmin Nunez’s goal late in the first half was the difference for Lemont. The Indians’ defense was tested throughout, but held strong as Erin Stahurski posted the shutout.

It was only the second time all season Chatham Glenwood was held scoreless. The win also was Lemont’s third consecutive one-goal victory. This one, however, was the biggest one of all as it resulted in the Indians’ first title game appearance.