Red Devils bounce their way into final

Hinsdale Central coach Skip Begley has been telling his players all season to shoot every chance they get, no matter how far away from the goal they may be.

Lee Battaglia took that advice to heart and as a result the Red Devils are in the state championship match for the first time.

Battaglia’s shot from 40 yards out bounced over the head of Sandburg goalie Victoria Kappel with 33:50 left in the second half and Hinsdale Central went on to a 2-0 Class 3A semifinal victory Friday at North Central College.

“In the first half we weren’t really testing the goalie that much, so I had the space and thank God Toni [Kokenis] was following it because I think that was the reason it bounced over [Kappel’s] head,” Battaglia said. “Toni was blocking the goalie’s view.”

Battaglia’s shot bounced hard on the artificial turf about 12 yards in front of Kappel, who took a step forward before backpedaling and watching it bounce just under the crossbar.

The combination of the setting sun and the hard-charging Kokenis, who gave the Eagles (19-3-1) problems throughout the match, proved deadly for Kappel, a sophomore who was otherwise solid in making five saves.

“We’ve played on turf quite a bit but this is that first-generation turf where it is a lot bouncier,” Sandburg coach Desi Vuillaume said. “That might have been it. The nice thing is [Kappel] is a great keeper and I’ve got her for two more years.”

The Red Devils (19-3-2) got an insurance goal when Kokenis headed in a corner kick from Deanna Huysani with 46.8 seconds left. It was Kokenis' 25th goal of the season but first on a header.

“It was a great ball by ‘D’. Her corner kicks have been amazing,” Kokenis said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling [to be in the final]. We’ve been working all year to get to this point and we couldn’t be happier.”

Nicole D’Agostino made four saves for Hinsdale, including a tough one with 2:20 left in the first half when she tipped a 22-yard bullet from Sarah Krusenoski.