Red Devils prove they're best in 3A

Hinsdale Central's Abby Morrison (left) and Fremd's Kaitlyn Kinsella battle for a ball in the first half.
(Jason Geil/For the Sun-Times)

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Before Saturday night, Hinsdale Central had won 73 team state championships in 12 different sports.

Make it 74 in 13 sports. The Red Devils knocked off Fremd 2-1 in the Class 3A state championship match at North Central College in Naperville to capture their first girls soccer state title. It was an accomplishment few people foresaw three months ago.

“All along we never looked at any rankings or what newspapers, the Internet and other teams were saying,” said senior midfielder Lee Battaglia, who along with Tierney Burchett returned after playing only club soccer last year. “We knew we were going to go to state, so it’s great to accomplish our goal and prove to everyone that we belong.”

The Red Devils (20-3-2) did it with a total team effort. After Fremd (20-5-1) tested Hinsdale goalie Nicole D’Agostino (six saves) with a couple of early shots, the Red Devils imposed their will with a great display of offense.

Junior Lena Husayni, who came in with only one goal, put Hinsdale ahead 1-0 with 25:12 left in the first half when she took a cross from Courtney Arundel and scored from eight yards out.

“It feels so good,” Husayni said. “Courtney did a great assist. We played really well together. A lot of our championships are for individual sports. It’s the first time the girls have ever gotten to state, let alone won, so it feels like we accomplished a lot.”

Toni Kokenis made it 2-0 seven minutes later, settling a high pass from Molly Gaffney and rifling a 20-yard shot past Fremd keeper Allison Norenberg. Norenberg kept the Vikings in contention with her spectacular play, as she tipped two long free kicks over the crossbar and dove to her left to parry a point-blank shot by Arundel.

Elise Kotsakis scored on a great individual effort for Fremd with 17:21 to play in the second half, but the Vikings could get nothing else past D’Agostino.

“I’m real proud of them,” Hinsdale Central coach Skip Begley said. “If you take a second-place trophy home tomorrow, a lot of people will thank you, but there are a lot of second-place trophies at Hinsdale Central. For me, personally and professionally, to take a [championship] trophy home to Hinsdale Central, it means something.”

In the third-place match, Sandburg (20-3-1) outlasted Conant 1-0 on penalty kicks, winning the shootout 4-3 as goalie Victoria Kappel stopped two shots. Allie Osoba, Nikki Ihanji, Taylor Moesle and Carson Moesle converted for the Eagles, while Brenna Fitzpatrick, Alyssa Stylski and Kelsey Loos tallied for Conant (19-3-4).