Conant pulls upset against Loyola

Updated: May 31, 2011 10:44PM

Courtney Raetzman figured if Conant scored first, her and the Cougars could beat Loyola.

Sammie Van de Linde did just that in the 17th minute Tuesday, and Conant made the goal stand up in a 1-0 win over Loyola to capture the championship at the Elk Grove Supersectional.

Van de Linde got herself free in front of the net and pounded a shot past goalie Carly Stevens to the upper-right corner.

“To punch one in early was huge,” Raetzman said. “I’m sure they were shocked. That set the tone for us.”

The goal was only the fourth the Ramblers allowed all season as they finished the year 24-1-3. Conant improved to 20-4 and is back at the state tournament for the first time since 2009 when the Cougars finished fourth.

With Neuqua Valley and Loyola now done for the season, it’s a toss-up among the final four clubs.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” said Raetzman, who was a freshman when Conant last played at North Central College. “A lot of people thought Neuqua would go all the way. The rest of the teams left probably are considered underdogs. We snuck up one some teams.”

The Ramblers, who beat New Trier last week for their first-ever sectional title, had their chances in the second half.

Meeghan Smith found herself behind the defense twice, but the junior never got off a good shot. The Ramblers had another opportunity on a free kick midway through the second half.

“We didn’t finish,” Loyola coach Craig Snower said. “But the handed it to us in the first 15 minutes, and we put ourself in a hole. We couldn’t get over the hump.”

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