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Rosary advances to regional final with win
Updated: May 17, 2011 9:55PM
Seventy-two minutes of applying pressure, and the bubble finally burst.
Fighting from start to finish at Rosary Tuesday, the hosts and Aurora Central were locked in a 0-0 tie until Sam Duarte knocked in the game-winner, sending the Royals to the Class 2A regional championship game on Saturday after a 1-0 win Tuesday night.
Sophomore Kaitlin Johnson, who minutes earlier lost a tooth on the field, sent a free kick from the right corner to the front of the goal with 8:03 to play. The ball took one bounce before Johnson’s best friend Duarte booted the waist high hop with her right leg. After hitting the bottom of the crossbar, the ball landed a foot behind the goal line for a 1-0 Royals advantage.
“I was looking for Sammy because she’s really good in the air,” Johnson said. “I saw she was there so I played it that way, and bam, she was there to put it in the net.”
Chargers goalkeeper Danielle Hernandez was brilliant throughout the match, repeatedly denying the Royals (9-10-3) from point blank range. But Johnson’s free kick appeared to catch the Chargers defense out of position and Duarte capitalized.
“They had a mental breakdown for a minute,” Aurora Central coach Maria Della Torre said. “It was definitely a battle the whole game. We didn’t set up properly and were disorganized.
“It’s unfortunate how that happened because they battled and put their hearts into it. Danielle played unreal today. Like every game really.”
The Royals controlled the ball for the majority of the contest and peppered Hernandez at every opportunity. Hernandez stopped three barrages in the second half, but Duarte managed to lift the ball over her.
“Kaitlin just kicked a great ball,” Duarte said. “I think it bounced off a girl and then I was able to hit it in. I thought it would be a high-scoring game, but (Hernandez) was really good.”
“I kind of figured the goal would come sooner or later, because they had been pushing and pushing,” Rosary coach Kevin Callaghan said. “It’s got to break sometime. She’s very good and I give her a lot of credit.
“She was there for everything. We were all over her and she was making the saves.”
Rosary downed the Chargers (6-12-1) 4-0 earlier in the year, but Aurora Central was one break away from pulling off the upset. The Chargers couldn’t muster much offense as each breakout and rush was halted.
The Royals will play the winner of Kaneland and IMSA, which play today.
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