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Triad tops Wheaton Academy in 2 OT
Updated: June 3, 2011 8:08PM
Wheaton Academy did a good job of holding down Troy Triad star Rachel Tejada.
But it wasn’t good enough.
Tejada, an Illinois State signee, scored two goals, including the game-winner, to lift Triad to a 2-1 double-overtime victory Friday in a Class 2A state semifinal at Naperville Central.
The Knights (20-2-1) advance to take on Marian Central, which blanked Lemont 3-0 in the other semifinal, in Saturday’s championship match.
Tejada, who has 39 goals and 19 assists this season and 130 goals in her career, ended the match 59 seconds into the second overtime on what started as an innocent-looking play.
Claire Stark threw the ball in from the right side and Heather Seger sent a bouncing ball into traffic in the Wheaton Academy penalty area, where Tejada stuck her foot out and redirected it past Warriors goalie Kristen Morency.
“It was over to my left and I kind of toe-balled it,” Tejada said. “It was the only thing I could get on it. It worked.”
Tejada gave Triad a 1-0 lead at the 30:09 mark of the first half, running onto a Seger throw-in and sending a one-timer under the crossbar from 10 yards out.
The Wheaton Academy (15-7) equalized four minutes later on a header by Rachael Nasralla and the rest of the match was a war of attrition, with Tejada trying, and failing, to defeat Wheaton’s valiant defensive effort.
“This is definitely one of the best teams we’ve played so we had to work hard,” Tejada said. “They were on me tight all game, if not just a single player a double-team, so I just looked to play it back to our midfield so I could spin off and try to get around my defender and get the ball.”
That Tejada was rarely able to do so is a credit to Wheaton defender Lindsey Burke, a senior playing in her first game of the season. Burke, who spent the past five months in Rwanda and Congo on a missionary mission, got home from Africa on Wednesday night terrified of her assignment.
“When I was on the plane I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I have to go back and play in a state game. Are you serious?’” Burke said. “It was rough, but when I was over in Africa the whole time all I wanted to do was be here with this team.
“My heart was with the team, so when I came back I had one chance to go play and I when I was out there I had to give it my all, I had to do my best, play for the girls,” Burke said. “Yes, (Tejada) scored on me but I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of the team.”
“(Burke) was on me tight,” Tejada said. “It was tough to get around her but we got it done.”
Morency also played a big role in keeping the Warriors in the game. The junior made eight saves, including a point-blank save on a Tejada breakaway in the first overtime. Defender Kerrin Clancy made another great play on Tejada, running stride-for-stride with her before deflecting a shot into the right post in the final minute of regulation.
“She wasn’t getting many touches, but we knew she was dangerous,” Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. “She just has a knack for putting the ball in. I don’t think we fell asleep on her. I think she just won the battle.”
“It was very rough to see that,” Burke said of the decisive goal. “I don’t know what I could have done differently. Yes, she’s a faster player than me. Yes, she’s a better player than me, but I was going to give it all I had, leave it all on the field.”
Marksberry, who has guided the Warriors to state trophies, including the 2009 state title, in each of his three seasons, will coach his final game for Wheaton in Saturday’s third-place match against Lemont. He is leaving to coach at John Brown University in Arkansas and will be replaced by Dave Underwood, who led the Warriors to their first state championship in 2004.
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