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Girls Soccer: Loyola draws Public League champs in regional final
Updated: May 17, 2012 7:10AM
Scoring the game-winning goal to win the Public League title in double overtime is a moment Whitney Young forward Azia Javier knows isn’t likely to be trumped this season.
Yet the goal Javier scored in the 75th minute of the Dolphins’ 1-0 victory over Niles West provided an exhilarating encore.
It also booked Whitney Young a date with undefeated Loyola Academy in the Loyola Academy regional final.
“I’m just there when they need me, really,” Javier said. “I didn’t actually plan (Wednesday night’s goal). When I saw the ball, I was like, ‘Oh wow, it’s coming toward me.’ And then I just did what we do at practice and hit it in.”
Javier scored on a header after Niles West’s defense, which had been solid throughout Wednesday night’s match, temporarily lost track of her. It was Javier’s second time scoring on a header this season, a goal which extended Whitney Young’s win streak to 10 games.
“We knew we were going to have a battle,” said Niles West coach Brett Clish, whose team finished 10-12-1. “How exactly they were the eighth seed I don’t really know. I think people looked at their record and stuff like that, not how they play because they definitely should have been higher than an eight seed; all the credit to them.”
Whitney Young (16-6-4) will play Loyola Academy at 7 p.m. Friday in Glenview.
The Ramblers (22-0-1) breezed through their regional semifinal with an 8-0 victory over Schurz. Tori Iatarola and Corey Burns scored two goals apiece for Loyola.
“We haven’t played in 10 days, and you just kind of want to see us execute,” Loyola coach Craig Snower said. “You know you’re going to get the goals, you just want to get them the right way.”
