Girls soccer: Brigid Gannon scores twice after 6-month layoff as Kaneland beats Sycamore

MAPLE PARK – Heading into Monday’s Interstate 8 opener against Sycamore, the Kaneland girls soccer team hadn’t played in nine days. But it had been considerably longer since Brigid Gannon was last on the field.

Gannon was playing her first game in six months after an ACL surgery and scored twice to help the Knights grab a 3-0 win over the Spartans.

“I just wanted to be back on the field again, put in some goals,” Gannon said. “That was my goal, to score right away. It just feels good to be back after six months, after putting in all the hard work of recovery.”

Although she said she didn’t score quite as fast as she wanted to – it took her until the 35th minute to score the game’s first goal – she said she was pleased with her first game back.

Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said he was happy to see the junior’s strong performance in the win.

“She’s been practicing as much as she can with us,” Gannon said. “She’s nowhere near game shape, and I think she’d admit it too, but it’s getting there. She’d go to practice with us, then she’d go to physical therapy. Then practice with us and physical therapy. I’m happy for her. She worked her tail off to play this season.”

The Knights (2-2, 1-0 Interstate 8) dominated play early in front of the next but couldn’t connect until Gannon’s goal.

In the second half, the Spartans flipped the script and started controlling the ball on offense. But the defense held for the Knights, with Katie Kurz turning away a couple of breakaways by the Spartans, including a clean tackle of Karlin Kruizenga after the Sycamore senior broke through the Kaneland line and was making a bee-line for the goal.

Kruizenga had another shot in front of the goal cleared by Kurz earlier in the half. Ella Shipley also had a good look in the 48th minute, but Audrey Salamon cleared it.

Eleven minutes later, Jade Schrader popped in a loose ball in front of the Sycamore goal, pushing Kaneland’s lead to 2-0.

“Until the second goal I thought we were winning that half,” Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley said. “Unfortunately gave up that late goal in the second half after a kind of back and forth. They had more of the play in the first half, but in the second half I really thought we figured some things out and it seemed like we were having more chances down there.”

Bickley said there are a number of issues tripping up the Spartans (0-5-2, 0-1) on offense, and the inability to practice outside due to the weather isn’t helping any matters.

“We’re still trying to figure out the right combinations,” Bickley said. “Ella’s legs still aren’t underneath her from basketball season. And we’re still a young team. Other than the three seniors, the other girls have only played one season of varsity soccer.”

Gannon pushed the lead to 3-0 with 4:28 left, taking a feed and knocking it home in front of the goal.

“I was really proud of my team,” Gannon said. “We were coming in with a little bit of nerves because Sycamore is a great competitor. But overall I think we played really well and connected really well.”

Kaneland had only one practice, also indoors, over the last nine days since their last game. Parillo said that’s why he’s happy to be walking away with a win against a tough Sycamore team.

“You don’t know what this conference is going to be like, so for them to put up a tough fight against us was great,” Parillo said. “I think they’re going to be just fine. ... I think we’re probably the two best teams but don’t know for sure yet. We haven’t seen anybody else.”