In order to have a chance of defeating a powerful New Trier girls’ soccer team at the Class 3A Dominican University Supersectional in River Forest Tuesday evening, it was imperative for Hinsdale Central to get off to a good start.
Instead, the opposite happened to the Red Devils as they allowed an early goal.
Then when it seemed Hinsdale Central had steadied itself, a late goal by the Trevians in the final seconds of the first half proved to be too much for the Red Devils to overcome as their season ended with a 3-0 defeat.
The final score would suggest that New Trier dominated from start to finish. But Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia thought his team played better than the final outcome.
“Here’s my take. Number one, (New Trier) is a great team,” Madonia said. “Number two, today if you don’t show the goals and you show the game, I think it’s a toss-up.”
Hinsdale Central (17-7-1) created a pair of decent early opportunities but couldn’t convert. Then on a counter, following a scramble for the ball inside the Red Devils’ box, New Trier’s Addy Randall wound up with possession and fired a rocket past goalkeeper Grace Gjeldum to give the Trevians a 1-0 lead in the third minute.
After that, HC played on even terms for the balance of the first half. That is, until the final seconds when New Trier’s Quinn Brahm found a streaking Damilola Balogun over the middle. Balogun fired a shot from 25 yards out past Gjeldum with 2.6 seconds left, raising the Trevians’ lead to 2-0 at halftime.
“We had the better of the play in the first half. Everyone here says it,” Madonia said. “Sometimes the soccer gods are looking out for you, sometimes they’re not.”
In an attempt to notch an early goal, HC started sending more players into the attack. However, this would backfire on the Red Devils as on a New Trier counter, Catherine Shean beat Gjeldum with a shot to the right side of the net in the 45th minute. The goal gave the Trevians a commanding 3-0 lead.
In the 50th minute, HC’s Grade Hudson thought she’d scored, but she was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed, much to the consternation of the Red Devils’ players and fans.
HC’s final best chance to score came six minutes later as Emily DiTomasso got off a blast from the right just outside the box, but New Trier goalkeeper Annie Fowler was equal to the task and made the save.
While he was disappointed with the result, Madonia felt it shouldn’t detract from what was a good season for the Red Devils.
“I’m super-proud of our girls,” he said. “It’s a heartbreaking loss because that was an incredibly played game by us. We played soccer the right way, we looked really good. It was heartbreaking to have that goal called back early in the second half, but congrats to (New Trier) Coach (Jim) Burnside and his girls. It just stings to get knocked out (of the playoffs) like that.”
Hinsdale Central loses six players - co-captains Adrianna Giannini, Addie Krogstie, and Tegan Steines, along with Piper Bingham, Cara Groom, and Addie Hsieh - to graduation. Madonia made it a point to thank them for their leadership they showed throughout their careers.
“Our seniors have been unbelievable,” he said. “Some of them have been in this game before (Andrew supersectional in 2023). At the end of the day, they’re our heart and soul. They play with so much heart. They’ve played different styles, they’ve learned so much, and they’ve grown into great friends. They’ve represented our school extremely well and I couldn’t ask for more.”