Harvard shocks Richmond-Burton, wins first KRC Tournament championship

RICHMOND – Maria Mercado’s legs were shaky, but her aim was spot on.

The Harvard senior fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net past Richmond-Burton sophomore goalkeeper Rylee Molczan, sending the Hornets past the Rockets 7-6 in penalty kicks to capture their first Kishwaukee River Conference Tournament championship.

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Richmond-Burton's Abbie Leslie controls the ball in front of Harvard's Jackie Silva during the Kishwaukee River Conference Girls Soccer Tournament Championship Match on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at HRichmond-Burton High School in Richmond. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver )

Harvard (13-5-2) knocked in its first six penalty kicks after a scoreless 80 minutes of regulation, while R-B (9-6) made its first six before firing wide left on its seventh.

That left the door open for Mercado, who admittedly was feeling unsteady as she approached the penalty spot. Her nerves then turned to excitement as she sent the Hornets to their first KRC Tournament title.

“My legs were shaking. I just knew I had to kick it hard and choose a side,” Mercado said. “We fought hard for this. We’ve fought and beat teams we haven’t beaten before.”

Richmond-Burton, the No. 3 seed, had won the previous three KRC Tournament crowns and entering the season had not dropped a conference game in four years.

Harvard finished fifth in the KRC during the regular season. The Hornets upset Woodstock North, the No. 4 seed, and Woodstock, the No. 2 seed, to reach the tournament final.

Wins haven’t been easy to come by for Harvard, which won only two games combined from 2021-23.

“A long time coming,” Harvard coach Victor Gonzalez said. “We have more wins in this season than we do in the last seven, so it’s amazing. How far we’ve come and how much the girls have worked and how much they’ve put into the program to be here is amazing.”

Richmond-Burton defeated Harvard 7-0 when the teams met April 9. The Hornets have since turned their season around, while the Rockets entered Wednesday on a five-game winning streak of their own.

Harvard junior goalkeeper Jarithsie Mercado, who made four saves in regulation, said she’s not the biggest fan of shootouts.

Maybe Wednesday’s outcome will change her mind.

“This is like the fifth time we’ve had to do PKs,” said Jarithsie Mercado, whose Hornets beat Woodstock 5-4 in penalty kicks to reach the championship. “I don’t trust myself, but I know the others are counting on me. I just look at the player, look at their eyes. I see their stance, where their foot is and have to pick a side. Sometimes I pick right, sometimes you can’t.”

Scoring in penalty kicks for Harvard were Julie Silva, Liz Aquino, Lila Amis, Kyana Lamick, Yasmin Paredes, Jackie Silva and Maria Mercado. For R-B, Maddie Seyller, Addison Sell, Blake Frericks, Charlotte Gentry, Nicole Mendlik and Abbie Leslie all scored.

The Rockets, with the wind to their backs, had the better scoring chances in the second half, missing a penalty kick with 33 minutes remaining. Molczan recorded her sixth straight shutout in goal.

“We squandered some opportunities, certainly could have won the game in regulation,” Rockets coach Casey Decaluwe said. “We definitely had moments where we were the better side, but in a championship game, and with a very young group, it’s trying to teach them that little moments in big matches have to be taken care of.

“Harvard has gone on a very nice run, and I don’t take anything away from our girls as far as turning our season around [after an 0-3 start].”

The Rockets focused their efforts defensively on holding Harvard forwards Paredes and Julie Silva in check. They succeeded in that, but Silva, a freshman, almost opened the scoring 15 minutes in when her shot from 25 yards out hit off the crossbar.

Silva has been a scoring machine for the Hornets, recently getting a hat trick against Woodstock North in the tournament opener.

“This means a lot to me,” said Julie Silva, whose older sister Jackie is a senior. “I’ve been watching the seniors play all four years, and it means a lot to see how much we’ve grown to get to this moment.”

“A lot of girls look to her, even though she’s a freshman,” Gonzalez said. “They understand when she’s on the field, she’s going to give us a chance to win the game. That’s something we haven’t had in the past a lot.”

Gonzalez didn’t feel like his team’s 7-0 loss to R-B earlier in the season was a true indication of his team’s talent and potential.

Wednesday’s result certainly proved that.

“The first 20 minutes we hung with them,” Gonzalez said of the April 9 game. “Once they scored we kind of got down on ourselves. But I saw it on film that they weren’t 7-0 better than us. It was going to be an even match because we play hard, and that’s what it takes.”