Girls soccer: Late Lara goal sends Rochelle past Dixon in 2A Rochelle Regional semifinal

ROCHELLE – On an overcast Wednesday evening at the 2A Rochelle Regional semifinal, the Dixon and Rochelle girls soccer teams played a physical defensive game as they battled for the right to advance to the regional championship.

Both teams were held scoreless for 38 minutes and change in the first half, then scored in the final 1:11 of the period to keep the game tied at halftime. In the end, the host Hubs prevailed, 2-1, after a Makayla Lara free-kick goal in the last five minutes of regulation.

For the Duchesses, it was disappointing to see their season come to an end, but they’re still proud of the way they played throughout the year and in their final game of the season – especially with a young team.

“I’m super proud of these girls. This is the best game we’ve played all season,” Dixon coach Kristin Carlson said. “They all played with heart. I just couldn’t be happier. I know we lost, but I still am very pleased with the way they played.”

“I knew Rochelle’s a really good team and it would be a tough battle throughout,” Dixon sophomore midfielder/forward Katie Drew said. “Both teams played really well, and congratulations to Rochelle.”

In the first half, Rochelle controlled time of possession, gaining a clear advantage in the last 25 minutes.

Despite the high amount of pressure on its own goal in the first half, Dixon struck first, as Drew found an opening on the left side of the goal and buried a shot in the back right of the net for a 1-0 lead with 1:11 to go in the half.

“Somebody set up my teammate, and then my teammate had a really good touch through the defense and set me up perfectly for a one-on-one with the goalie,” Drew said. “And then it was just one touch around the goalie and a wide-open net.”

About a minute later, Jasmin Hernandez answered with a goal for the Hubs, heading in a rebounded ball off the center of the crossbar to tie the game.

“After they scored first, I think it brought our team down a little bit,” Lara said. “But then Jasmin with the header kind of boosted it up.”

Dixon and Rochelle each managed nine shots on goal in the first half. Hubs goalkeeper Dani Ward made five first-half saves, while Duchesses freshman goalkeeper Madeline McLane recorded seven.

In the second half, Dixon gained some momentum offensively, evening out the time of possession battle and registering seven shots on goal. But the Rochelle defense refused to break, as Ward deterred the five shots that got through, and Lucy Monroy, Lizbeth Milan and Abby Tarvestad anchored the backline admirably for another 40 minutes.

With 4:53 to go, Lara booted in the go-ahead goal on a free kick from 30-plus-yards out. The ball, which sailed high toward the middle of the goal, hung in the air for a while, then dropped in over the outstretched arms of a leaping McLane.

“As the time was going down, we were desperate for the ball, just desperate to score,” Lara said. “And then that free kick, making the score 2-1, I think it boosted our confidence a lot. And we were able to slow down, control, and just finish up the game and give it our all.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Lara added about moving on to the regional final. “Coach had mentioned we haven’t passed on to the championship in regionals for a while, so we have more to gain.”

The Duchesses managed a few more shots on goal in the last few minutes but couldn’t quite capitalize. Freshman defender/midfielder Makenzie Toms narrowly missed the left corner of the net on a shot with about 37 seconds remaining, approaching from a tough angle. A corner kick in the final seconds gave Dixon one last opportunity to tie the game and force overtime, but Rochelle’s defense came up big again, knocking the pass away as time expired to seal the win.

McLane finished with 12 saves for Dixon. Ward tallied 10 saves for Rochelle.

“We came in, there’s a lot of freshmen, and I think we grew really well as a team. And I’m really proud of how we played this season,” Drew said, reflecting on the season. “We have a few seniors who we’ll really miss, but I think this team has a really bright future coming up.”