Girls soccer: Burlington Central downs Prairie Ridge in sectional semifinal

ROCHELLE - In a matchup where the stingy trait overshadowed the scoring reputation, Burlington Central used a pair of Zoey Kollhoff second-half goals for a 2-0 Class 2A Rochelle sectional semifinal win that ended Prairie Ridge's undefeated season Wednesday.

Prairie Ridge's Wolves (17-1) came into the sectional averaging 4.0 goals-per-match and yielding a mere 0.4; Central's Rockets - now 22-2 with 13 straight victories - averaged 5.4 goals while allowing 0.3. So the 0-0 halftime draw heightened the value of a breakthrough and that came after 61:54 when Isabella Hartmann became the fourth Rocket to boast double-digits in assists with 10.

"We were told at halftime to work harder on getting crosses or shots so I went for it seeing Zoey breaking in on the left," Hartmann said. "In such a tight match getting the first score felt amazing. But we knew we had to dig deep, give it our all, and not leave chances unused."

"When I saw her pick up her head that was my cue to get open and she delivered a great ball," Kollhoff said of her 14-yard blast into the roofing of the goal. "As always when we get one, we want another. The all-around team defense from then on was the key and continuing to deny them gave us more confidence."

With goalie Erin Rafferty gathering up a loose ball, the senior keeper played a quick outlet to Madelyn Menke whose through ball continued the breakaway chance with Kollhoff staying a step ahead of a defender to be 1v1 with Prairie Ridge goalie Samantha Gablenz. The Central sophomore buried a rocket inside the right post upping her team-best goal total to 27.

"We knew they were undefeated but didn't quite play the schedule we had, so we were more focused on ourselves executing," Central coach Jess Arneson said. "Zoey was a little frustrated but her putting two away is another example of how she knows the need to score to score in big games. As a team we what we've asked them to do all season, stay composed, focus on the next play or pass, if we score, score again, and defending must take place everywhere on the field."

Central advances to Friday's 4 p.m. championship against Crystal Lake South (13-6) which shocked the sectional top seed Sycamore by a 3-2 tally on Tuesday. For Rafferty and the Rocket defense, it marked the 17th shutout win. Prairie Ridge, which was limited to one goal in just two of its previous wins, was hoping for a 14th clean sheet.

"It's disappointing but I knew our season would end with either zero or one loss," senior co-captain Emily Perhats said. "With only five returnees, seeing it all come together so well is pretty good, so I'll remember 17-1 as a positive."

In 2017 the Wolves lost a supersectional to Wheaton Academy which ultimately ended up second in 2A. The prior season it was another one-goal loss in a sectional semi to Deerfield, which also finished as a 2A runner-up.

Last year the Rockets lost 1-0 to a Troy Triad team that beat Wheaton Academy for the state title, however Central rebounded to defeat Lemont to take third-place.

"After last season we figure there's been a little bigger target on our back each time we take the field," Kollhoff noted. "As much as we're aware of our opponents, we really are taking it one game at a time and simply getting the win that's in front of us."