Lucy Edwards is probably going to miss her high school graduation on Saturday afternoon, but she’s fine with that.
The DePaul-bound defender will be busy trying to lead Lake Forest to its first state soccer championship.
Edwards played a major role as the Scouts knocked off defending state champion Chatham Glenwood 2-0 in a Class 2A semifinal Friday at North Central College in Naperville. She helmed a great defensive effort that limited Glenwood to only three shots, none in the second half, and assisted on Carly Hoke’s goal midway through the first half.
Lake Forest’s opponent will be another first-time finalist, Normal West, which edged Hinsdale South 1-0.
“This was our goal since Day 1, to make it to state, and we did,” Edwards said. “We knew [Glenwood] was going to be great competition but we knew we could do it. We’ve been practicing hard.”
All that practice made the Scouts (18-6-1) look perfect on the pitch against the Titans (16-5-2), who were reduced to spectators on two brilliant Lake Forest goals.
Jenny McKendry opened the scoring when she ran onto a long lead pass from fellow sophomore Adrian Walker and chipped a 12-yard shot over the head of Glenwood keeper Mara Cunningham at the 33:48 mark of the first half.
Twelve minutes later, the Scouts produced an even better goal. Edwards boomed a 45-yard free kick from the right wing into the middle of the box and junior midfielder Carly Hoke came streaking in from the left side to head it just under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead.
“We just practice it to kick it diagonally towards the back post and Carly was there,” Edwards said. “It seems like Carly is wherever the ball is.”
Hoke gave all of the credit to Edwards.
“I was just there,” Hoke said. “It was a really good ball by Lucy. I always start at the back and I run in and then she usually hits pretty accurate balls, so I just went to it.”
The second strike proved decisive even though the Titans did not go down without a fight. The champs started controlling the midfield in the second half but a combination of the heat and the stellar play of Edwards, Walker and fellow defenders Kendall Hoke, Sydney Johnston and Bailey Ehrens kept them at bay.
Senior keeper Ginnie Revenaugh had to make just two routine saves, both in the first half, in recording her 12th shutout, five of which have come in the playoffs.
“[The second goal] was really important,” Carly Hoke said. “It kind of took some pressure off of us but also I feel it’s never safe.”
“They’re known to come back so we knew that they were not going to stop pressuring,” Edwards said.
Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager was proud of his team for staying focused in the face of that pressure and the hoopla surrounding the program’s first state semifinal appearance.
“We’re happy especially after having finals in the morning,” Stuckslager said. “I felt we played a great first half.
“I thought they ran at us a little in the second half but our girls withstood the pressure and we actually created a couple chances. You couldn’t be happier for the girls.”
In Normal West (27-1), the Scouts face a juggernaut that has outscored its opponents 137-16 but hasn’t played the level of competition Lake Forest has.
“It’s definitely not going to be an easy game and we know that,” Edwards said. “It’s going to be challenging. They’re a good team but I think we can beat them.”
