Girls Soccer: O’Conner, Alsheikh lead Sandburg in conference-clinching win over Lockport
By Steve Millar
Correspondent
As a four-year starter at defender, Erin O’Connor has been a rock on the back line for Sandburg her entire high school career.
“She’s just so reliable,” Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz said. “She’s a great leader back there, she’s dependable and she’s just so solid. We know what we’re going to get from her every game. We know she’s going to shut the other team down.”
O’Connor is also a standout basketball player for the Eagles.
“It’s good because I’m in shape already, but obviously they’re completely different sports, using my hands in one and my feet in the other,” O’Connor said. “It can be a hard adjustment. It was especially tough with the COVID season my sophomore year. I didn’t play soccer for two years, so it was hard getting back into it.
“I just like competing. I’m a very competitive person. I like to win. I like to be surrounded by my teammates.”
O’Connor helped Sandburg record another shutout May 5 and seal the SouthWest Suburban Blue championship with a win over Lockport. The host Eagles won the penalty-kick shootout 5-4 in six rounds to earn a 1-0 victory over the Porters.
Sandburg (10-8, 4-0) prevailed in unlikely circumstances, with multiple starters missing the game for various reasons and despite an 11-1 disadvantage in shots on goal.
“I was so proud of how we faced that adversity,” O’Connor said. “We’ve faced adversity all season long. We’ve had people in and out of the lineup. I was so happy with how we were able to adjust, shut them out, come out for PKs with people who don’t normally take PKs and find a way to win. I was so proud of the team.”
One of the players out was senior defender Rosie Richardson, another four-year starter and O’Connor’s defensive partner throughout her career.
“We had to switch up our whole defense without Rosie and girls stepped up so big to get this win,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor, Kayla Siefert, Sydney Gunkel and Grace Pittacora led the defense for the Eagles, with Siefert — a freshman — stepping into Richardson’s normal center back spot.
“It’s a testament to the team’s will to win,” Kubowicz said. “Kayla going into Rosie’s spot, those aren’t easy shoes to fill. She made some big plays.”
Senior goalkeeper Guevara Alsheikh also had a huge night, making 11 saves.
O’Connor made arguably the biggest play of the game when she got her body in the way of a shot that was ticketed for the back of the net in overtime.
After Alsheikh made a save on a shot from Lockport’s Anna Domina, the Porters’ Megan Posmer got the rebound and had a seemingly wide open chance for the game-winner with Alsheikh out of position.
O’Connor, though, blocked the shot.
“If someone makes a remarkable play out there, there’s a good chance it was Erin,” Kubowicz said. “That was another huge play from her.”
Lockport coach Todd Elkei agreed.
“That non-goalie save was the play of the game,” Elkei said. “That was one of the best plays I’ve seen all year.”
In the shootout, Gabby Dittmer, O’Connor, Maeve Durkin and Rudana Hamadeh converted penalty kicks for the Eagles before senior Mary Gallagher came through with the game-winner in the sixth round.
“Mary was feeling under the weather, so she wasn’t out there in the second half and overtime,” Kubowicz said. “The girls all wanted her to take the PK and she stepped up and buried it. She’s one of the nicest kids. She works so hard. No one deserves it more than her.”
Local News
Palos Heights Knights of Columbus donate to GiGi’s Playhouse
Spread the loveGrand Knight John Laskey and Past Grand Knight Brian Mellenthin of St. Theodore Guerin Knights of Columbus Council 14057 presented a check for $1,500 to GiGi’s Playhouse of Tinley Park, one of several donations to local groups resulting from the Knights of Columbus’ Fall Tootsie Roll Drive. One of the most recognizable activities…
Worth police join task force to combat auto thefts
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An agreement has been reached between the villages of Worth and Thornton regarding participation in the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force. Worth Police Chief Tim Denton said the approval of the memorandum to participate in the task force is necessary. “It’s no secret that there has been an increase…
Softball | Oak Lawn’s Kasey Jackson fans 5 in loss to Shepard
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn entered its South Suburban Conference matchup with Shepard having won six of its last seven games. The Astros — even hotter with seven straight victories after beginning the season with three consecutive losses — cooled off the Spartans (8-5, 4-2 SSC) for a day, winning 3-0 behind…
Softball | Shepard blanks Oak Lawn behind CG from Kailey Selvage, 2 RBI from Madison Scapardine
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Temperatures are not the only thing starting to warm up in the Southwest Suburbs. Shepard, which began the season with three consecutive losses, defeated Oak Lawn, 3-0, on April 15 to run its winning streak to seven games. Astros junior pitcher Kailey Selvage tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out…
St. Laurence grad Brett Buzzelli hurling for Carroll
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent Carroll University senior right-hander Brett Buzzelli has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Pitcher of the Week for April 8. Buzzelli was the winning pitcher in an 8-3 victory over visiting Elmhurst University in Game 1 of a CCIW doubleheader. The St. Laurence graduate tossed seven…
Fire II wins, draws
Spread the loveBy Jef Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire FC II earned its first regulation victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season in a 2-0 clean sheet against Crown Legacy April 10 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Diego Konincks and captain David Poreba scored goals for the Fire. On April 14, the team had a…
Red Stars sans Swanson fall to Angel City
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Playing without scoring star Mallory Swanson, who was nursing a hip injury, the Chicago Red Stars lost for the first time this season, dropping a 1-0 decision April 13 to Angel City in front of an announced crowd of 3,168 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Angel City (1-2-1) started…
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove…
Neighbors
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations. That…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Illinoisans can now get documents notarized online
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state’s office. This process is one of the latest initiatives of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ ongoing effort to modernize the office and its services. Notaries…