Girls Soccer | McAuley starts playoffs with rout, but falls to LW East in regional title game
By Steve Millar
Correspondent
Hosting a playoff game on its new turf field for the first time, Mother McAuley made it a memorable occasion.
Four players scored two goals each and the eighth-seeded Mighty Macs rolled to an 8-1 win over 10th-seeded T.F. United in a Class 4A Mother McAuley Regional semifinal on May 17.
The season ended for Mother McAuley (10-8-3) on May 19, however, with a 4-1 loss to second-seeded Lincoln-Way East in the regional championship game.
Against United, Macs senior forward Ciara Hosty, freshman forward Calli Edwards, junior midfielder Ava Grace Sales and senior midfielder Riley McKee each scored twice for Mother McAuley. Hosty also had three assists and Gabriella Martin made six saves.
“We said we wanted to start strong,” Mother McAuley coach Jenna Ryan said. “They ended up having the first shot, but from there we turned it on. I think in the midfield, Xotchil (Ramirez) and Emily Kovar were able to control the game. We were able to rely on them.
“So often we’re just kicking the ball around, but today we kept finding them and they were able to control it. We were able to connect and get all our passes going.”
After Edwards opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Hosty made it 2-0 four minutes later.
Sales then scored the prettiest goal of the night, volleying in Ramirez’s cross to increase the lead to 3-0.
“It was an awesome ball from Xotchil and honestly I just threw myself at it to get it in the back of the net,” Sales said. “It felt amazing. It was unreal. I feel like I’ve been working hard and it feels great to make it happen like that.”
T.F. United was still in relative striking distance down 3-0 at halftime, but the Mighty Macs poured it on in the second half as Edwards, Hosty and Sales each scored their second goal in the same order that they struck in the first half.
McKee added the final two goals, her second and third of the season.
“It was awesome,” McKee said. “I got the other goal on our senior night, but doing it in this game was awesome, too. Especially the celebrations with our team after.”
Local News
Society failed Melissa, Chuy says
Spread the loveCalls for more gov’t funds to fight violence From staff reports Hours after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) issued the following statement. “Since the tragic death of Melissa Ortega, we have seen the resilience and strength of Little…
Charge Brighton Pk. man with child’s murder
Spread the loveDrove getaway vehicle, police say By Tim Hadac A 27-year-old Brighton Park man and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with murder in the Jan. 22 slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in the Little Village neighborhood. Xavier Guzman, 27, of the 4600 block of South Fairfield, and the teen are in custody. Bond…
A ‘winner all his life’
Spread the loveJohn Travis, star athlete, coach and teacher By Tim Hadac John W. Travis was a man who helped guide the lives of thousands of high school boys and girls across the Southwest Side. A physical education teacher at Kelly College Prep for more than 30 years, Mr. Travis died Jan. 24 at age…
Think before you answer a Facebook quiz, BBB says
Spread the loveBy Better Business Bureau staff Social media is used as a fun distraction for some people, and taking a Facebook quiz may seem like a harmless way to pass the time. But are you giving away more information than you think? How the scam works A fun quiz pops up on your Facebook…
Thank you, Karen Sala
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac GSWNH Columnist At-Large As we all know, longtime Gage Park correspondent Karen Sala has decided to conclude her time with this column. Like every Greater Southwest News-Herald correspondent, Karen made the neighborhoods she served a better place. Thank you, Karen! That said, the search now begins for a new Gage…
Crime prevention starts with each of us
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hi neighbors! Before I say another thing, I want to wish my fellow columnist Karen Sala well. As you know, she wrote her final column last week. I love Karen’s style of writing. It’s conversational and natural. I always felt like she…
Plenty to celebrate in February
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “February is the month when days start to get long and gloomy nights to shrink.” –Anonymous. Thank goodness there are only 28 days this year. We are getting closer to March. But it’s silly to…
Obituaries Feb. 3, 2022
Spread the loveRONALD ADINT Ronald Adint, age 78, passed away December 17, 2021. Beloved husband of Cynthia, (nee Zalba) Adint; loving Father of Devin (Cynthia) Adint; dear grandfather of Rayna Adint, Nolan R. Adint, Micah D. Adint, and Kendra N. Adint; dearest brother of Nadia Adint, the late Victor Adint, and the late Leonard Adint.…
Worth’s Crossing Bar and Grill closed permanently after double homicide
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong The Crossing Bar and Grill in Worth, where two men were shot and killed the night of January 10, is permanently closed. The bar had been closed since the shootings. At a village board meeting after the shootings, a resident brought up her concerns about alleged disturbances that have taken…
Storm scrambles waste pickup in Palos Park
Spread the loveOn Wednesday afternoon, the Village of Palos Park was informed by Republic Services that waste pickup is cancelled in the village, and all other communities they serve, for Thursday, February 3, due to the continued closure of landfill sites from the hazardous winter conditions. Thursday waste service customers will need to hold their…
Neighbors
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…