Another school year is coming to a close as graduation is just days away and the spring sports season is gearing up for playoffs.
Stagg girls soccer is set to say goodbye to 11 seniors at the end of the season. One of them is goalkeeper Julia Jarecki, who is making sure to enjoy these final moments as Charger.
“I hope we stay strong and focused,” Jarecki said May 6, when Stagg beat Sandburg 4-3 on penalty kicks after playing to a scoreless tie. “With final exams coming up and graduation, it’s easy for everyone to get distracted. But hopefully we’re able to give our all in these last few weeks leading up to playoffs.”
The Eagles and Chargers traded goals for the first three attempts in penalty kicks before a huge save by Jarecki on an attempt from Megan Boertlein. Sandburg had one more attempt at a chance to tie, but couldn’t convert.
“When the fourth girl came up for the shot, I knew it’d be it,” Jarecki said. “A save would put pressure on the fifth girl that would shoot, and so fortunately it worked out the way I had hoped. I recognized where she was looking to shoot and managed to get the save.”
Veronica Perez, Justyna Palenica, Pilar Pescetto and Victoria Bedziechowski scored the four penalty goals for Stagg. The Eagles’ goals came from Marissa Manning, Ella Riordan and Ydalis Alvarez.
Michal Szlachta is in his first season as the Chargers head coach, but he’s not new to the program. He has worked with Jarecki closer as a goalkeeper coach the last two seasons.
“Coach S. is very optimistic even on days where things aren’t going our way.” Jarecki said. “His knowledge and passion for the sport is what makes him an incredible coach.”
Jarecki shares time in the net with fellow senior Maritza Alvarez. The two have been teammates dating back to playing junior high soccer at Palos South in Palos Park.
“It’s nice to know that we’re making the most of our last season of high school soccer,” Jarecki said. “I’m grateful to have had her as a friend and teammate throughout our seasons at Stagg.”
Jarecki and her teammates have grown close off the field, and that bond has helped them improve on the pitch. Through last week, Stagg was 7-9-2 overall and 3-4 in SouthWest Suburban action.
“We’ve grown a lot as a team and it really is an incredible group of young women,” Jarecki said.
After years of being a multi-sport athlete playing soccer, basketball and flag football, Jarecki is putting aside sports to focus on her studies when she attends Clemson next fall. She is not walking away from the sport completely, though, as she plans to play intramural soccer.
Still, Jarecki said, “it’s a bittersweet feeling knowing my (competitive) soccer career is coming to an end.”