GIRLS SOCCER: Borschnack's four goals lead Herscher to second-straight sectional title

“It feels good to win our second straight sectional title,” Herscher head coach Chris Longtin said. “I like this one a lot better than the last time when we were in this position, having to win in a shootout. ... We learned a lot of things today, and I thought we grew as a team.”

The Tigers wasted little time jumping out to an early lead after Moore sent a perfect corner kick that resulted in a header goal from Kukuck less than three minutes into the evening.

Less than nine minutes later Herscher added another goal from Jaime off an assist by Borschnack to help take a 2-0 lead.

“When we score early, that’s definitely a bonus, and I know we’ve done that a majority of our games,” Longtin said of his team’s hot start. “A few of them have taken us 20 minutes here or there, but when you get that first goal in and you can ride on that, it gives you confidence that we can stick with the plan and go from there.”

Feeling the pressure down 2-0 against a juggernaut of a squad, Coal City didn’t panic and stayed the course, which allowed it to cut its deficit to 2-1 after a huge penalty kick score by Cara Planeta, who scored the game-winner in each of the Coalers’ last two wins, with just more than 26 minutes remaining in the first half.

“That goal gave us hope and made us realize that the game wasn’t done and that Herscher wasn’t untouchable,” Coalers head coach Todd Painter said.

Both teams battled it out for the remainder of the first half, but Borschnack managed to counter with a penalty kick goal of her own to help her squad take the commanding 3-1 lead into halftime.

With a chance to earn their second consecutive sectional crown just 40 minutes away the Tigers poured on in the second half, scoring three more goals, all of which came from Borschnack off a breakaway, penalty kick and an assist by Moore.

“Moore playing just adds a whole new level to our team,” Borschnack said of her new senior teammate, who will join Kukuck at Wright State University next year. “I feel like last year we were here [at sectionals], but having her helps us take our team to another level because she’s able to be dynamic with the ball and score ... she just adds so much more to this team.”

Trailing 6-1 with less than a minute remaining Coal City never seemed to quit, as they tacked on the final goal of the match off an outside-the-box strike by senior Audrey Cooper with just more than 35 seconds remaining.

The sectional championship title victory marked Herscher’s 13th straight win, including a perfect 4-0 stretch so far this the postseason that has seen the team outscore its opponents 32-3 during that same stretch.

“These girls are a special group, and they work hard,” Longtin said. “We prep in practice, and then they come out here in games and do it. I don’t know how you can be disappointed in any of that — from the bench on up, they work so hard at everything they are doing.”

The tough end to the Coalers’ season saw eight seniors end their prep careers as one of the best teams in program history, winning the first regional title in nine seasons as they made the program’s third-ever sectional title game.

“We are very proud of what we accomplished this season,” Painter said. “We ran into a juggernaut in Herscher, as they play really hard and physical[ly].

“It’s always a contest, and we always fight mentally and physically,” he added. “Herscher has so many weapons, and so it’s hard for us to mark every single one of them because when they pass, it goes from one weapon to another, and so that’s what we were battling today.”

STAT BOOK

Borschnack led the Tigers with four goals and one assist. Kukuck added a score and one assist. Jaime contributed one score, and Hailey King had an assist. Moore chipped in a team-high two assists, and goalkeeper Danica Woods hauled in six saves in net.

Planeta and Cooper collectively paced the Coalers with one goal apiece. Chloe Plueger had 12 saves behind the net.

UP NEXT

Herscher (20-2) will host Normal University, the team to end the Tigers’ past two postseasons, at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the IHSA Class 1A Herscher Super-Sectional.