Pair of second half goals vault O’Fallon girls soccer team into IHSA state finals

The O’Fallon High School girls soccer team notched a pair of second half goals to defeat Libertyville 2-1 and punch their ticket into the IHSA Class 3A championship game.

“First off, the team we played was excellent. They gave us a lot of trouble, and I have a lot of respect for them,” O’Fallon coach Justin Judiscak said. “From our end, that’s two games in a row we’ve gone down in the first half and have shown the resiliency we have. In the last two games our girls have shown whether we’re up or we’re down, we’re going to continue to play our game and continue to get after it.”

Down 1-0 at halftime, goals from Avery Christopher and Aubrey Mister sent the Panthers to victory. Grace Vincent, meanwhile, was stout in goal.

“It’s hard to describe in certain ways,” Judiscak said. “Looking at the girls after the clock hit zero ... we always immediately go and thank the fans for coming. Like I said to them, ‘This is it girls. We’ve made this journey and we’re at the last stop.’ It’s a surreal feeling to know we’re in the state championship. It is so exciting.”

Regarding LaGrange, Judiscak said he expects a tussle.

“They’re going to be an excellent team since they made it this far,” he noted. “We watched a little bit of their game before our semifinal .... I’ll be spending the night tonight watching film and looking at their strengths and weaknesses.”

With that said, Judiscak lauded his girls’ performance.

“I am so proud of these girls. We’re character first. We care about relationships and bonding and relationships first. Again, I am so proud of these girls and the bonds they’ve made with each other,” he said.

This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 9:04 PM.