By Antonio Lopez ‘17
Saturday, May 6 was a historic day for the Pritzker’s athletes. Both JV and Varsity girls soccer team won their championship games respectively. First, Varsity won 4-0 vs Bulls Prep. After that, JV beat Mansueto 2-1 in overtime.
The game took place at ITW’s field. The saturday morning started with the Varsity’s team game. As in every championship game, it started with a ceremony and the singing of the national anthem. Players then got into their positions and waited until the ref blew the whistle. The first ten minutes were intense, both teams pressuring each other. After that, the game was completely dominated by Pritzker. Bulls had a few shots along the way, but nothing too serious to force the goalie. From a series of good passes to long range shots, Jessica Delgado, senior and captain of the team, and Keyla Romero, sophomore, both scored two goals each. Varsity came out victorious, once again, becoming champions for the third time consecutively.
After the game, lots of players expressed their emotions. One of them, Liliana Ramirez, junior. “I am feeling so excited and happy right now to be part of this amazing group of girls who play their hearts out.” Ramirez also said the relationship all the players have was key to having an amazing season.
After the Varsity game, JV played their championship game in what was an even more intense game vs Mansueto. Pritzker started losing the game during the first half. It was in the second half when Jennifer Cortez, junior, was able to tie it back up for Pritzker and give some hope to her teammates. The rest of the game had approximations from both teams, it was very fought second half. After two halfs, no team was able to score the goal that would give them the lead. The game went into overtime where Kaylee Cuezzi, sophomore, became a key player. Cuezzi shot two corners that hit the post both times, getting her team closer and closer. In the last five minutes, Mansueto conceded and a free kick and Cuezzi didn’t miss the chance. She scored the free kick that gave Pritzker the championship for JV.
Amanda Meyers, freshman composition teacher and coach, had many things to say after both teams took the championship, “I always expect both of our teams to make it far.. It seems like we have bad luck with JV when we get into playoffs. So, I was anxious, and I know the girls were too. But, they played with heart and came back from a deficit to win it in overtime” This was the first in her four years of coaching at Pritzker that JV won the championship. When it comes to Varsity, Meyers explained the following, “Varsity, as a team, is a beast. The girls are so talented and really worked hard to get where we are.. They have wonderful chemistry on and off the field, and this is imperative if you want to win championships” Meyers had one last thing to say about the seniors in the team who played their last season for Pritzker, “I’ve been with them four years and have watched them grow and mature as athletes and as people. It has brought so much joy to my heart, and I am going to miss them like crazy when they graduate in June. However, I cannot wait to see what they accomplish once they leave for college and beyond. Love you ladies!”
At the end of the day, hard work really payed off for both Pritzker girls’ soccer teams. All the hard work and dedication payed off in every game of the season. Varsity will still play in the IHSA tournament in the following days, looking to make it even further this year.
