MONROE - The Monroe girls soccer team finished second place in a quad tournament Saturday, but the finish came at a cost at Honey Creek park.
Monroe freshman Emily Benzschawel broke her collarbone in the second half of the Cheesemakers' shootout loss to Kaneland, Illinois in the championship game.
"She (Benzschawel) has made some big contributions to the team," Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill said. "She's a fantastic, hard-working player. She has been playing about 90 minutes of soccer each game. She will be a big loss."
Monroe (7-2-1, 0-1-1 Badger South) knocked off Columbus 2-0 in the first game Saturday to reach the championship. Monroe senior Maddie Kallgren scored a goal at 3 minutes, 3 seconds to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Brynn Ritschard scored a goal on an assist from Kallgren at 57:38 to seal the win for the Cheesemakers.
"I think they felt a little frustrated because they didn't score as often or as much as they would have liked," O'Neill said.
In the championship game, the Cheesemakers and Kaneland were scoreless at the end of regulation. Kaneland pulled out a 4-3 win in the shootout. The Cheesemakers got goals from Ritschard, sophomore Reily Pond and senior Sami Curtis during the shootout and just came up short of the title.
Monroe freshman goalkeeper Anna Latimer had 15 saves.
"I have to give a lot of credit to Anna and our defenders," O'Neill said. "They played a fantastic game."
O'Neill expects the Cheesemakers to learn from the shootout experience which may not come again this season, but could happen in the tournament.
"It was a good learning experience for them to make that penalty shot when you need them," she said. "It's definitely nerve-racking for a freshman keeper."
Monroe freshman Emily Benzschawel broke her collarbone in the second half of the Cheesemakers' shootout loss to Kaneland, Illinois in the championship game.
"She (Benzschawel) has made some big contributions to the team," Monroe coach Miriam O'Neill said. "She's a fantastic, hard-working player. She has been playing about 90 minutes of soccer each game. She will be a big loss."
Monroe (7-2-1, 0-1-1 Badger South) knocked off Columbus 2-0 in the first game Saturday to reach the championship. Monroe senior Maddie Kallgren scored a goal at 3 minutes, 3 seconds to give the Cheesemakers a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Brynn Ritschard scored a goal on an assist from Kallgren at 57:38 to seal the win for the Cheesemakers.
"I think they felt a little frustrated because they didn't score as often or as much as they would have liked," O'Neill said.
In the championship game, the Cheesemakers and Kaneland were scoreless at the end of regulation. Kaneland pulled out a 4-3 win in the shootout. The Cheesemakers got goals from Ritschard, sophomore Reily Pond and senior Sami Curtis during the shootout and just came up short of the title.
Monroe freshman goalkeeper Anna Latimer had 15 saves.
"I have to give a lot of credit to Anna and our defenders," O'Neill said. "They played a fantastic game."
O'Neill expects the Cheesemakers to learn from the shootout experience which may not come again this season, but could happen in the tournament.
"It was a good learning experience for them to make that penalty shot when you need them," she said. "It's definitely nerve-racking for a freshman keeper."
