Ferguson fires up Sandburg in season opener
Dayton recruit scores two goals and sets up two others as Eagles come up with scintillating start
Senior forward Karli Ferguson has been strictly a club player throughout her soccer career, but she did not want to miss out on her final chance to play for Sandburg.
“It’s my senior year,” Ferguson said. “I’ve been playing club my whole life. Before college, I just wanted to experience this. My mom (Karen) played here, so this is fun.
“It’s fun to play with kids you go to school with. There’s less stress. I enjoyed it.”
Ferguson, a Dayton recruit, quickly showed what kind of an impact she can make in Monday’s season opener. She scored two goals and assisted on two others as the host Eagles rolled to a 6-0 nonconference victory over Plainfield East.
Sandburg won a sectional championship last spring, allowed just four goals all season and expects to have a strong defense again.
The Eagles, however, have to replace Kristiana Pappanastos, the 2021 Daily Southtown Girls Soccer Player of the Year who’s playing at Illinois State after scoring 27 goals as a senior.
Enter Ferguson.
“We lost ‘KP’ so we needed that goal-scoring threat, and that’s what Karli gives us,” Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz said. “It doesn’t matter who she’s playing against. She’s going to give 100%, force them to make her the focal point of the defense, and that’s going to free things up for all our other attacking players.
“Karli was at the center of three goals in the first half and then she put in two herself. She’s going to be a handful for anyone we play.”
After assisting on two of Sandburg’s three goals in the first half and setting up the other — which came on an own goal — Ferguson got in on the scoring.
She scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half, hammering in both shots from short range.
“I have experience playing at a high level, so I think with my speed, I can make a difference and I can connect with all the other high-level players here,” Ferguson said. “I feel like we all know how to play with each other already.
“I think a lot of high school teams don’t have that this early in the season. We connected really well. We all get along and it’s very fun.”
It also was a memorable high school debut for freshman forward Gabby Dittmer, who needed less than two minutes to score her first goal. She found the net off a pass from Ferguson just 64 seconds into the game.
“It was exciting being the first person to score and having all my teammates there with me,” Dittmer said. “Playing with people like Karli and all the girls up top, the connection is always there.
“Finding the simple goal early really set the tone for us to have success the whole game.”
More pressure from Ferguson and Dittmer led to an own goal from Plainfield East in the 11th minute.
In the 19th minute, Ferguson ripped a shot off the crossbar and senior midfielder Mary Gallagher was there to put in the rebound to make it 3-0.
Madison Kaminski also scored for the Eagles.
Guevara Al-Sheikh made two saves to record the shutout, aided by defenders Erin O’Connor, Rosie Richardson, Sydney Gunkel and Kayla Siefert.
“We only let in four goals last season, so I know we can handle our own on defense with me and Rosie back and other girls stepping in,” O’Connor said. “It was just a matter of if we could get someone to score after losing ‘KP.’
“I think after this win, our confidence is definitely going to go up.”