Illinois Week 5 high school girls standouts

The fifth week of the high school season in Illinois is in the books. Lots of top-notch programs squared off against one another the past few days. Here’s some of the top performers: <strong>GK Izzy Lee, Lyons, Sr.</strong> The Illini commit doesn’t get enough credit for her contributions to the Lion’s success this season. In the group stage of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic, she did not concede a goal against some top-notch competition. Lee came through in the penalty shootout when her team needed her in Saturday’s semifinal win over Naperville North. She saved two penalties and scored a goal of her own in the shotout. Lee finished the game with nine total saves. A two-sport athlete, lee has nice size and athletic ability to make some great saves. Very quick off her line and can stop 1v1 chances towards goal. <strong>GK Abby Haskell, Naperville North, Sr.</strong> Haskell had yet to concede a goal through the group stages of the Malnati’s classic. Standing at 5-foot-8, the SIUE commit displays tons of athleticism for her size. She made some terrific saves in a 0-0 draw against Libertyville on Monday night and was the key to stopping the Wildcats attack. She also made her presence felt over last weekend in a 4-0 win over Evanston. In the third game, she kept another clean sheet in a 5-0 win at St. Francis (Wheaton). Although coming up short, Haskell put on a show against Lyons with two PK saves in the shootout during the semifinal. A massive game with Naperville Central awaits Monday. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id="33353" first="Piper" last="Lucier"], Barrington, Fr.</strong> There are several Fillies players who have contributed heavily to the team,s success so far. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="33353" first="Piper" last="Lucier"] is the most intriguing one of all of them. The 5-4 freshman made contributions this week from both wing positions. She scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Conant on Monday. Lucier assisted the opening goal Wednesday against Prospect. She then got in the scoring book as she dribbled past the goalie for a tap-in goal. She helped take down their rival Fremd 3-0 Saturday to remain unbeaten in their conference. <strong>F Mariana Pinto, Benet, Sr.</strong> The Redwings leader had her most productive week of the season. Against conference-rival Nazareth, she scored four goals and three in the second half. Pinto was all-over the place as she found opportunities to score in a variety of ways. She also found an assist in the first of five second-half goals for her team that game. Against Oak Park, the Lewis commit proved to be the difference maker as she scored both her teams’ goals in a 2-1 victory. Pinto has the Redwings off to an 8-2 start with a 4-0 conference record. <strong>F Laney Harshany, Triad, Jr.</strong> Harshany and the Knights have the longest unbeaten streak in Illinois at 34 games. Last Saturday, Harshany scored the game's lone goal over O'Fallon in a matchup between defending 2A and 3A state champions. She took a free kick crossed by Kinlee Lippert in the opening minutes and buried it in the back of the net. The win Over O'Fallon marked just the second time since 2021 that the Panthers were shut out. The first was also last year against Triad. Later in the week, she found an impressive assist where she fought off a lot of defensive pressure to take a 2-1 comeback win over Waterloo. A goal over Alton in a 3-1 win capped off an impressive week. <strong>F [player_tooltip player_id="22089" first="Caroline" last="Mortonson"], Lyons, Fr.</strong> Mortonson might be her generation's next superstar, and she's been putting on a show this tournament. She scored a left-footed goal at Lake Forest in the first group stage game to secure a 2-0 win. Against Glenbrook South, the freshman scored two more goals en route to an 8-0 win. The Lions faced off against Naperville North on Saturday in the semifinal. Without their leader Eleanor Musgrove, she came up big with a crucial assist to tie the game in the second half. Lyons would go on to win in a shootout. <strong>M Georgia Liapis, Plainfield North, Jr.</strong> Liapis and Plainfield North have gone under the radar all season. Plainfield North hosted their own tournament last week with several competitive programs taking part. The junior scored a hat trick in the second game of the tournament in a 7-0 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais. In that game, she scored two fantastic goals with both feet. She took a pass outside the 18 and buried a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner in the first half. She volleyed a terrific goal over the goalkeeper with her left foot in the second half. Liapis' offensive and defensive efforts the rest of the week helped her win tournament MVP.