By Michael Wojtychiw

Mary Rau stepped up into the middle of the field looking to take what she would call her “greatest shot ever.”

With the game tied 1-1 midway through the second half, the Lane senior forward was looking for the shot to put her squad up in its quest for a seventh consecutive city title as it faced off against rival Young Thursday at Lane Stadium.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to place a single shot like that again, to be completely honest,” she said. “I manifested that at halftime, I really wanted a goal like that all season, and when I saw the goalie peeking a little bit out, I took my opportunity and placed it just under the crossbar.

“I was calling for the ball even before [Grace Carmen] passed it to me, because I saw I had about 10 yards of space in front of me and then I kicked it as hard as I could without it going out and it worked.”

The senior’s strike from 36 yards out proved to be the game-winner as Lane continued its amazing run of city championships, taking down top-seeded and regular-season conference champion Young 2-1.

“Mary (Rau) is always hungry for a goal,” Lane keeper Siena Belko said. “She talks about it all the time. I knew she was going to score.”

To be able to win one championship is hard in itself, but how Lane has been able to come out and win year after year has been nothing more than remarkable.

Earlier in the regular season, Young had handed Lane its first loss to a city team since the 2014 city title game, a loss also to Young, and the loss marked the first one in the regular season to a city team since at least 2011.

“We made the adjustments right after that first game,” Lane manager Michelle Vale said. “I think this is a passionate team with a lot of heart. They work hard. We’re ready. We have been ready.”

Lane had that in their minds when they faced off with what has become its biggest rival.

“There were a lot of emotions involved and I think we were mad after the first time,” Lane’s Scout Murray said. “We really wanted to come back and came back mentally prepared to do that.

“We learned that they were easily getting in our heads and we were all playing so nervously, me included. All the fans, their fans come out strong and very loud and we just had to be ready for that.”

“I thought the pressure was actually on them (Young),” Rau said. “We lost pretty bad last time and it definitely didn’t feel great. So going into this, we were kind of the underdog, looking for redemption.

“This is a whole new team, they’re a whole new team, so we were looking to earn our spot back on top as city champions.”

Murray, the Ohio University-bound midfielder, took a pass in the 16th minute from junior forward Avery Ellis and used her lightning speed to get past the Dolphins’ defense to put pressure on Young’s goalie Zoe Adelstein.

Murray snuck the ball inside the far post to give Lane the early 1-0 lead. 

The lead wouldn’t stand for long though.

Young responded almost instantaneously.

Forcing their way upfield, the team drew a foul on the left wing, giving them a free-kick opportunity.

Lauren Roche, who had two goals in the 3-0 regular-season win including a free kick, stepped up to the plate again and buried another free kick to tie the game, giving the visitors new life.

In the 54th minute, the Dolphins had a chance to take the lead when Daphne Murray put a shot on frame that hit the post and bounced off, her second shot on goal in the half.

“Soccer is a cruel game,” Young coach Ross LaBauex said. “Hats off to them. The toughest thing in soccer is to score goals. They got two chances, and they put them away.

“We hit the crossbar and had a half-chance at the end. We had a corner in the first half.”

A couple minutes later, Rau’s heroics came to fruition.

For Lane, it was a game not only for themselves, but for everyone that had come before them as well. With multiple alumni in the crowd watching their former team play for yet another title, the current version of the Lane soccer team was happy to be able to play for them as well.

“This feel really great, especially seeing all the alumni in the crowd,” Lane’s Jocelyn Ramirez said. “Seeing all the alumni in the stands, like Carlye Makuch and Zehra Halilic, I just thought that was so crazy. They were literally here on the field with me when I was a freshman. We did it all for them, and everybody who played for Lane.”

Young had an opportunity in the closing minute but a shot by Ella Koleno sailed high and the home squad was able to run out the clock before celebrating.

“We had so many chances, too, and we need to finish them,” said Sydney Koleno, Ella’s twin sister.

“We’d beat them earlier in the season, and we just said we were going to go out there, and play our game and just do our best and knock out their six-peat.”

“The game really comes down to who can convert their chances,” Roche said. “We scored off a free kick, but it has to be better.”

Young keeper Zoe Adelstein showed her growth as a keeper through her first two years.

The sophomore keeper, time after time, stood up to the challenge, saving a blast from Murray, tipping over multiple other Lane opportunities, all to help keep her squad in the game.

“Honestly, I’m really proud of everyone,” Adelstein said. “I think we all need to keep our heads up. We played a phenomenal game.

“You can’t deny it. Lane is a good team. The fact that we were able to come back, and hold them down after we got down so quickly is great.”

“It’s been one of my goals to get us a regional,” Vale said. “Now we got it and we’re super excited. Every detail has been talked about for weeks, everything is planned out… That’s how excited we are to have the regional here.”

*Walter Payton Girls Lacrosse advanced to the IHSA Girls Lacrosse Sectional Quarterfinals where they ultimately fell 7-5 to Chicago Latin.