Montini advances to sectional semifinal

Montini left Elk Grove much happier with the way it played Friday night than earlier in the week. Glenbard East didn't appreciate the timing.

The No. 1-seeded Broncos advanced to Monday's Schaumburg sectional semifinals with a 79-17 win over the No. 8 Rams at the Class 4A Elk Grove regional.

"We hadn't been playing well lately, and I thought our focus and intensity were a lot better," Montini coach Jason Nichols said. "Was it perfect? No, but we did a better job, no doubt about it."

"Much better than the other day," Broncos senior Lea Kerstein added about Tuesday's 55-27 regional semifinal win against Conant. "Our defense was a lot better today and I think that was shown from the score. We shared the ball really well on offense, so that's good. We've got to keep doing that to win these big games."

Glenbard East (19-11) couldn't help but be impressed.

"We knew they were going to be very good and we prepared, but I think if we had more time we would have come out better," said Rams senior Brittany Paganucci, an Illinois State soccer recruit. "But it was a good experience playing against girls who are going to big schools to play for college."

Montini (29-2) shot 13 of 27 from 3-point range.

"I think we can shoot even better," Nichols said.

"We couldn't stop their 3-point shooters," Rams coach Don Finnie added.

Montini will meet Bartlett at 6 p.m. Monday at Schaumburg.

Kaylee Bambule led the way for Montini with 12 points. Kerstein and Nikki Oppenheimer added 11 each.

Senior Brasia Solid scored 10 for the Rams.

"I'm so happy with the way these kids have played this year," Finnie said of the second-best win total in program history. "We have reached heights that we were building on for the last three years, and it's really nice to see them have 19 wins. I can't say enough for the outgoing seniors. They really set a legacy for the program and the next step forward."

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