Wilmette, IL- Regina Dominican soccer won the IHSA soccer regional on Thursday night, defeating Waukegan Cristo Rey 3-1. This win was also under first-year head coach, Eloy Salazar.
“It was great to see our soccer team claim the regional championship last night. Something else that was exciting is that there were contributions from freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Congratulations to the team and coach Salazar” stated Regina Dominican Athletic Director Brian Mancuso.
In the first half, Miranda Thomas ‘27 scored on an assist from Maddie Witchger ‘24.
In the second, Caroline Sullivan ‘26 scored on an assist from Kate Ludden ‘24. Payton Olszewski ‘24 closed out the scoring in the final minute on a corner kick.
The Panthers are now 9-4-4 on the season and will play Johnsburg on Saturday 5/18 at 11AM at the Woodstock Marian Sectional. With a win on Saturday, the Panthers would play either Richmond-Burton or North Shore Country Day for the Sectional championship. That contest would start at 4:30pm at Woodstock Marian.
The 9 wins are the most for the Panthers since 2019, when the Panthers went 9-8-1. The current winning percentage is the highest for Regina Dominican in more than 20 seasons.
This is the first IHSA Regional title since 2018, although the 2021 Panthers made it to the IHSA Sectional finals. The tournament moved straight to the Sectional round due to COVID-19 tournament procedures.