Eastview's Fontes leads girls' soccer squad with toughness

It was just a fluke play. Lizzy Fontes, making a run upfield with the ball, simply took an awkward step.

There was no collision, no slick turf, no quick change of direction. But the Eastview standout went down, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

Two weeks before her final high school season was set to start — the injury happened during a club game — Fontes was left with a bulky brace and a harsh realization that her senior season might be over before it even began.

"I'd never missed a game before or been injured or anything," she said. "I just wanted to be there for my team. I knew I could still be a leader even if I wasn't on the field, but I just didn't want to do it that way."

Instead, Fontes has played in each of Eastview's games so far this fall — picking up two goals along the way — as the Class 2A, No. 1-ranked Lightning raced to an 11-0 record.

"All of our seniors have set a great example, and when you have a captain playing through a torn ACL, it's hard for anyone to make excuses," coach David Herem said. "She's a tough kid. There aren't many kids who would do this, and it just shows the type of team we have and the type of kids we have."

If Fontes' effort is supplying motivation for the Lightning, the play of the team has put the competition on notice. Eastview hasn't just eked out a number of close wins; the Lightning has been dominant.

Opponents have scored just two goals against Eastview through 10 games. Competing in the South Suburban Conference — and having a tough nonconference slate — has meant all of those victories have come against upper-echelon Class 2A programs.

Co-captain Claire Pueschner said that, while she may not have expected the unbeaten start, she's not surprised by the team's success.

"We just have a good mentality, and great team chemistry," she said. "We play to win, and not to just not lose. There's no selfishness. We all just pass, find each other's feet and try to make a good play."

That simple approach has helped the Lightning stay "in the moment" and not get carried away with thinking about winning streaks — or the possibilities of conference, section or state titles, said Maddie Haworth, also a senior captain.

"We're just going to fight as long as we can," Haworth said. "However [the season] ends, that's the way it's going to end. We just have to focus on right now."

Herem said his team understands just how fluky high school soccer can be; one whiff of a pass, one ball off a crossbar, one bad pass, one wrong step, and your season can quickly change.

Just ask Fontes.

"This isn't exactly how I expected the season to go," she said, as much about her injury as the unbeaten start. "But it's been better than I could've imagined."