Gabby Dittmer wasn’t ready to play her last soccer game for Sandburg.
Dittmer, a senior forward and a standout player in all four years for the Eagles, has decided to bypass some opportunities to play in college. She plans instead to study law at DePaul.
That meant Wednesday’s playoff opener could have been the end. Dittmer was determined to make sure it would not be.
“It’s definitely special for me,” she said. “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life and obviously I love soccer, so I was very excited for this game. You never know what’s going to come next. It could be nothing or it could be another game.
“I really wanted another game.”
Dittmer extended her final season by turning in one of the best performances of her career, recording a hat trick to lead Sandburg to a 3-1 win over district rival Stagg in a Class 3A Joliet Central Regional semifinal.
Alanna Noone made six saves for the eighth-seeded Eagles (5-9-4), who avenged a 1-0 shootout loss to the Chargers on May 6. Maeve Durkin led a strong defensive effort.
The Eagles will take on top-seeded Lincoln-Way East (16-3-1) — a 9-0 winner over Joliet Central — at 5 p.m. Friday in the regional final. Sandburg played the Griffins tough in a 1-0 loss on May 8.
Justyna Palenica scored Wednesday on a free kick for ninth-seeded Stagg (7-12-2), while Maritza Alvarez made five saves.
Dittmer, meanwhile, struggled mightily with her choice to give up soccer.
“It was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made,” she said. “I love soccer so much. My family, my teammates and my coaches all put so much time into me and helped me get to where I am, so it’s a really hard thing to walk away from.
“But for me, education came first when I wanted to think about my future.”
Dittmer came out on a mission Wednesday night. She scored in the 16th minute, then added a second goal just over five minutes later by juking a defender and ripping in a 20-yard shot.
Durkin has grown accustomed to seeing her teammate pull off moves like that.
“She’s always been a special player,” Durkin said of Dittmer. “Since freshman year, we’ve been playing together, and every time, her skill and her drive to want the ball and want to score the ball, it’s always there. She has the energy 100% of the time.”
Things later got a bit scary for the Eagles. Palenica scored with five seconds left in the first half. Then, with Stagg building momentum early in the second half, a red card against the Eagles put them down a player for the final 23 minutes.
Dittmer, though, took the pressure off by completing her hat trick, converting a 25-yard shot with 18:11 to go. It was her 12th goal of the season and 52nd of her career.
Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz has enjoyed watching all 52 goals.
“It’s going to be tough to replace her,” Kubowicz said. “She doesn’t need a lot of space. If you give her a chance to shoot, she’s going to shoot and there’s a good chance it’s going to go in.”
As for the future, Dittmer believes being a soccer player has prepared her for a tough academic journey.
“Soccer helped make me a very disciplined person and helped teach me hard work,” she said. “I wanted to stay busy, challenge myself and be on a good career path.
“Everything I learned from soccer, I want to bring it to school, and I think it’s a very good way for me to keep going with the hardworking mindset.”
As for soccer, she’s going out in style.
“I’m definitely taking everything in and trying to enjoy it,” Dittmer said. “Ending in high school, with these girls and these coaches who have all meant so much to me, it’s the perfect ending for me.”
