Claire Wajda decided to give soccer a shot during her freshman year at Providence. She never expected to be turned into a goalkeeper.
Fast forward two years, and Wajda looks like a seasoned veteran as a junior in the net. And she has been a huge part of an historic season for the Celtics in her first go-round on varsity.
“I joined freshman year and they asked, ‘Who plays basketball?’” Wajda said. “I told them I do, and they’re like, ‘OK, you’re the goalie.’
“I still get worried every time somebody shoots the ball, but I like knowing that I can use my hands. I like being back there as the last line of defense.”
Wajda made that last line a very difficult one for opponents to cross Friday night.
She notched four saves to record her 13th shutout of the season and lift the top-seeded Celtics to a 2-0 victory over Tinley Park in the Class 2A Kankakee Sectional championship game.
Giuliana Savarino and Alyssa Thulin each scored a goal and Jenna Chentnik had an assist for Providence (17-9-1), which won the second sectional title in program history and first since 2002.
The Celtics will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Kankakee Supersectional against the winner of Saturday’s game between Peoria Notre Dame (22-1-1) and Peoria Richwoods (21-3-1).
Maggie Stachowicz made five saves for second-seeded Tinley Park (17-4).
Wajda came up big as the Titans put some major pressure on late in the first half. She got a knee on a hard shot from Lakeland recruit Addie Weed, knocking the ball wide.
Then, Wajda got just enough of another line-drive shot from Weed to deflect it off the post and out.
“I just kept going,” Wajda said. “I trusted my defense. I wasn’t worried that many shots were going to come. They just kept getting it out.”
Wajda’s teammates trust her, too.
“I think she’s amazing,” Thulin said. “She’s come a long way. She comes out of the goal when she needs to — made so many huge saves for us. She’s a big aspect of why we’re here right now.”
Wajda played soccer a bit when she was very young but had a long layoff before deciding to give it a try for the Celtics.
“I hadn’t played soccer since second grade, but a bunch of my friends were playing when I was a freshman,” she said. “They were like, ‘Claire, play, it’s so much fun,’ So, I joined, and here I am.”
Getting thrown in the goal was certainly daunting at first.
“I was excited to play soccer, but I was a little nervous because I realized it’s a hard spot,” Wajda said. “As I keep going, I’m learning so much.
“Basketball helps so much with hand-eye coordination. In basketball, you have to catch the ball, so I’m ready to catch the ball as a goalie.”
Abby O’Brien, Maura Hurley, Emma Winjum and Alexa Thompson led the defense Friday in front of Wajda.
Savarino sparked the Celtics in the first half, scoring off a cross from Chentnik in the 22nd minute. Thulin delivered the insurance goal on a 30-yard shot with 17:39 remaining in the game.
“This means a lot,” Savarino said. “We didn’t think we’d go this far, and I’m really proud of my team and all the work we put in.”
The Celtics, who won just six games last season, have certainly exceeded the expectations of first-year coach Mike Taylor.
Wajda is a big reason why.
“I give all the kudos to Claire,” Taylor said. “She had never played in her life. She played half of a season of JV goalie last year and now she has 13 shutouts.
“She’s come in every game and performed. I can’t say enough about her.”
