Wildcats pleased with performance in setback to Falcons

 

 

By Matt Le Cren

It’s not often that both coaches walk away happy after a match, but that was the case Thursday after host Wheaton North edged West Chicago 1-0 in DuPage Valley Conference action at Rexilius Field.

Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly was pleased just to get a conference win, while West Chicago boss Cesar Gomez was feeling good about the improvement his club showed.

Both teams had lost their DVC openers on Tuesday: the Falcons fell 3-0 to reigning state champion Naperville North while the Wildcats were disappointed with a 2-0 setback to Glenbard North.

“I enjoyed this game,” Gomez said. “It’s hard to celebrate a loss but I’m celebrating that we were a lot better than what we were against Glenbard North. We didn’t do very well against Glenbard North and I thought we played 100 percent better today, attacking, possessing. We were aggressive.”

That they were. The Wildcats (5-3-1, 0-2) used the speed of seniors Andie Lazzerini and Lauren Ott and freshman Ally Oglanian, who was just promoted from the JV squad, to keep Wheaton North’s defense on its toes.

But the Falcons’ fullbacks proved up to the task, allowing only two shots that were on frame. Junior Emily Barry and senior Linnae Giuliano were steadfast in the middle, working hard to block shots and keep Lazzerini from getting loose, while juniors Lyndi Armstrong and HB Rowland and senior Madie Fagan provided assistance on the outside.

“I think we had to work together as a team and I know the back four of us worked really hard,” said Barry, who cleared three balls out of trouble, including a sharp header by Kayla Kirkwood in the second half. “That’s all you can ask for.”

The Falcons (2-1-1, 1-1) knew they would have their hands full with the tiny yet energetic Wildcats, who make up for their lack of stature with a surplus of spirit.

“I think especially since it was their [seniors] last time playing us, they really wanted it,” Barry said. “They came off aggressive and we just counterattacked and did the same thing.”

That strategy paid off for the Falcons early in the second half when sophomore Lexi Pelafas beat a defender at the top of the circle and ripped a 22-yard shot inside the left post for the game’s only goal with 37:15 remaining.

“I just saw that we were going at each other,” said Pelafas, who has two goals and an assist so far. “I cut it back, I saw the goalie over here and I placed it in the left corner.”

Just 90 seconds earlier, it appeared the Wildcats might be the first team to score when Lazzerini was knocked down from behind near the top of the penalty area. Gomez thought she was fouled inside the box, but the referee ruled the foul occurred two yards outside it and gave the visitors a free kick from 20 yards out. Lazzerini tapped it to freshman defender Alexa Vega, who fired the shot over the crossbar.

The Wildcats had three chances to get the equalizer but couldn’t convert. Lazzerini fed a pass to Oglanian, who made a long run down the right wing and beat two defenders into the box before Wheaton North goalie Jessica Kiely came out to smother the ball with 34:15 to go.

Kirkwood had an open shot from 22 yards out but skied it with 18:45 left and then with 3:00 remaining Lazzerini got around the right corner and fired a sharp shot from a severe angle that missed wide left.

Other than that, the Falcons surrendered little and Kiely had to make only two saves in recording her second shutout.

“Emily Barry and Linnae Giuliano, they still are learning to play with each other but they both complement each other extraordinarily well with their strength and their speed,” McEvilly said.

“I think they’re going to be terrific. They’ve still got a lot of growth to find but when they get on all cylinders I think they’re going to be really good and we’ve got some people on the outside like Lyndi Armstrong [who] can cover for you when you need assistance. She was on the back post a couple times to make sure things weren’t dangerous.”

Despite the loss, Gomez was pleased that his team was dangerous at times. That wasn’t the case against Glenbard North.

“I often say that soccer is not about who played better,” Gomez said. “If you’re looking for the better team today, I thought we were, but they were the ones who scored the goal.

“It’s about scoring goals and so far in [the last] two games we haven’t seen the net be picked up by their goalie. Still, [the Falcons] have four in the back who were targeting Lazzerini. Still, she broke through a couple times. We still have to score, though."

The same is true for the Falcons, who are averaging a goal a game. Pelafas, who took five of her team’s nine shots, just missed a second goal when she headed a corner kick from Lauren Szumski wide of the left post with 35:45 to play. She is the team’s top offensive weapon but the Falcons are still looking for complementary scorers.

Freshmen Clare Klocher and Gracie Klatt and junior Monica Tyler are hustling forwards who showed promise against the Wildcats, while Szumski and senior Anne Denz were solid in the midfield. Klocher hit the outside of the left post in the fifth minute of the game and Szumski had a 15-yard shot stopped by diving West Chicago goalie Gaby Navejas with 5:30 to go in the first half.

“I felt for the first 55-60 minutes we did a great job controlling the pace of play, especially through our midfield and up top,” McEvilly said. “We did a better job of having our forwards possess the ball than they have in the previous couple of games.

“I thought the last 20 minutes, their offense did a great job. They were always missing that last pass in the final third but the last 15-20 minutes they had a lot of energy. They put the pressure on us during that last 15-20 minutes.”

Even though both teams will have a hard time contending for the DVC title after dropping their openers, optimism still reigns.

“It’s a good start for us and we’re going to keep going with it, play our hardest, work more with our forwards in getting passes connected and if we can get those passes connected we can get more goals,” Pelafas said. “Last year we were good but this year I think we have the opportunity to be the best if we just keep working hard at practice and doing what we were doing on the field [tonight].”

“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Barry said. “It should be a good season for us.”

“I think we’re going to be okay,” said Gomez, who was particularly impressed with the gritty play of freshman defender Karen Ibarra. “We’re coming together.”