Porters recognize four seniors in win over Joliet Central

 

 

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By Curt Herron

Four signs and numbers greeted fans to Thursday's SouthWest Suburban Blue match between host Lockport Township and Joliet Central.

They represented the four Porter senior players who were going to be recognized during halftime of the contest with the Steelmen.

Kelly Wetherald, Cassidy Stortz, Cassie Pullia and Maddie Lardner were honored by nice comments from teammates during the break.

All of the seniors but the injured Lardner scored at least one goal as the Porters rolled to an 11-0 victory in a 60-minute match.

Pullia led the way with four scores, which included a natural hat trick that helped the Porters claim an 8-0 halftime advantage.

Wetherald collected two goals and Stortz added another to comprise half of the players who found the net during the afternoon.

Kortney Weisenfluh also contributed a pair of goals while Ally Brehm and Lexi Cozzi also chipped in with scores for the Porters.

The victory gives coach Todd Elkei's squad a 12-4 overall record heading into Friday's nonconference match at Naperville Central.

LTHS also improved to 4-1 in SWSC Blue play and has one more league match left, on Wednesday, when it hosts Homewood-Flossmoor.

Needless to say, it's been a fun year for the Porters, and with only four seniors leaving, signs look encouraging for the future.

"We've worked hard and have had fun and we're just hoping to finish strong at the end of the season," said Pullia, who plans to continue her soccer career and education at Saint Xavier University.

"Whenever we get down in a game or at practice, we always help to pull each other back up to get us going again. We've definitely improved this season and we're very proud of how well we've done.

"It's nice to be a part of something that has progressed like this. I think they'll be successful again next year and in years to come because of the hard work that everyone has put in this year."

The Porters were coming off of a second place effort in their bracket of the Tournament of Champions invite in Burlington, Iowa.

LTHS faced a Steelmen program that has struggled during their first year back as a varsity team, so little drama was anticipated.

That allowed Elkei and assistant Chris Beal to utilize different combinations and allow everyone on the squad to see playing time.

The hosts found the net for the first time in the seventh minute when Stortz drove downfield and scored to get the ball rolling.

"It's great to see our hard work for four years finally amount to something," said Stortz, who plans to continue her education at either the University of Notre Dame or Pepperdine University.

"And it's exciting to see that this program is building up to something, not just a single year of success. And the team dynamic both on and off the field is everything that you could ask for.

"We went into the year with a positive attitude because I knew we had some good talent and real potential. But to see the success that we've had makes this an exciting time for Lockport soccer."

In the 14th minute, Brehm made it 2-0 and a little over a minute later, Wetherald put in a rebound of her own shot off the post.

Pullia then went to work, connecting on three straight goals in just over a dozen minutes to give LTHS a 6-0 lead 30 minutes in.

As the opening half wound down, Weisenfluh put in a rebound of a deflected shot by Gina Collesano and then added another score.

After the seniors were recognized at halftime, the final half was shortened to 20 minutes, and LTHS mainly possessed the ball.

Wetherald collected her second goal less than two minutes into the new half to cap the special day for herself and her teammates.

"I love seeing how we've been doing this season," said Wetherald, who will continue her career and education at Iowa Wesleyan College. "It's been a great year.

"Every year our team has been close and I think that the fact that we're close both on and off of the field has made us a much better team on the field this season.

"Since a lot of us play on different teams, we know how to come back together and to play as one. Being able to do that has made us all work really well together."

About nine minutes after the break, Pullia collected her fourth goal and then Cozzi added a final score a few minutes after that.

The Porters now set their sights on the postseason and should benefit from matches with Naperville Central and Honmewood-Flossmoor.

Although she has had to watch this successful season unfold from the bench due to injuries, Lardner is proud of how LTHS has done.

"This team has definitely gotten along a lot better compared to last year," said Lardner, who will continue her career at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.

"It's basically a brand new team and everyone works together very well. I wish I could play, but I like watching this team play because it' been a lot of fun.

"I think that these girls are going to have a lot of success during the next couple of years. Everyone likes each other and they connect well on the field."