Senior Night, Lockport unkind to Redhawks

CLICK HERE FOR NAPERVILLE CENTRAL'S TEAM PAGE

By Matt Le Cren

Lockport has made great strides this season and had already equaled last year’s victory total.

Despite their success, the Porters had yet to beat one of the top programs in the Chicago area and naturally that had people doubting whether the squad was for real.

They’re for real. Lockport improved to 13-4 and made a statement Friday night by stunning host Naperville Central 2-1. How big a victory is that? Well, the Redhawks pumped in seven goals in the first half in crushing the Porters 8-0 a year ago.

“It’s a signature win for us,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei said. “They have that tradition that we want to build at Lockport. We want people to think of Lockport the same way they think of Naperville Central, Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley and New Trier. We needed that one win to get us over the hump.”

The visitors won despite losing starting goalie Alyssa DeYoung to a knee injury 15 minutes into the game and getting dominated for long stretches. Defender Julie Divita played between the pipes for three minutes before sophomore backup Jenny Meyer, who was not expecting to play, came out of the stands and made seven saves the rest of the way.

Senior Cassie Pullia put Lockport ahead to stay when she scored her seventh goal of the season – and first game-winner – with 11:43 remaining in the second half.

“I think we just wanted it more,” Pullia said. “We’ve worked for this. We had the energy. We just went for it and got it.

“(The win) is huge. From where we’ve come from, it’s huge. We have a lot of unity and we work well together so I think that helps a lot.”

Pullia and speedy junior Lexi Cozzi worked well together up front and created what few chances the Porters had. It was Cozzi’s play on the left wing that drew attention away from Pullia on the decisive play.

Pullia got the ball just outside the top of the circle, turned quickly and fired from 23 yards out. Naperville Central goalie Jill D’Amico appeared to be caught by surprise. The all-stater reached up but the ball grazed her fingertips and the underside of the crossbar before going in. It was Lockport’s first shot of the second half and fourth of the game.

“Cassie Pullia, who has been struggling a little bit this year with her confidence in her shot, for her to step up in a game like that, I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Elkei said. “I think they probably controlled the ball a little more than we did, but our girls showed their heart and their character.”

“I just turned around and went for it, gave it my all and it went in,” Pullia said. “We wanted to win so bad. We just turned it around and pushed through.”

Naperville Central coach Ed Watson, who pulled D’Amico in favor of backup Jill Smolinksi two minutes after Pullia’s goal, could not say the same thing about his team, which was celebrating Senior Night.

“(The Porters) haven’t played a lot of the top teams,” Watson said. “Are we a top team? I don’t know. The top teams don’t play the way we played.

“Credit their kids for doing what they needed to do. They took advantage of the multiple mistakes that we gave them and they finished.”

The Porters, who were outshot 16-6, finished first when Cozzi gave them a 1-0 lead at the 18:55 mark of the first half. After running onto a long lead pass from defender Sam Spencer, Cozzi raced unmarked into the box and eluded D’Amico before slotting an eight-yard shot inside the right post.

“I went wide at first and looked up and got it to the back of the net, thank goodness,” Cozzi said. “I just had to touch it to the outside and look for the shot. It was a little too far at first but thank goodness it went in.

“There was a lot of pressure on (our team) to beat a good team,” she added. “It was a good win. We made a lot of progress in this game.”

But the Redhawks, who are seeded third at the Class 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional, seven spots ahead of the Porters, took a step back. The hosts did get the equalizer with 31:22 remaining in the second half when Alyssa Angelo headed home a corner kick from Ashley Tegge, but the second goal never came despite numerous chances.

“It’s the classic trap game,” Watson said. “For some reason we feel the need to celebrate seniors by giving them a game. It’s just absolutely insane. I speak for all coaches, this is one of those nights that none of us want to coach, because you want it to be a fun experience for the kids but you know time in and time out that it’s not going to work out real well.”

Indeed it didn’t for the Redhawks, who could not solve the Porters’ back line of Spencer, Divita, Lauren Labanauskas and Brynn Feeley, who played tenaciously in front of Meyer. Meyer made three saves in the second half and cut off two other dangerous balls. Just two minutes after Lockport took the lead, Central’s Krissy Many got free in the box outside the left post but her 10-yard shot barely missed the right post.

“That’s playoff soccer right there,” Watson said. “That’s a team battening down the hatches and holding up their box trying to make sure you can’t get in. The strange thing is that we were in. We had forwards that had lack of composure.”

As disappointed as he was in his own team’s play, Watson did give kudos to the Porters.

“They’re a better team (this year),” Watson said. “They’re well coached. (Elkei) is giving them things to work on that they can handle.”

And Friday the Porters handled the Redhawks.