Spartans start the year with a win in West Chicago

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By Gary Larsen

If winter Olympic soccer ever explodes on the scene, West Chicago and St. Francis will be ready.

West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez, his varsity parents, and his jayvee and varsity players converged with snow shovels to clear the artificial surface of their home field on Saturday, and they got it done in time for a scheduled noon starting time.

The footing on the field was fine throughout, but 30-plus degree temperatures and a frosted wind helped disprove any notion that female athletes aren’t tough.

“We were surprised that we were going to play. There was like two feet of snow lining the field,” Spartans goalkeeper Kim Gianos said. “And if we can play in the snow and win, we can play in any conditions.”

St. Francis got goals from Taylor Bucaro and Meagan Gitchell in a 2-1 win over the host Wildcats, who showed up a few hours before the game with their parents and cleared their artificial home surface with snow shovels.

In a season-opener for both teams, West Chicago came out hard, working the ball around and pushing into the attacking third. The game seemed to turn for the host Wildcats when forward Meagan Radloff left with an injury before halftime. Radloff returned in the second half.

“She’s very good,” Spartans coach Meghan Boler said of Radloff. “Her intensity and speed adds a whole other dynamic to their offense.”

The Spartans drew first blood in the game’s 16th minute, when freshman Taylor Bucaro just about reached the end line on the right side, and served a ball right-footed that somehow found its way inside the far post.

“She serves the ball so well,” Spartans goalkeeper Kim Gianos said of Bucaro. “I’m glad she’s on my team and I don’t have to face her.”

West Chicago tied the game before halftime on a penalty kick by Bianca Navejas, and Boler wasn’t thrilled with her squad’s first-half play through 40 minutes.

“I have to keep remembering that for some of them it was their first varsity game. They had first-game jitters and just needed to get that first game under their belts,” Boler said. “In the second half I saw the team that I’d been seeing in practice over the last two weeks.

We had to dig deep and go out there and have no regrets. I told them they played harder in practice than they were playing in the game in the first half. I told them at halftime that I knew they were better than that, and that we’d score a goal in the first five minutes of the second half.”

Senior midfielder Meagan Gitchell obliged her coach, reaching a Bucaro corner kick and sending a half-bicycle kick into the net from 8 yards out. "I've scored like that before so I thought I'd give it a try," Gitchell said.

Third-year varsity keeper Gianos applauded her squad’s ability to pick it up in the second half.

“We stepped up big-time in the second half,” Gianos said. “We were lacking energy and aggressiveness to the ball. We scored a goal in the first half but we could have put away more, and given a lot more than we did.”

(The Wildcats) were very fast and they had more touches on the ball. They were passing it around but we had a solid defense and we didn’t let them get past us.”

The Spartans started the game with three solid senior defenders in Yasmeen Mahmud, Dianna Matusiak, and Lauren Kaminky, and Boler slid a fourth defender into the mix to start the second half in freshman Jenna Ditusa.
 
“The intensity (Ditusa) brings, I have not seen in a freshman,” Boler said. “She is non-stop, all the time. She showed me a lot of potential in the second half of that game. Another freshman that gives a hundred percent all the time is Anna Vonderhaar.”

Gianos’ intensity in net helps fuel the back line. "Kim has been working so hard and she's a great leader," Gitchell said. "She's very talented and I'm very proud of her. We've been talking about this season since we were sophomores."

“She’s a leader,” Boler said. “She’s a captain, and along with our other captains they do workouts twice a week in the mornings, and they do a fantastic job of organizing that.”

“Her adrenaline and her heart for the game is just beyond words. And the team just feels confident with her in goal.”

The Spartans’ other captains are seniors Gitchell and Dianna Matusiak. Gitchell plays center mid along with sophomore Sydney Fox, with freshman Taylor Bucaro on one outside spot. Boler will utilize senior Lindsey Fox at midfield, where junior Hallie Woods and freshman Sarah Rahman will also roam the outside. Taylor Ravin also saw time at midfield on Saturday.

“We have solid players in the middle,” Gianos said. “In the second half they stepped up and (West Chicago) wasn’t able to play through it.”

Last year’s leading scorer was then-freshman Andi Matichak, and she’s back this year to wreak havoc in the final third. Freshman Kaity Bucaro – Taylor Bucaro’s cousin – will bring her high energy game up top to help Matichak. Gitchell and Sydney Fox also figure to see time as forwards this year.

"I think our attack should be really strong," Gitchell said. "Sydney and Andi were up top last year, and with Katie and Taylor Bucaro, Taylor Ravin and me, we should do well."

Meghan Wagner is another of the six talented freshmen on Boler’s varsity roster this year, while seniors Molly Coyle, Sarah Wagner, and Claire Stark will all be expected to contribute this year.

“Tim is kind of like my mentor, which is really nice. I sat down with him a week or two before we had tryouts and talked about the season. I got ideas from him on things that he did, what he thought worked and what didn’t. He’s always willing to put his two cents in for me. He’s planning on coming to a few games this season, so that’ll be nice.”

“He’s a very understanding and very knowledgeable man. He’s always willing to listen to what you have to say.”

“We play very well together. We have great communication and energy,” Gianos said. “And Jenna fit right in back there in the second half.”

“We stepped up big-time in the second half,” Gianos said. “We were lacking energy and aggressiveness to the ball. We scored a goal in the first half but we could have put away more, and given a lot more than we did.”