Unflappable Hinsdale Central
ready for all challenges
By Matt Le Cren
Resilient Hinsdale Central was not adversely affected when a first half Downers Grove North strike beat them on Tuesday.
The shot from Lily Johnson was a long-distance missile that was perfectly placed and unstoppable and gave the Trojans a 1-0 West Suburban Conference Silver Division victory.
Neither goalkeeper Rania Arain nor her teammates felt defeated, either in the immediate aftermath of the goal or after the final buzzer sounded.
“We were really playing well in the first few minutes. Then one of our center backs went to clear the ball, and it went off another one of our defenders,” Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia said. “A Downers Grove North girl got it, and she couldn’t hit it better.
“She was probably dreaming about it Tuesday night night. It was a 30-yard shot that was unable to be touched.”
His goalkeeper’s confidence – and that of the Red Devils – wasn’t touched, either.
“She stood up, and said, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” Madonia said. “I looked at her and said, ‘Are you guys over it?’ She said, ‘Yep, coach.’
“Too bad I don’t handle myself like that all the time.”
The Red Devils (4-2-0, 3-2-0) handled the pressure just fine for the rest of the match.
Despite controlling the majority of the play in the first half, the Trojans (4-1-0, 4-0-0) finished with just four shots on goal, while Hinsdale Central put nine on frame.
“It was a very good shot, and it came right between my head and the crossbar, right in the corner,” Arain said. “But the team played really well, though.
“I’m so thankful and happy and excited to be a part of this team. These girls, you can tell that all their hearts are actually in it, and it’s not just a bunch of girls kicking the ball around for exercise.
“Every touch has meaning to it, and everyone’s hearts are in the game. And everyone is trying to do their best at working together.”
Madonia has been pleased with the play of his defense, especially center backs Ava Elliott and Sidney Turnbull, who have helped Arain notch two shutouts. The Red Devils have allowed seven goals in their first six games and have allowed two goals in a match just twice, against Oak Park and River Forest, and Glenbard West. They won both matches.
“In terms of being a good keeper, I feel like the most important thing is connecting with your teammates and communicating, so that everyone knows what is happening, especially on plays that are close to the goal like goal kicks or free kicks,” Arain said. “It’s very important for a goalkeeper to communicate as much as possible so everyone is on the same page.”
Madonia has been impressed with the play of Arain, a junior who is in her first season on varsity.
“She’s played every game for us because our senior, Grace Clopton, was COVID traced,” Madonia said. “Last week was (Clopton’s) first week back, and honestly, Rania has been playing so well.
“She’s not necessarily a surprise. I’ve been watching her since freshman year, and she is such a hard worker that she just kind of rolls with it.
“It’s not at all cockiness. It’s just ‘I’m here to play soccer, and I want to be the best, and I want us to be the best.’ She does everything in her power when it comes to training and individual training. She does everything right.”
The Red Devils did nearly everything right against the Trojans except find the back of the net. Downers Grove North goalkeeper Blythe Braun stopped all nine shots that were on frame.
“We couldn’t find the back of the net, but we came off a really hot week so maybe the soccer gods were like, “Hey, calm down a little bit, we’re going to put you in check,’” Madonia said. “Second half, I don’t think the ball even came into our half of the field.
“We were just all over them, but in the first half, they were all over us. It was almost like we traded halves, and they got the better end of the deal.”
Madonia also credited the play of Downers Grove North’s backline, which was under pressure for most of the final 40 minutes. But Braun proved to be a nut too tough to crack.
“Second half we had them right where we wanted them, but one of those nine shots didn’t fall,” Madonia said. “Their goalie is such a presence back there. I hate to give her even more confidence, but she’s such a tough player and very, very strong presence out there.”
So is Arain, a Muslim who began the season while fasting for Ramadan, the 30-day period that requires Muslims to abstain from food or drink during the day.
“Basically, you wake up really early before the sun rises and you eat,” Arain said. “Then you pray and go back to sleep or whatever.
“Then you start your day. No food, no water, no gum. You break your fast when the sun is setting.”
Arain goes without food or drink during the school day and practices and games.
Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr (“Breaking of the Fast)” holiday, which begins May 12.
Arain found the fasting affected her performance and decided to make a change.
“Ramadan started right when the season started, so I was fasting for a week or so,” Arain said. “I played a game or two while I was fasting but then I realized I really wanted to focus on my performance.
“I decided that I would stop fasting for the season just because I need to have the best performance that I can. It was very hard and kind of taxing on my performance, so I intend to make my fast up later in the year.”
Meanwhile, the Red Devils remain in the WSC Silver Division race thanks to the 2021 schedule, which because of COVID restrictions doubled the the number of league games.
Hinsdale Central will travel to Downers Grove for a rematch May 27 in a game that could impact the league race.
“I like having two conference games,” Madonia said. “So that will be a fun one when we play (Downers North) again.
“Things are going to get crazy. When we play York, they’re going to want us. When we play Glenbard West, they’re going to really want us. And DGN, we wish we could have that one back, but we’re just glad to be playing. We’re playing good soccer.”
After all the heartbreak and frustration of the past year, Arain is cherishing her time on the field.
“We’re not a perfect team, and we have things that we know that we can work on,” Arain said. “But we also have really great strengths, and I’m so thankful and excited to have a season with these girls.
“They’re all really great to play with and really good people in and out of the program.”
ready for all challenges
By Matt Le Cren
Resilient Hinsdale Central was not adversely affected when a first half Downers Grove North strike beat them on Tuesday.
The shot from Lily Johnson was a long-distance missile that was perfectly placed and unstoppable and gave the Trojans a 1-0 West Suburban Conference Silver Division victory.
Neither goalkeeper Rania Arain nor her teammates felt defeated, either in the immediate aftermath of the goal or after the final buzzer sounded.
“We were really playing well in the first few minutes. Then one of our center backs went to clear the ball, and it went off another one of our defenders,” Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia said. “A Downers Grove North girl got it, and she couldn’t hit it better.
“She was probably dreaming about it Tuesday night night. It was a 30-yard shot that was unable to be touched.”
His goalkeeper’s confidence – and that of the Red Devils – wasn’t touched, either.
“She stood up, and said, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” Madonia said. “I looked at her and said, ‘Are you guys over it?’ She said, ‘Yep, coach.’
“Too bad I don’t handle myself like that all the time.”
The Red Devils (4-2-0, 3-2-0) handled the pressure just fine for the rest of the match.
Despite controlling the majority of the play in the first half, the Trojans (4-1-0, 4-0-0) finished with just four shots on goal, while Hinsdale Central put nine on frame.
“It was a very good shot, and it came right between my head and the crossbar, right in the corner,” Arain said. “But the team played really well, though.
“I’m so thankful and happy and excited to be a part of this team. These girls, you can tell that all their hearts are actually in it, and it’s not just a bunch of girls kicking the ball around for exercise.
“Every touch has meaning to it, and everyone’s hearts are in the game. And everyone is trying to do their best at working together.”
Madonia has been pleased with the play of his defense, especially center backs Ava Elliott and Sidney Turnbull, who have helped Arain notch two shutouts. The Red Devils have allowed seven goals in their first six games and have allowed two goals in a match just twice, against Oak Park and River Forest, and Glenbard West. They won both matches.
“In terms of being a good keeper, I feel like the most important thing is connecting with your teammates and communicating, so that everyone knows what is happening, especially on plays that are close to the goal like goal kicks or free kicks,” Arain said. “It’s very important for a goalkeeper to communicate as much as possible so everyone is on the same page.”
Madonia has been impressed with the play of Arain, a junior who is in her first season on varsity.
“She’s played every game for us because our senior, Grace Clopton, was COVID traced,” Madonia said. “Last week was (Clopton’s) first week back, and honestly, Rania has been playing so well.
“She’s not necessarily a surprise. I’ve been watching her since freshman year, and she is such a hard worker that she just kind of rolls with it.
“It’s not at all cockiness. It’s just ‘I’m here to play soccer, and I want to be the best, and I want us to be the best.’ She does everything in her power when it comes to training and individual training. She does everything right.”
The Red Devils did nearly everything right against the Trojans except find the back of the net. Downers Grove North goalkeeper Blythe Braun stopped all nine shots that were on frame.
“We couldn’t find the back of the net, but we came off a really hot week so maybe the soccer gods were like, “Hey, calm down a little bit, we’re going to put you in check,’” Madonia said. “Second half, I don’t think the ball even came into our half of the field.
“We were just all over them, but in the first half, they were all over us. It was almost like we traded halves, and they got the better end of the deal.”
Madonia also credited the play of Downers Grove North’s backline, which was under pressure for most of the final 40 minutes. But Braun proved to be a nut too tough to crack.
“Second half we had them right where we wanted them, but one of those nine shots didn’t fall,” Madonia said. “Their goalie is such a presence back there. I hate to give her even more confidence, but she’s such a tough player and very, very strong presence out there.”
So is Arain, a Muslim who began the season while fasting for Ramadan, the 30-day period that requires Muslims to abstain from food or drink during the day.
“Basically, you wake up really early before the sun rises and you eat,” Arain said. “Then you pray and go back to sleep or whatever.
“Then you start your day. No food, no water, no gum. You break your fast when the sun is setting.”
Arain goes without food or drink during the school day and practices and games.
Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr (“Breaking of the Fast)” holiday, which begins May 12.
Arain found the fasting affected her performance and decided to make a change.
“Ramadan started right when the season started, so I was fasting for a week or so,” Arain said. “I played a game or two while I was fasting but then I realized I really wanted to focus on my performance.
“I decided that I would stop fasting for the season just because I need to have the best performance that I can. It was very hard and kind of taxing on my performance, so I intend to make my fast up later in the year.”
Meanwhile, the Red Devils remain in the WSC Silver Division race thanks to the 2021 schedule, which because of COVID restrictions doubled the the number of league games.
Hinsdale Central will travel to Downers Grove for a rematch May 27 in a game that could impact the league race.
“I like having two conference games,” Madonia said. “So that will be a fun one when we play (Downers North) again.
“Things are going to get crazy. When we play York, they’re going to want us. When we play Glenbard West, they’re going to really want us. And DGN, we wish we could have that one back, but we’re just glad to be playing. We’re playing good soccer.”
After all the heartbreak and frustration of the past year, Arain is cherishing her time on the field.
“We’re not a perfect team, and we have things that we know that we can work on,” Arain said. “But we also have really great strengths, and I’m so thankful and excited to have a season with these girls.
“They’re all really great to play with and really good people in and out of the program.”