Metea Valley upset streak
continues, Plainfield North falls
Pair of 1st half goals hold up in shutout win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Maeve Riordan is only a freshman, so she doesn’t know much about the history of the Metea Valley soccer program.
She’s learning, though.
“Being a freshman, this is my first year on Metea soccer,” Riordan said. “I didn’t follow the team much, and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I know we had a lot of really good players last year [graduating] and it was going to be a really new experience for the girls who were [returning]. Thankfully, what happened turned out for the best.”
Despite massive graduation losses, the Mustangs are back in the sectional finals after knocking off a team whose coach is all too familiar with Metea Valley history.
Riordan and sophomore Jade Eriksen-Russo scored first-half goals and the sixth-seeded Mustangs allowed only five shots in beating second-seeded Plainfield North 2-0 Tuesday night at the Class 3A Metea Valley Sectional semifinals.
It is the third time in four years Metea Valley has eliminated the Tigers from the playoffs, each time on the winner's home turf. This is the second-straight season it has happened in the sectional semifinals.
This victory was the most intriguing because the Mustangs were able to maintain their focus and intensity coming off Friday’s massive 2-1 upset of rival Waubonsie Valley, the first time they have beaten the Warriors.
“These girls, I don’t think it matters who we’re playing or what day it is or what happened yesterday,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “They love being out here. I was a little concerned about today, wondering with the holiday weekend and a big win on Friday just how they would respond.
“I don’t think I was worried about it, but I was curious. Man, did they step up. It didn’t surprise me because I knew they had it in them, but they continue to bring a great attitude every day.”
While the Mustangs have some experienced leaders such as seniors Alena Sidwell, Cailin LaRocque and Katie Kennedy, the bulk of their talent is underclassmen and they’ve shown that a little naiveté can go a long way once chemistry is established.
“We have a lot of young faces this year, including myself,” Riordan said. “I think we’ve finally bonded to become a team instead of individuals playing together on the field.”
Eriksen-Russo scored her 21st goal of the season at the 28:49 mark of the first half, running onto a long ball in the box and beating Plainfield North keeper Emma Veselsky with a short shot.
That goal, even though it came against the best defense the Tigers have ever fielded, was not a surprise because the Mustangs have been shut out just twice this season.
But Riordan’s tally was a massive jolt for Metea Valley, which captured its fifth-consecutive win.
Taylor Rohm fired a hard, low shot from outside the box that Veselsky made a diving save on. But Riordan was in perfect position to blast home the rebound for a 2-0 lead with 16:55 left in the first half.
“It was really Taylor’s goal,” Riordan said. “I was just in my position, and Taylor had a great shot. The goalie had a good save and pushed it out, and I just got the rebound.”
Both sides recognized the importance of the play.
“Having more than one goal up is always a confidence booster because a 1-0 lead is not solid,” Riordan said. “It’s not enough. You have to keep going.
“I think the second goal gave our team confidence that we needed to get more into our game and how we play. We just have a brand of soccer that we all play together that got us to where we want to be.”
And it put the Tigers (17-4-2) in a position they did not want to be.
“We do have a lot of young girls, and I don’t know if they were nervous,” Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe said. “Everything about the game – the first touches, the anticipating – just wasn’t there, especially in the first half.
“Second half I thought we stepped up, pushed numbers forward, we were still able to keep them from scoring, we had chances but we don’t have goal scorers, so it’s tough to score goals and that has been our struggle all year.”
Indeed, all four of the Tigers’ losses were via shutout and the team usually was in trouble when falling behind early.
“We struggled to adjust to the turf early in the game,” Crowe said. “It’s not an excuse because we’ve played on turf plenty this year, but I think they adjusted to the pace of the game early-on better than we did. They anticipated balls better than we did.
“Except for the stretch in the first half I thought we played pretty even with them, but when you give up two goals in that stretch, you’re in trouble.
“They didn’t get a ton of shots, but when they got them they were good opportunities, and they finished. They have some girls on their team that are goal scorers and we’re still looking for that.”
Crowe said sophomore midfielder Megan Breier was developing into a go-to scorer late in the season but was injured in Friday’s 1-0 overtime victory over Naperville Central, which secured the school’s third-consecutive regional title, and did not play against Metea Valley.
The Tigers were unable to sustain much offense, earning three corner kicks and forcing Metea Valley goalie Amy Ahern to make only one save, that a leaping effort on a high-bouncing 35 yard shot by Erin Chynoweth with 8:10 remaining in the second half.
The only other decent Plainfield North chance came two minutes before that when freshman Renae Blevins missed a 23-yard shot just over the crossbar. That was all Metea’s back line of Megan Morris, Marisa Grassi and Miranda Williams allowed.
Even so, Crowe was pleased with the Tigers’ performance this spring.
“It sucks to lose this way, but overall I think there were a lot of positives,” Crowe said. “Going into today we’d only given up 12 goals all year against very good competition, so we had expected to still be able to compete with anybody.
“We knew scoring goals would be a struggle, but if somebody had said you’re going to win another regional, make it to the finals of Pepsi, make it to the quarterfinals of Naperville, I would have said we’ll take it.”
The Mustangs (15-7-3) will take a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s sectional final against District 204 rival Neuqua Valley. The fifth-seeded Wildcats upset top-seeded Naperville North 3-2 in the other semifinal.
Neuqua Valley beat Metea Valley 2-1 on March 26, but the Mustangs are playing at home and shooting for their first sectional championship after losing to Waubonsie Valley in last year’s final.
“Definitely the intensity level for Neuqua is going to be very close to the one for Waubonsie,” Riordan said. “It’s a rival school; it’s going to be intense. It’s going to be great. I’m excited for it, and I’m sure the rest of the girls are.”
The Mustangs will be underdogs against the Wildcats, who have won eight straight, but Whaley likes his team’s chances.
“[The Mustangs] have a little bit of confidence right now,” Whaley said. “They’re young but they believe in themselves.
“They have good leadership. The seniors for the most part have been around all four years and [the underclassmen] want nothing more than to give them something to really enjoy. We have good leadership and that young talent to balance it out, so it’s nice.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield North
GK: Emma Veselsky
D: Brooke Polonus
D: Emily Devaux
D: Abby Gustafson
D: Karsyn Stirrett
M: Reyse Stirrett
M: Jessica Christmas
M: Sam Elster
M: Renae Blevins
M: Natalie Auble
F: Erin Chynoweth
Metea Valley
GK: Amy Ahern
D: Miranda Williams
D: Megan Morris
D: Marisa Grassi
M: Sophia Sense
M: Alena Sidwell
M: Cailin LaRocque
M: Abigal Severson
F: Madie Sandberg
F: Jade Eriksen-Russo
F: MaKenna Schoolman
MVP of the Match: Maeve Riordan, F, Metea Valley.
continues, Plainfield North falls
Pair of 1st half goals hold up in shutout win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Maeve Riordan is only a freshman, so she doesn’t know much about the history of the Metea Valley soccer program.
She’s learning, though.
“Being a freshman, this is my first year on Metea soccer,” Riordan said. “I didn’t follow the team much, and I didn’t really know what to expect, but I know we had a lot of really good players last year [graduating] and it was going to be a really new experience for the girls who were [returning]. Thankfully, what happened turned out for the best.”
Despite massive graduation losses, the Mustangs are back in the sectional finals after knocking off a team whose coach is all too familiar with Metea Valley history.
Riordan and sophomore Jade Eriksen-Russo scored first-half goals and the sixth-seeded Mustangs allowed only five shots in beating second-seeded Plainfield North 2-0 Tuesday night at the Class 3A Metea Valley Sectional semifinals.
It is the third time in four years Metea Valley has eliminated the Tigers from the playoffs, each time on the winner's home turf. This is the second-straight season it has happened in the sectional semifinals.
This victory was the most intriguing because the Mustangs were able to maintain their focus and intensity coming off Friday’s massive 2-1 upset of rival Waubonsie Valley, the first time they have beaten the Warriors.
“These girls, I don’t think it matters who we’re playing or what day it is or what happened yesterday,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “They love being out here. I was a little concerned about today, wondering with the holiday weekend and a big win on Friday just how they would respond.
“I don’t think I was worried about it, but I was curious. Man, did they step up. It didn’t surprise me because I knew they had it in them, but they continue to bring a great attitude every day.”
While the Mustangs have some experienced leaders such as seniors Alena Sidwell, Cailin LaRocque and Katie Kennedy, the bulk of their talent is underclassmen and they’ve shown that a little naiveté can go a long way once chemistry is established.
“We have a lot of young faces this year, including myself,” Riordan said. “I think we’ve finally bonded to become a team instead of individuals playing together on the field.”
Eriksen-Russo scored her 21st goal of the season at the 28:49 mark of the first half, running onto a long ball in the box and beating Plainfield North keeper Emma Veselsky with a short shot.
That goal, even though it came against the best defense the Tigers have ever fielded, was not a surprise because the Mustangs have been shut out just twice this season.
But Riordan’s tally was a massive jolt for Metea Valley, which captured its fifth-consecutive win.
Taylor Rohm fired a hard, low shot from outside the box that Veselsky made a diving save on. But Riordan was in perfect position to blast home the rebound for a 2-0 lead with 16:55 left in the first half.
“It was really Taylor’s goal,” Riordan said. “I was just in my position, and Taylor had a great shot. The goalie had a good save and pushed it out, and I just got the rebound.”
Both sides recognized the importance of the play.
“Having more than one goal up is always a confidence booster because a 1-0 lead is not solid,” Riordan said. “It’s not enough. You have to keep going.
“I think the second goal gave our team confidence that we needed to get more into our game and how we play. We just have a brand of soccer that we all play together that got us to where we want to be.”
And it put the Tigers (17-4-2) in a position they did not want to be.
“We do have a lot of young girls, and I don’t know if they were nervous,” Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe said. “Everything about the game – the first touches, the anticipating – just wasn’t there, especially in the first half.
“Second half I thought we stepped up, pushed numbers forward, we were still able to keep them from scoring, we had chances but we don’t have goal scorers, so it’s tough to score goals and that has been our struggle all year.”
Indeed, all four of the Tigers’ losses were via shutout and the team usually was in trouble when falling behind early.
“We struggled to adjust to the turf early in the game,” Crowe said. “It’s not an excuse because we’ve played on turf plenty this year, but I think they adjusted to the pace of the game early-on better than we did. They anticipated balls better than we did.
“Except for the stretch in the first half I thought we played pretty even with them, but when you give up two goals in that stretch, you’re in trouble.
“They didn’t get a ton of shots, but when they got them they were good opportunities, and they finished. They have some girls on their team that are goal scorers and we’re still looking for that.”
Crowe said sophomore midfielder Megan Breier was developing into a go-to scorer late in the season but was injured in Friday’s 1-0 overtime victory over Naperville Central, which secured the school’s third-consecutive regional title, and did not play against Metea Valley.
The Tigers were unable to sustain much offense, earning three corner kicks and forcing Metea Valley goalie Amy Ahern to make only one save, that a leaping effort on a high-bouncing 35 yard shot by Erin Chynoweth with 8:10 remaining in the second half.
The only other decent Plainfield North chance came two minutes before that when freshman Renae Blevins missed a 23-yard shot just over the crossbar. That was all Metea’s back line of Megan Morris, Marisa Grassi and Miranda Williams allowed.
Even so, Crowe was pleased with the Tigers’ performance this spring.
“It sucks to lose this way, but overall I think there were a lot of positives,” Crowe said. “Going into today we’d only given up 12 goals all year against very good competition, so we had expected to still be able to compete with anybody.
“We knew scoring goals would be a struggle, but if somebody had said you’re going to win another regional, make it to the finals of Pepsi, make it to the quarterfinals of Naperville, I would have said we’ll take it.”
The Mustangs (15-7-3) will take a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s sectional final against District 204 rival Neuqua Valley. The fifth-seeded Wildcats upset top-seeded Naperville North 3-2 in the other semifinal.
Neuqua Valley beat Metea Valley 2-1 on March 26, but the Mustangs are playing at home and shooting for their first sectional championship after losing to Waubonsie Valley in last year’s final.
“Definitely the intensity level for Neuqua is going to be very close to the one for Waubonsie,” Riordan said. “It’s a rival school; it’s going to be intense. It’s going to be great. I’m excited for it, and I’m sure the rest of the girls are.”
The Mustangs will be underdogs against the Wildcats, who have won eight straight, but Whaley likes his team’s chances.
“[The Mustangs] have a little bit of confidence right now,” Whaley said. “They’re young but they believe in themselves.
“They have good leadership. The seniors for the most part have been around all four years and [the underclassmen] want nothing more than to give them something to really enjoy. We have good leadership and that young talent to balance it out, so it’s nice.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield North
GK: Emma Veselsky
D: Brooke Polonus
D: Emily Devaux
D: Abby Gustafson
D: Karsyn Stirrett
M: Reyse Stirrett
M: Jessica Christmas
M: Sam Elster
M: Renae Blevins
M: Natalie Auble
F: Erin Chynoweth
Metea Valley
GK: Amy Ahern
D: Miranda Williams
D: Megan Morris
D: Marisa Grassi
M: Sophia Sense
M: Alena Sidwell
M: Cailin LaRocque
M: Abigal Severson
F: Madie Sandberg
F: Jade Eriksen-Russo
F: MaKenna Schoolman
MVP of the Match: Maeve Riordan, F, Metea Valley.