Neuqua Valley’s seniors
shine against West Aurora
NV overcomes Ziman’s great goalkeeping in 5-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Neuqua Valley is heading into the playoffs on a roll.
The Wildcats have won their last five games by an aggregate score of 24-2, with four of the victories coming against teams with winning records.
Not even the spectacular play of West Aurora goalkeeper Bailey Ziman was able to slow down Neuqua Valley on Thursday.
Ziman made 12 saves and broke up nearly a dozen other potential scoring chances, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Neuqua Valley closed out their regular season slate with a 5-0 win on Senior Night.
Neuqua Valley (13-3-2) clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division championship. The Wildcats finished 6-0-1 in league play and now must wait until Monday to see if they will represent the division in the UEC championship game.
Waubonsie Valley is 5-0-1 with a home game against Bartlett on Monday. If Waubonsie Valley beats Bartlett by at least three goals, the Warriors advance to the title game on goal differential.
“[Being undefeated in the conference] was really important,” Neuqua Valley senior Lauren Ciesla said. “One of our goals was to come out on top in our conference, and it is nice if we’re able to do that. I know Waubonsie still has to play another game but if we’re able to clinch that title, that would be awesome.”
The Wildcats were awesome throughout this match, dominating nearly all of the action and maintaining constant pressure on West Aurora (9-8-3, 2-4-1), which only advanced past midfield on a couple of occasions in the first half.
Neuqua Valley peppered the West Aurora net with a whopping 35 shots. The Blackhawks held firm for the first 12 minutes before Ciesla broke through with the eventual game-winner at the 27:38 mark of the first half.
Senior Kiley Czerwinski won a 50-50 ball on the right wing, raced up the field before crossing to Ciesla. The ball deflected off a defender but Ciesla ran onto it and buried a 15-yard shot into the lower left corner.
“It was nice,” Ciesla said. “It was fun to get a goal, especially on Senior Night. I think everyone who scored [in the first half] was a senior, so it’s really nice to see them represent the team.”
The Wildcats held a postgame ceremony honoring all eight seniors. In addition to Illinois recruit Ciesla and Illinois State-bound Czerwinski, goalkeeper Hannah Parrish, forward Amanda Fenton, midfielder Taylor Sparbanie and defenders Sophia Moreau, Dannah Williams and Tati Espinoza also played their final home game.
“It’s the biggest senior class we’ve had,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “You typically don’t have eight, so it’s been a good group, and obviously I’ve known a lot of these girls for a long time because they played with Olivia. So that made it special.”
Czerwinski had an extra-special Senior Night as she tallied two goals and an assist to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
The first goal came seven minutes after Ciesla’s and made it 2-0. Freshman Alyssa Bombacino sent a pass into the box to Czerwinski, who dribbled to the edge of the six before roofing a shot past Ziman.
Czerwinski extended the lead to 4-0 with 4:07 remaining in the half thanks to some heads-up play from Fenton, who tracked down a deflection that was headed out of bounds on the left wing.
Instead of letting the ball go out and accepting a throw-in, Fenton kept the ball in play, dribbled into the corner and found Czerwinski with a pass in the middle of the box. Czerwinski turned a defender and scored from seven yards out.
Williams scored in between those strikes when she knocked in a corner kick from Sparbanie at the 15:02 mark.
“[The constant pressure] was really important,” Czerwinski said. “In practice we were focusing on that every single drill, with the mids and forwards working together getting the ball up [and to] keep pushing shots. I think today we actually started off pretty well so I’m proud.”
The efficiency bodes well for a team that struggled to score against quality opponents for much of the season.
“I think we’re getting to the hang of things, getting used to playing with people,” Czerwinski said. “We know what they’re doing on certain runs. I know the coaches have been working with us religiously on runs, making sure you follow the shots and get shots up. That’s really been helping.”
Joe Moreau is pleased with what he has seen over the past 10 days.
“That was nice to get some quality goals,” Moreau said. “I think we’re playing well, and defensively I think we played solid most of the year. Now we’re starting to get some chances and that’s what we’re looking for.”
The score would have been much worse if not for the play of Ziman, a sophomore who had plenty of opportunities to showcase her great athleticism (she also plays varsity basketball).
Ziman was all over the place, diving on loose balls, coming out to cut off crosses, blocking shots with her feet and generally acting like a bumper pad in a pinball game. Defenders Carli Hix, Mariyah Zeitz, Sofia Papoutsis and Karina Patino tried their best to help but breakdowns are inevitable when the ball is always in your face.
“I think we played good defense,” Ziman said. “We just got beat a few times, which is frustrating for everybody, but we kept together and we stayed together as a team and that’s all we can do.
“I think it was good for us. I like playing better teams because it gives us more of a chance to grow as a team.
“We had a lot of pressure, and we held them down pretty good for the most part. We just had a few simple breakdowns which we can always fix. It’s not like it is something we can’t fix.”
Indeed, the Blackhawks can fix it by sustaining a little offense, something they weren’t able to do against the formidable Wildcats. West Aurora mustered only one shot in the first half and four in the second half, though nearly all were dangerous.
Sophomore forward Katharine Stephens hit the outside of the left post with a 23-yard shot with 18:45 left in the opening half. Had it gone in, the score would have been 2-1.
Then in the second half, the Blackhawks came out strong and Stephens got off another shot, this one a bending 19-yarder that Parrish had to dive to her left to tip around the post. Parrish also made a tremendous diving stop on a Stephens breakaway with 17:45 remaining.
Sophomore Haley Singer finished the scoring for Neuqua with 11:36 to go when she headed home a cross from freshman Demi Hagan.
“Bailey saved us a lot back there,” West Aurora coach Lisa Wagley said. “In the second half we made some adjustments, and the defense played much better second half.
“We have two games before we go [to the playoffs]. We just need to get some goals against some good teams to hopefully boost our confidence.
“Katharine hit the post a couple times and their keeper made a couple huge saves. We just need one or two of those to get in to build our confidence.”
One or two goals may be all the Blackhawks, who open the playoffs May 19 against Naperville Central, need to pull off an upset with Ziman playing at a high level.
Wagley said Ziman’s performance Thursday was typical.
“Bailey is the type of athlete where she never played goalie in soccer before,” Wagley said. “I saw her in basketball and recruited her from there because she’s the type of kid you tell her what to do, she’ll do it without any questions.”
Ziman said playing a top side like Neuqua Valley at this point of the season was beneficial.
“I think it is a great test for us,” Ziman said. “It shows where are right now and I think we kept up with them pretty well, so I think we have a very good chance of getting past regionals.”
Neuqua Valley, which faces Plainfield Central in the playoff opener May 20, thinks it is ready to make a run.
“I’m super excited,” Czerwinski said. “I think we’re going to go in really strong. We’ve been working well. This is a great game to end on, and hopefully we’ll go pretty far.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK: Bailey Ziman
D: Carli Hix
D: Sofia Papoutsis
D:Mariyah Zeitz
D: Karina Patino
M: Hannah Pealstrom
M: Cristina Sosa
M: Jessica Ortiz
M: Yulissa Espino
F: Riley O’Brien
F: Katharine Stephens
Neuqua Valley
GK: Hannah Parrish
D: Sophia Moreau
D: Dannah Williams
D: Anna Toersloev
D: Tatiana Espinoza
M: Taylor Sparbanie
M: Lauren Ciesla
M: Kiley Czerwinski
F: Jamie Goralski
F: Alyssa Bombacino
F: Amanda Fenton
MVP of the Match: Kiley Czerwinski, M, Neuqua Valley.
shine against West Aurora
NV overcomes Ziman’s great goalkeeping in 5-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Neuqua Valley is heading into the playoffs on a roll.
The Wildcats have won their last five games by an aggregate score of 24-2, with four of the victories coming against teams with winning records.
Not even the spectacular play of West Aurora goalkeeper Bailey Ziman was able to slow down Neuqua Valley on Thursday.
Ziman made 12 saves and broke up nearly a dozen other potential scoring chances, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Neuqua Valley closed out their regular season slate with a 5-0 win on Senior Night.
Neuqua Valley (13-3-2) clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division championship. The Wildcats finished 6-0-1 in league play and now must wait until Monday to see if they will represent the division in the UEC championship game.
Waubonsie Valley is 5-0-1 with a home game against Bartlett on Monday. If Waubonsie Valley beats Bartlett by at least three goals, the Warriors advance to the title game on goal differential.
“[Being undefeated in the conference] was really important,” Neuqua Valley senior Lauren Ciesla said. “One of our goals was to come out on top in our conference, and it is nice if we’re able to do that. I know Waubonsie still has to play another game but if we’re able to clinch that title, that would be awesome.”
The Wildcats were awesome throughout this match, dominating nearly all of the action and maintaining constant pressure on West Aurora (9-8-3, 2-4-1), which only advanced past midfield on a couple of occasions in the first half.
Neuqua Valley peppered the West Aurora net with a whopping 35 shots. The Blackhawks held firm for the first 12 minutes before Ciesla broke through with the eventual game-winner at the 27:38 mark of the first half.
Senior Kiley Czerwinski won a 50-50 ball on the right wing, raced up the field before crossing to Ciesla. The ball deflected off a defender but Ciesla ran onto it and buried a 15-yard shot into the lower left corner.
“It was nice,” Ciesla said. “It was fun to get a goal, especially on Senior Night. I think everyone who scored [in the first half] was a senior, so it’s really nice to see them represent the team.”
The Wildcats held a postgame ceremony honoring all eight seniors. In addition to Illinois recruit Ciesla and Illinois State-bound Czerwinski, goalkeeper Hannah Parrish, forward Amanda Fenton, midfielder Taylor Sparbanie and defenders Sophia Moreau, Dannah Williams and Tati Espinoza also played their final home game.
“It’s the biggest senior class we’ve had,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “You typically don’t have eight, so it’s been a good group, and obviously I’ve known a lot of these girls for a long time because they played with Olivia. So that made it special.”
Czerwinski had an extra-special Senior Night as she tallied two goals and an assist to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
The first goal came seven minutes after Ciesla’s and made it 2-0. Freshman Alyssa Bombacino sent a pass into the box to Czerwinski, who dribbled to the edge of the six before roofing a shot past Ziman.
Czerwinski extended the lead to 4-0 with 4:07 remaining in the half thanks to some heads-up play from Fenton, who tracked down a deflection that was headed out of bounds on the left wing.
Instead of letting the ball go out and accepting a throw-in, Fenton kept the ball in play, dribbled into the corner and found Czerwinski with a pass in the middle of the box. Czerwinski turned a defender and scored from seven yards out.
Williams scored in between those strikes when she knocked in a corner kick from Sparbanie at the 15:02 mark.
“[The constant pressure] was really important,” Czerwinski said. “In practice we were focusing on that every single drill, with the mids and forwards working together getting the ball up [and to] keep pushing shots. I think today we actually started off pretty well so I’m proud.”
The efficiency bodes well for a team that struggled to score against quality opponents for much of the season.
“I think we’re getting to the hang of things, getting used to playing with people,” Czerwinski said. “We know what they’re doing on certain runs. I know the coaches have been working with us religiously on runs, making sure you follow the shots and get shots up. That’s really been helping.”
Joe Moreau is pleased with what he has seen over the past 10 days.
“That was nice to get some quality goals,” Moreau said. “I think we’re playing well, and defensively I think we played solid most of the year. Now we’re starting to get some chances and that’s what we’re looking for.”
The score would have been much worse if not for the play of Ziman, a sophomore who had plenty of opportunities to showcase her great athleticism (she also plays varsity basketball).
Ziman was all over the place, diving on loose balls, coming out to cut off crosses, blocking shots with her feet and generally acting like a bumper pad in a pinball game. Defenders Carli Hix, Mariyah Zeitz, Sofia Papoutsis and Karina Patino tried their best to help but breakdowns are inevitable when the ball is always in your face.
“I think we played good defense,” Ziman said. “We just got beat a few times, which is frustrating for everybody, but we kept together and we stayed together as a team and that’s all we can do.
“I think it was good for us. I like playing better teams because it gives us more of a chance to grow as a team.
“We had a lot of pressure, and we held them down pretty good for the most part. We just had a few simple breakdowns which we can always fix. It’s not like it is something we can’t fix.”
Indeed, the Blackhawks can fix it by sustaining a little offense, something they weren’t able to do against the formidable Wildcats. West Aurora mustered only one shot in the first half and four in the second half, though nearly all were dangerous.
Sophomore forward Katharine Stephens hit the outside of the left post with a 23-yard shot with 18:45 left in the opening half. Had it gone in, the score would have been 2-1.
Then in the second half, the Blackhawks came out strong and Stephens got off another shot, this one a bending 19-yarder that Parrish had to dive to her left to tip around the post. Parrish also made a tremendous diving stop on a Stephens breakaway with 17:45 remaining.
Sophomore Haley Singer finished the scoring for Neuqua with 11:36 to go when she headed home a cross from freshman Demi Hagan.
“Bailey saved us a lot back there,” West Aurora coach Lisa Wagley said. “In the second half we made some adjustments, and the defense played much better second half.
“We have two games before we go [to the playoffs]. We just need to get some goals against some good teams to hopefully boost our confidence.
“Katharine hit the post a couple times and their keeper made a couple huge saves. We just need one or two of those to get in to build our confidence.”
One or two goals may be all the Blackhawks, who open the playoffs May 19 against Naperville Central, need to pull off an upset with Ziman playing at a high level.
Wagley said Ziman’s performance Thursday was typical.
“Bailey is the type of athlete where she never played goalie in soccer before,” Wagley said. “I saw her in basketball and recruited her from there because she’s the type of kid you tell her what to do, she’ll do it without any questions.”
Ziman said playing a top side like Neuqua Valley at this point of the season was beneficial.
“I think it is a great test for us,” Ziman said. “It shows where are right now and I think we kept up with them pretty well, so I think we have a very good chance of getting past regionals.”
Neuqua Valley, which faces Plainfield Central in the playoff opener May 20, thinks it is ready to make a run.
“I’m super excited,” Czerwinski said. “I think we’re going to go in really strong. We’ve been working well. This is a great game to end on, and hopefully we’ll go pretty far.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK: Bailey Ziman
D: Carli Hix
D: Sofia Papoutsis
D:Mariyah Zeitz
D: Karina Patino
M: Hannah Pealstrom
M: Cristina Sosa
M: Jessica Ortiz
M: Yulissa Espino
F: Riley O’Brien
F: Katharine Stephens
Neuqua Valley
GK: Hannah Parrish
D: Sophia Moreau
D: Dannah Williams
D: Anna Toersloev
D: Tatiana Espinoza
M: Taylor Sparbanie
M: Lauren Ciesla
M: Kiley Czerwinski
F: Jamie Goralski
F: Alyssa Bombacino
F: Amanda Fenton
MVP of the Match: Kiley Czerwinski, M, Neuqua Valley.