Lincoln-Way West holds off Morton
Warriors coach sees win in opener as building block
By Derek Wolff
NEW LENOX -- With the wind blowing against them and the opposition threatening to equalize, Lincoln-Way West (1-0) held the line at the back and staved off Morton (0-1) in its season opener Tuesday.
Despite some late chances from the Mustangs, Lincoln-Way West’s offense in the first half was enough to earn a 2-1 victory in the first game of the Windy City Ram Classic.
“Credit Morton,” said Warriors coach Jeff Theiss. “They didn't quit. We went in 2-0 at halftime, and I think we came out a little stagnant in the second half expecting the wind to be a big factor. Morton did an excellent job clamping down on our backside, not giving us space to turn and really changing the complexion of the game.
"We were a little dissapointed with the cushions that we were giving, allowing players open looks in the mix. But it's early; there's a lot that we can look at and clean up.”
Senior Natalie Tannura and sophomore Brianna Heyer had the goals for the Warriors, who took a 2-0 lead into halftime before the Mustangs mounted a furious comeback in the second half.
Junior midfielder Karen Arroyo took a pass from midfielder Janette Moreno near the 25-yard line at the 41-minute mark and scored near-post past Warriors goalkeeper Audrey Pearson to cut the lead in half.
Then, in the 52nd minute, freshman forward Stephanie Hernandez took a pass inside the six-yard box, spinning and shooting just wide of the far post, looking for the equalizer.
Morton would never get it.
Pearson had easy saves on a pair of shots from Moreno in the last six minutes before Moreno had one last shot from outside the 18 with seconds remaining on the clock. Warriors midfielder Madison Mikalauski was able to cut off the shot, deflecting it away as the buzzer sounded.
“We have a relatively new back line, so this was really good for us to learn from and build off of,” Tannura said. “They (Morton) taught us well; they pressured us hard, and we have to learn how to step better. But this is definitely going to be a good learning experience for us to get going toward the rest of the tournament.”
With the tournament shortened to two 30-minute halves instead of the usual 40, the Warriors felt like they had plenty to improve on in order to close out teams, Heyer said.
“Definitely it was rough,” Heyer said about the second half. “The second half was not what it could have been; we came out sloppy. We need to work on fixing what we did wrong in the second half, keeping the energy up to come out strong for our game on Thursday.”
She credited the Warriors' back line with closing out the game.
“It was nerve-wracking at times, but they all know what they need to do and they came through for us,” said Heyer.
The sophomore earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors for scoring the 27th minute goal that turned out to be the game-winner. The Warriors continued to apply pressure on Morton after taking the 1-0 lead from Tannura’s 11th-minute strike.
Senior midfielder Meghann Lange made a move around a defender inside the box before dishing to Heyer, whose right-footed strike doubled the lead.
Listed as a defender, Heyer spent a lot of time in the first half playing in an outside right-mid spot.
Theiss said the situation presented itself to move some players around, creating a nice problem to have in the early going.
“Heyer's going to run; she's going to work wherever you put her,” Theiss said. “She's a handful. You like to have her in the middle of the field, but we saw space on the outside that we thought she could exploit.
"She did an excellent job making a run on that second goal. I thought Megan created the opportunity with an excellent weighted pass, and Heyer made the right run and finished it. It was nice to move her around. She's a very versatile player, but we try to instill that in everybody.
“Right now, we're not sure who's going to be where. We have some excellent technical inside mids, but at the same time we have to find that space on the outside.”
Tannura’s goal to start the scoring game after a flurry of chances in the first few minutes of the game from the Warriors, who dominated play in the attacking third from the kickoff in the first half.
The crossbar saved the Mustangs from being down 1-0 in the third minute, but Tannura took a pass off her knee and dribbled inside the six before scoring near-post for the early lead.
The goal helped calm the jitters that come with beginning the season, Tannura said.
“It's our first game,” Tannura said. “I'm a senior and I still get nervous for this, but you just have to work through it. I was in a bunch of traffic, and those players, we work a lot on playing off of each other. But at that time I was like, 'I'm going to shoot it', and it went in. I like working in traffic, and today that worked out well for me.”
The two teams will continue tournament play on Thursday, and the early season live play will continue to benefit the Warriors, win or lose, Theiss said.
“It's going to be huge,” Theiss said. “Coming out here, it's a different speed. You can only offer so much in training to try and prepare for that game speed. But to start off the season with a competitive tournament, playing a very organized Morton team, is going to bode very well for us.”
Starting lineups
Morton Mustangs
GK-Ashley Castanon
D-Esmeralda Hernandez
D-Valeria Orozco
D-Evelyn Castanon
D-Yareli Martinez
SW-Alyssa Garcia
M-Stephanie Hernandez
M-Janette Moreno
M-Karen Arroyo
M-Estephany Diego
F-Alexis Mondragon
Lincoln-Way West
GK-Audrey Pearson
D-Brianna Heyer
D-Allison Stover
D-Teagan Lyke
M-Madison Mikaluski
M-Meghann Lange
M-Emily Wyskiel
M-Kelsey Knodel
M-Meredith Buldak
F-Natalie Tannura
F-Kaitlyn Souder
MVP of the Match: Brianna Heyer, D, Lincoln-Way West
Officials: Jim Casey, Wally Chlipala
Warriors coach sees win in opener as building block
By Derek Wolff
NEW LENOX -- With the wind blowing against them and the opposition threatening to equalize, Lincoln-Way West (1-0) held the line at the back and staved off Morton (0-1) in its season opener Tuesday.
Despite some late chances from the Mustangs, Lincoln-Way West’s offense in the first half was enough to earn a 2-1 victory in the first game of the Windy City Ram Classic.
“Credit Morton,” said Warriors coach Jeff Theiss. “They didn't quit. We went in 2-0 at halftime, and I think we came out a little stagnant in the second half expecting the wind to be a big factor. Morton did an excellent job clamping down on our backside, not giving us space to turn and really changing the complexion of the game.
"We were a little dissapointed with the cushions that we were giving, allowing players open looks in the mix. But it's early; there's a lot that we can look at and clean up.”
Senior Natalie Tannura and sophomore Brianna Heyer had the goals for the Warriors, who took a 2-0 lead into halftime before the Mustangs mounted a furious comeback in the second half.
Junior midfielder Karen Arroyo took a pass from midfielder Janette Moreno near the 25-yard line at the 41-minute mark and scored near-post past Warriors goalkeeper Audrey Pearson to cut the lead in half.
Then, in the 52nd minute, freshman forward Stephanie Hernandez took a pass inside the six-yard box, spinning and shooting just wide of the far post, looking for the equalizer.
Morton would never get it.
Pearson had easy saves on a pair of shots from Moreno in the last six minutes before Moreno had one last shot from outside the 18 with seconds remaining on the clock. Warriors midfielder Madison Mikalauski was able to cut off the shot, deflecting it away as the buzzer sounded.
“We have a relatively new back line, so this was really good for us to learn from and build off of,” Tannura said. “They (Morton) taught us well; they pressured us hard, and we have to learn how to step better. But this is definitely going to be a good learning experience for us to get going toward the rest of the tournament.”
With the tournament shortened to two 30-minute halves instead of the usual 40, the Warriors felt like they had plenty to improve on in order to close out teams, Heyer said.
“Definitely it was rough,” Heyer said about the second half. “The second half was not what it could have been; we came out sloppy. We need to work on fixing what we did wrong in the second half, keeping the energy up to come out strong for our game on Thursday.”
She credited the Warriors' back line with closing out the game.
“It was nerve-wracking at times, but they all know what they need to do and they came through for us,” said Heyer.
The sophomore earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match honors for scoring the 27th minute goal that turned out to be the game-winner. The Warriors continued to apply pressure on Morton after taking the 1-0 lead from Tannura’s 11th-minute strike.
Senior midfielder Meghann Lange made a move around a defender inside the box before dishing to Heyer, whose right-footed strike doubled the lead.
Listed as a defender, Heyer spent a lot of time in the first half playing in an outside right-mid spot.
Theiss said the situation presented itself to move some players around, creating a nice problem to have in the early going.
“Heyer's going to run; she's going to work wherever you put her,” Theiss said. “She's a handful. You like to have her in the middle of the field, but we saw space on the outside that we thought she could exploit.
"She did an excellent job making a run on that second goal. I thought Megan created the opportunity with an excellent weighted pass, and Heyer made the right run and finished it. It was nice to move her around. She's a very versatile player, but we try to instill that in everybody.
“Right now, we're not sure who's going to be where. We have some excellent technical inside mids, but at the same time we have to find that space on the outside.”
Tannura’s goal to start the scoring game after a flurry of chances in the first few minutes of the game from the Warriors, who dominated play in the attacking third from the kickoff in the first half.
The crossbar saved the Mustangs from being down 1-0 in the third minute, but Tannura took a pass off her knee and dribbled inside the six before scoring near-post for the early lead.
The goal helped calm the jitters that come with beginning the season, Tannura said.
“It's our first game,” Tannura said. “I'm a senior and I still get nervous for this, but you just have to work through it. I was in a bunch of traffic, and those players, we work a lot on playing off of each other. But at that time I was like, 'I'm going to shoot it', and it went in. I like working in traffic, and today that worked out well for me.”
The two teams will continue tournament play on Thursday, and the early season live play will continue to benefit the Warriors, win or lose, Theiss said.
“It's going to be huge,” Theiss said. “Coming out here, it's a different speed. You can only offer so much in training to try and prepare for that game speed. But to start off the season with a competitive tournament, playing a very organized Morton team, is going to bode very well for us.”
Starting lineups
Morton Mustangs
GK-Ashley Castanon
D-Esmeralda Hernandez
D-Valeria Orozco
D-Evelyn Castanon
D-Yareli Martinez
SW-Alyssa Garcia
M-Stephanie Hernandez
M-Janette Moreno
M-Karen Arroyo
M-Estephany Diego
F-Alexis Mondragon
Lincoln-Way West
GK-Audrey Pearson
D-Brianna Heyer
D-Allison Stover
D-Teagan Lyke
M-Madison Mikaluski
M-Meghann Lange
M-Emily Wyskiel
M-Kelsey Knodel
M-Meredith Buldak
F-Natalie Tannura
F-Kaitlyn Souder
MVP of the Match: Brianna Heyer, D, Lincoln-Way West
Officials: Jim Casey, Wally Chlipala