Batavia edges DGS on late goal
Bulldogs win 1-0; Solis nods in game-winner with 80 seconds left
By Matt Le Cren
BATAVIA – Zaira Solis got the second chance she so desperately wanted Thursday night.
The result was the first game-winning goal of her career.
Solis, a junior forward, headed home a corner kick from Anna Holcombe with 1:20 remaining to give host Batavia a well-earned 1-0 home victory over Downers Grove South.
“We knew there was less than two minutes left and when (Anna) hit it I saw it coming right at me, and I just jumped and hit it,” Solis said. “I thought it was going to go over.”
Solis’ header, which came from about 10 yards, was a floater that went over the head of Downers Grove South goalkeeper Angel Biondo, whose outstanding performance had kept the Mustangs in the game despite being outshot 21-3.
“They were sitting pretty much on the 6, so we couldn’t do the slotted ball like we normally would try to,” Batavia senior Gracey DiBiase said. “So Anna served it in back post, and it was just a really well-timed ball by Zaira.
“She read that perfectly and got that hit on it. Literally any body part would work in that situation, but Zaira was in the right place at the right time, and it worked out perfectly.”
With that, the 24th-ranked Bulldogs (8-1-1) had the goal they had been waiting for all game. DiBiase had come up empty on eight shots, six of which were stopped by Biondo.
“It was definitely a sigh of relief at that point but we still had to stay composed,” DiBiase said. “We still had to keep it locked in for the last minute and 30 seconds.”
The Bulldogs did just that and Solis could smile after getting a little redemption for her earlier miss.
“It felt good,” Solis said. “It was exciting because I had missed one right in front of the goal, and I knew I had to get one to make up for it.”
Solis was referring to a play with 18:45 left in the second half. DiBiase unleashed a wicked 26-yard shot that was ticketed for the lower right corner, but Biondo made a tremendous diving save.
The rebound popped out to the wide-open Solis, whose shot from just outside the right post somehow curved wide of the left post.
“After (her miss) I left her out there,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “She was kind of Debbie Downer for a bit so I took her out for a little bit, put her back in and she stuck with it. It was great to see that.
“That’s the mental toughness, just staying focused and taking advantage of the moment. She did a great job with that.”
As clutch as Solis was and as dangerous as DiBiase played, Downers Grove South's keeper was even better. Biondo, a junior, became the rare player to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors in a losing effort. She recorded 13 saves despite playing the second half against a stiff wind and the entire match as if she was on the low end of a pool table tipped toward one end.
“She played well,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “A lot of those shots, she made the routine save on shots from about 30 yards, but she came up big when she needed to.
“I think she had a goal line clearance in the first half.”
Indeed. Biondo made four diving saves, two on DiBiase and two on Grace Salyers, before intermission. She left the ball trickling in front on one of them, but Taylor Petring cleared it out of trouble.
Petring, Emily Brindac and Jennifer Masello helped out Biondo with some much-needed physical defense on a night when the Mustangs were under siege.
“I tapped it, and my winger, Taylor, cleared it right away,” Biondo said. “I kind of felt it, I guess. It was really good support from the girls, too, cheering me on throughout the entire game.”
It took the Mustangs (4-2-2) nearly the entire game to get a decent scoring opportunity. The Bulldogs didn’t allow a shot for the first 54 minutes and the only real threat came with 2:20 remaining.
Midfielder Jillian Paladino sent a 27-yard free kick from deep on the left wing into the 6, where it was booted out by a defender. The ball went straight to Petring, whose volley from 12 yards went over the crossbar.
A minute later, the Bulldogs forced the corner kick and converted.
“They did it really quickly so we didn’t have a whole lot of time to set up,” Biondo said. “Usually when we’re set up we can clear it right away and get it out. It was a tough goal, but we still did good.”
It was a rare off night for the Mustangs, who rarely have been so dominated in the run of play this season.
“We weren’t playing like our normal selves,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think it was tired legs, but it was just an off day.
“(Gianfrancesco) does a great job with their system, getting the ball in the final third as fast as you can. For us it was a matter of delaying that transition and getting numbers behind the ball in the final third because we know they are so dangerous on the counter.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words as to why we were so slow, but they are aggressive, quick and dynamic. The have the players in the middle of the field that can control the game.”
Credit must go to the Bulldogs, who haven’t lost since the season-opener, a 2-1 defeat to 23rd-ranked Wheaton Warrenville South, which upset no. 6 Metea Valley 4-2 on Tuesday and gained the PepsiCo Army Bracket final as a 10-seed with a 2-0 win over sixth-seeded and fifth-ranked Wauconda.
“I thought we moved the ball around really well,” Gianfrancesco said. “They did a nice job (defensively). They were probably the most physical team we’ve played so far, and they definitely picked up some balls in the back.
“We had a couple chances that were kind of on the doorstep that we didn’t finish. We could have slotted them in, and we made it a little more difficult on ourselves than we should have, but it’s good to get the win. You want to play some good competition, so I like what they bring.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Angel Biondo
D Emily Brindac
D Jennifer Masello
D Brynn Davis
M Jordan Rose
M Jillian Paladino
M Marlo Rachie
M Abby Wissler
F Paige Reichert
F Nicole Fajardo
F Taylor Petring
Batavia
GK Katelyn Turnquist
D Amy TenHaken
D Claire Stack
D Jenna Nichols
M Anna Bross
M Zaira Solis
M Anna Rakos
M Abby Zipse
F Gracey DiBiase
F Anna Holcombe
F Grace Salyers
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Angel Biondo, jr., GK, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
1st half
None
2nd half
Batavia – Zaira Solis (Anna Holcombe) 1:20
Bulldogs win 1-0; Solis nods in game-winner with 80 seconds left
By Matt Le Cren
BATAVIA – Zaira Solis got the second chance she so desperately wanted Thursday night.
The result was the first game-winning goal of her career.
Solis, a junior forward, headed home a corner kick from Anna Holcombe with 1:20 remaining to give host Batavia a well-earned 1-0 home victory over Downers Grove South.
“We knew there was less than two minutes left and when (Anna) hit it I saw it coming right at me, and I just jumped and hit it,” Solis said. “I thought it was going to go over.”
Solis’ header, which came from about 10 yards, was a floater that went over the head of Downers Grove South goalkeeper Angel Biondo, whose outstanding performance had kept the Mustangs in the game despite being outshot 21-3.
“They were sitting pretty much on the 6, so we couldn’t do the slotted ball like we normally would try to,” Batavia senior Gracey DiBiase said. “So Anna served it in back post, and it was just a really well-timed ball by Zaira.
“She read that perfectly and got that hit on it. Literally any body part would work in that situation, but Zaira was in the right place at the right time, and it worked out perfectly.”
With that, the 24th-ranked Bulldogs (8-1-1) had the goal they had been waiting for all game. DiBiase had come up empty on eight shots, six of which were stopped by Biondo.
“It was definitely a sigh of relief at that point but we still had to stay composed,” DiBiase said. “We still had to keep it locked in for the last minute and 30 seconds.”
The Bulldogs did just that and Solis could smile after getting a little redemption for her earlier miss.
“It felt good,” Solis said. “It was exciting because I had missed one right in front of the goal, and I knew I had to get one to make up for it.”
Solis was referring to a play with 18:45 left in the second half. DiBiase unleashed a wicked 26-yard shot that was ticketed for the lower right corner, but Biondo made a tremendous diving save.
The rebound popped out to the wide-open Solis, whose shot from just outside the right post somehow curved wide of the left post.
“After (her miss) I left her out there,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “She was kind of Debbie Downer for a bit so I took her out for a little bit, put her back in and she stuck with it. It was great to see that.
“That’s the mental toughness, just staying focused and taking advantage of the moment. She did a great job with that.”
As clutch as Solis was and as dangerous as DiBiase played, Downers Grove South's keeper was even better. Biondo, a junior, became the rare player to earn Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors in a losing effort. She recorded 13 saves despite playing the second half against a stiff wind and the entire match as if she was on the low end of a pool table tipped toward one end.
“She played well,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “A lot of those shots, she made the routine save on shots from about 30 yards, but she came up big when she needed to.
“I think she had a goal line clearance in the first half.”
Indeed. Biondo made four diving saves, two on DiBiase and two on Grace Salyers, before intermission. She left the ball trickling in front on one of them, but Taylor Petring cleared it out of trouble.
Petring, Emily Brindac and Jennifer Masello helped out Biondo with some much-needed physical defense on a night when the Mustangs were under siege.
“I tapped it, and my winger, Taylor, cleared it right away,” Biondo said. “I kind of felt it, I guess. It was really good support from the girls, too, cheering me on throughout the entire game.”
It took the Mustangs (4-2-2) nearly the entire game to get a decent scoring opportunity. The Bulldogs didn’t allow a shot for the first 54 minutes and the only real threat came with 2:20 remaining.
Midfielder Jillian Paladino sent a 27-yard free kick from deep on the left wing into the 6, where it was booted out by a defender. The ball went straight to Petring, whose volley from 12 yards went over the crossbar.
A minute later, the Bulldogs forced the corner kick and converted.
“They did it really quickly so we didn’t have a whole lot of time to set up,” Biondo said. “Usually when we’re set up we can clear it right away and get it out. It was a tough goal, but we still did good.”
It was a rare off night for the Mustangs, who rarely have been so dominated in the run of play this season.
“We weren’t playing like our normal selves,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think it was tired legs, but it was just an off day.
“(Gianfrancesco) does a great job with their system, getting the ball in the final third as fast as you can. For us it was a matter of delaying that transition and getting numbers behind the ball in the final third because we know they are so dangerous on the counter.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words as to why we were so slow, but they are aggressive, quick and dynamic. The have the players in the middle of the field that can control the game.”
Credit must go to the Bulldogs, who haven’t lost since the season-opener, a 2-1 defeat to 23rd-ranked Wheaton Warrenville South, which upset no. 6 Metea Valley 4-2 on Tuesday and gained the PepsiCo Army Bracket final as a 10-seed with a 2-0 win over sixth-seeded and fifth-ranked Wauconda.
“I thought we moved the ball around really well,” Gianfrancesco said. “They did a nice job (defensively). They were probably the most physical team we’ve played so far, and they definitely picked up some balls in the back.
“We had a couple chances that were kind of on the doorstep that we didn’t finish. We could have slotted them in, and we made it a little more difficult on ourselves than we should have, but it’s good to get the win. You want to play some good competition, so I like what they bring.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK Angel Biondo
D Emily Brindac
D Jennifer Masello
D Brynn Davis
M Jordan Rose
M Jillian Paladino
M Marlo Rachie
M Abby Wissler
F Paige Reichert
F Nicole Fajardo
F Taylor Petring
Batavia
GK Katelyn Turnquist
D Amy TenHaken
D Claire Stack
D Jenna Nichols
M Anna Bross
M Zaira Solis
M Anna Rakos
M Abby Zipse
F Gracey DiBiase
F Anna Holcombe
F Grace Salyers
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Angel Biondo, jr., GK, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
1st half
None
2nd half
Batavia – Zaira Solis (Anna Holcombe) 1:20