Morton’s Carisma too much for Leyden
Playmaking of frosh Rosales sparks Mustangs 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BERWYN — She has the name and the talent befitting a natural star.
Everything about Carisma Rosales seems evanescent. She has the right name, fitting her charismatic and free style. She has a natural and vibrant flair about her that combines with how easily she moves in space and her constant ability to attack and create off the dribble.
The freshman midfielder at Morton has turned heads with her savvy, explosive quickness and ball striking. Like a natural hitter in baseball, the ball just explodes off her foot.
“I started playing soccer when I was three,” Rosales said. “This has been a great experience playing with the older girls who have been here before.”
On a day when the Mustangs felt a bit off-key, Rosales was a constant.
“We’re trying to keep her a little bit of a secret,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said.
Good luck with that. He might have more luck stopping time.
Rosales assisted one goal and created constant havoc at the offensive end with her pressure and activity in the Mustangs’ 2-0 victory over Leyden in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play Saturday.
“It was a good game,” Rosales said. “We didn’t have the same intensity today after the Downers Grove game, but we did a good job of keep working together.”
The letdown was inevitable given the Mustangs topped Leyden 6-0 Tuesday in the first game of the teams’ home-and-home series. The new schedule format was adopted for this pandemic season by the conference.
On Thursday, locked in the game to determine the conference championship, Morton fell to Downers Grove South 3-2 in overtime.
“I think with us coming off the loss to Downers in overtime, and this being Senior Day, with a lot of family and friends in the crowd, there were a lot of distractions, and we got away from our game plan,” Bageanis said.
“I just wanted to play it out and get through the game.”
Leyden (1-8-0, 1-8-0) deserves credit for a more spirited performance.
Junior keeper Jackeline Lopez kept the Eagles afloat with her superb play in the back. She registered eight saves, using her size and quickness to deny the Mustangs on a number of short volleys or dangerous set pieces.
“I think compared to Tuesday when we went against them, we were a lot more focused,” Lopez said. “We had a lot more control with our passes.
“Our mentality was just different today. We had greater effort. I was really into the game and enjoying it. I feel like we all had a good time out there, and we were putting up a really good fight.”
An apparent Rosales goal in the first minute was negated by an offside call, a foreshadowing of the disruptive flow of the game.
Lopez also challenged the Morton shooters. She got just enough of her hand on the ball to deflect another shot by Rosales off the post in the seventh minute.
Morton (7-2-1, 7-2-0) seemed tentative in its decision-making. They went right at Lopez, and she made them pay.
“We were on them the first 10 minutes, and we should have probably had three or four goals,” Bageanis said.
“My assistant, Malika Manouzi, said to me we’d probably be up big if we just finished how we normally do.”
Lopez denied a breakaway by freshman forward Aaliyah Leanos in the opening minutes of the game.
Morton broke through in the 23rd minute as the barrage of activity produced positive results. Midfielder Xochilt Flores took a deflection and pushed the ball wide right to leading scorer, star forward Adriana Moreno.
Moreno made a quick move and smashed a ball inside the far post for the only goal of the first half.
The Mustangs’ prolific attack keyed by Moreno, Rosales and Leanos has been the dominant narrative. The back has also been solid with three shutouts and four one-goal games. Morton has only conceded two multiple-goal games.
The three goals Downers Grove South scored in overtime Thursday was a season-high for an opponent.
Morton monopolized possession. Leyden put only two shots on goal. The first was a free kick by defender Kayla Zarinara in the first half.
Leyden was also hampered when its best offensive player, junior forward Jacqueline Jacinto Barrientos, suffered a foot injury late in the first half.
She did not return to play. Her creativity and quickness drive the Eagles’ attack. Her absence further limited Leyden’s ability to create pressure.
Morton also played the final 20 minutes down a player after a red card was issued. The Mustangs were able to spread the field, creating some strong combination play from backs Natalie Valadez and Lorena Jaimes.
“Lorena and I were able to send a couple of long through-balls to the sides, and we had good runs through the wings,” Valadez said.
Valadez and Rosales collaborated beautifully for the Mustangs’ insurance score in the 68th minute. Working off a corner from the right wing, Rosales served the ball into the box.
Valadez responded with a terrific quick touch for her first goal of the year. What a way for her to celebrate Senior Day.
“I just play defense, so I don’t usually have the chances to go up much of the attack,” Valadez said. “We really wanted to win against Downers South and be first in our conference.
“I want to say today was a little bit of an off-game, but we play York on Tuesday, we have to get our game back up.”
Morton and York played to a 2-2 tie in the second game of the season. The Mustangs also have a key road showdown against Willowbrook on Thursday to determine the second place finisher in the conference.
Moreno also celebrated her Senior Day. Her style makes for a nice contrast with Rosales. She is more physical and tactical, using her force and gravity to create physical mismatches.
Rosales looks lighter than air, quick and invisible and impossible to stop in space. The attention Moreno generates opens up lanes for her to operate.
For her accomplishments in the win, Rosales earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
About that name, she said, “You have to thank my mom.”
The girls’ program has been overshadowed by the extraordinary accomplishments of the boys’ teams. But on the day reserved for honoring the seniors, it’s clear the present and future are very bright.
“She’s a phenomenal player,” Bageanis said about Rosales.
“I never saw her play live before, and then when I saw her in practice, I saw what she could do. Now I have seen her step it up each week. She could be one of the top players and have a really good high school career.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Jackeline Lopez
D: Cassandra Rios
D: Kayla Zarinana
D: Hailey Salgado
D: Denisse Salgado
MF: Alejandra Diaz
MF: Nancy Hernandez
MF: Jazmin Contreras
MF: Laura Carreno
F: Jacqueline Jacinto Barrientos
F: Alaina Arrendondo
Morton
GK: Krystal Rodriguez
D: Itzel Melero
D: Lorena Jaimes
D: Stephanie Quevedo
D: Natalie Valadez
MF: Jacquelin Lara
MF: Vicki Ferrer
MF: Carisma Rosales
F: Xochilt Flores
F: Adriana Moreno
F: Aaliyah Leanos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Carisma Rosales, fr., MF, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton—Adriana Moreno (Xochilt Flores), 23rd minute
Second half
Morton—Natalie Valadez (Carisma Rosales), 68th minute
Playmaking of frosh Rosales sparks Mustangs 2-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
BERWYN — She has the name and the talent befitting a natural star.
Everything about Carisma Rosales seems evanescent. She has the right name, fitting her charismatic and free style. She has a natural and vibrant flair about her that combines with how easily she moves in space and her constant ability to attack and create off the dribble.
The freshman midfielder at Morton has turned heads with her savvy, explosive quickness and ball striking. Like a natural hitter in baseball, the ball just explodes off her foot.
“I started playing soccer when I was three,” Rosales said. “This has been a great experience playing with the older girls who have been here before.”
On a day when the Mustangs felt a bit off-key, Rosales was a constant.
“We’re trying to keep her a little bit of a secret,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said.
Good luck with that. He might have more luck stopping time.
Rosales assisted one goal and created constant havoc at the offensive end with her pressure and activity in the Mustangs’ 2-0 victory over Leyden in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play Saturday.
“It was a good game,” Rosales said. “We didn’t have the same intensity today after the Downers Grove game, but we did a good job of keep working together.”
The letdown was inevitable given the Mustangs topped Leyden 6-0 Tuesday in the first game of the teams’ home-and-home series. The new schedule format was adopted for this pandemic season by the conference.
On Thursday, locked in the game to determine the conference championship, Morton fell to Downers Grove South 3-2 in overtime.
“I think with us coming off the loss to Downers in overtime, and this being Senior Day, with a lot of family and friends in the crowd, there were a lot of distractions, and we got away from our game plan,” Bageanis said.
“I just wanted to play it out and get through the game.”
Leyden (1-8-0, 1-8-0) deserves credit for a more spirited performance.
Junior keeper Jackeline Lopez kept the Eagles afloat with her superb play in the back. She registered eight saves, using her size and quickness to deny the Mustangs on a number of short volleys or dangerous set pieces.
“I think compared to Tuesday when we went against them, we were a lot more focused,” Lopez said. “We had a lot more control with our passes.
“Our mentality was just different today. We had greater effort. I was really into the game and enjoying it. I feel like we all had a good time out there, and we were putting up a really good fight.”
An apparent Rosales goal in the first minute was negated by an offside call, a foreshadowing of the disruptive flow of the game.
Lopez also challenged the Morton shooters. She got just enough of her hand on the ball to deflect another shot by Rosales off the post in the seventh minute.
Morton (7-2-1, 7-2-0) seemed tentative in its decision-making. They went right at Lopez, and she made them pay.
“We were on them the first 10 minutes, and we should have probably had three or four goals,” Bageanis said.
“My assistant, Malika Manouzi, said to me we’d probably be up big if we just finished how we normally do.”
Lopez denied a breakaway by freshman forward Aaliyah Leanos in the opening minutes of the game.
Morton broke through in the 23rd minute as the barrage of activity produced positive results. Midfielder Xochilt Flores took a deflection and pushed the ball wide right to leading scorer, star forward Adriana Moreno.
Moreno made a quick move and smashed a ball inside the far post for the only goal of the first half.
The Mustangs’ prolific attack keyed by Moreno, Rosales and Leanos has been the dominant narrative. The back has also been solid with three shutouts and four one-goal games. Morton has only conceded two multiple-goal games.
The three goals Downers Grove South scored in overtime Thursday was a season-high for an opponent.
Morton monopolized possession. Leyden put only two shots on goal. The first was a free kick by defender Kayla Zarinara in the first half.
Leyden was also hampered when its best offensive player, junior forward Jacqueline Jacinto Barrientos, suffered a foot injury late in the first half.
She did not return to play. Her creativity and quickness drive the Eagles’ attack. Her absence further limited Leyden’s ability to create pressure.
Morton also played the final 20 minutes down a player after a red card was issued. The Mustangs were able to spread the field, creating some strong combination play from backs Natalie Valadez and Lorena Jaimes.
“Lorena and I were able to send a couple of long through-balls to the sides, and we had good runs through the wings,” Valadez said.
Valadez and Rosales collaborated beautifully for the Mustangs’ insurance score in the 68th minute. Working off a corner from the right wing, Rosales served the ball into the box.
Valadez responded with a terrific quick touch for her first goal of the year. What a way for her to celebrate Senior Day.
“I just play defense, so I don’t usually have the chances to go up much of the attack,” Valadez said. “We really wanted to win against Downers South and be first in our conference.
“I want to say today was a little bit of an off-game, but we play York on Tuesday, we have to get our game back up.”
Morton and York played to a 2-2 tie in the second game of the season. The Mustangs also have a key road showdown against Willowbrook on Thursday to determine the second place finisher in the conference.
Moreno also celebrated her Senior Day. Her style makes for a nice contrast with Rosales. She is more physical and tactical, using her force and gravity to create physical mismatches.
Rosales looks lighter than air, quick and invisible and impossible to stop in space. The attention Moreno generates opens up lanes for her to operate.
For her accomplishments in the win, Rosales earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
About that name, she said, “You have to thank my mom.”
The girls’ program has been overshadowed by the extraordinary accomplishments of the boys’ teams. But on the day reserved for honoring the seniors, it’s clear the present and future are very bright.
“She’s a phenomenal player,” Bageanis said about Rosales.
“I never saw her play live before, and then when I saw her in practice, I saw what she could do. Now I have seen her step it up each week. She could be one of the top players and have a really good high school career.”
Starting lineups
Leyden
GK: Jackeline Lopez
D: Cassandra Rios
D: Kayla Zarinana
D: Hailey Salgado
D: Denisse Salgado
MF: Alejandra Diaz
MF: Nancy Hernandez
MF: Jazmin Contreras
MF: Laura Carreno
F: Jacqueline Jacinto Barrientos
F: Alaina Arrendondo
Morton
GK: Krystal Rodriguez
D: Itzel Melero
D: Lorena Jaimes
D: Stephanie Quevedo
D: Natalie Valadez
MF: Jacquelin Lara
MF: Vicki Ferrer
MF: Carisma Rosales
F: Xochilt Flores
F: Adriana Moreno
F: Aaliyah Leanos
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Carisma Rosales, fr., MF, Morton
Scoring summary
First half
Morton—Adriana Moreno (Xochilt Flores), 23rd minute
Second half
Morton—Natalie Valadez (Carisma Rosales), 68th minute