Minooka GK Alessio, lightning stop MV
Mustangs attack shorted 28 minutes in 0-0 nonconference tie
By Dave Owen
AURORA – Just as Metea Valley appeared ready to strike on Monday, lightning beat the Mustangs to it.
Despite producing a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal and an even more lopsided 7-0 edge in corner kicks, the Mustangs (6-6-2) were denied for the first 52 minutes of play by standout Minooka goalkeeper Bella Alessio.
Then it was the weather’s turn. A series of lightning strikes caused cancellation of the match with 28:21 left in the second half, resulting in a 0-0 nonconference tie.
“We were pretty frustrated,” Metea Valley defender Morgan McCrary said, “just because we didn’t get one in yet, and we had lots of chances.
“The weather just got us, because we were eventually going to put one away.”
The Mustangs were coming off an impressive 1-0 win Saturday over Batavia, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, which had entered that match with just one loss in 2019.
“A team like Batavia is pretty strong, and they had their opportunities,” Metea coach Chris Whaley said. “But we play good defense and have a good goalie (Nikki Coryell), and we were able to get one (goal) on them.”
Halle Lange’s first half goal stood up against Batavia, as the Mustangs produced another in a string of big defensive performances.
“We’re just a really good, strong defensive team,” Whaley said. “We move the ball well. But we’re just not a high-scoring team right now. But as far as I’m concerned, we’re as good as anybody.
“Honestly it’s been the same story since our first five games. We were kind of trying different people in different positions early on, and we came back from our St. Louis trip, and we kind of settled in to what we wanted to do and what our strengths were as a team.
“And ever since then we’ve been in tight games with everybody, whether it's really good teams or whomever,” Whaley said. “In the Pepsi (tournament) we beat Maine South who had been undefeated up until that point.”
With a strong first half wind at their backs, the Mustangs came out Monday with that combination tough defense and a drive to net an early goal. The first 14 minutes produced three corner kicks and two shots on net.
Then in the 18th minute came Metea’s first big threat, when Lange’s well-struck low 18-yard cross/shot from just left of the box was deflected just wide of the right post by Alessio.
“This is a big rebuilding year for us (at Minooka),” said Alessio, a four-year starting keeper headed to play at South Dakota this fall, “so this being my senior year I’m just trying to make sure that I’m saving as many as I can and working my hardest back there.
“And the more shots on goal, the more practice I get for college next year. But keeping our team in the game is really what I’m most worried about at this point.”
She more than accomplished that Monday, gaining her team a tie and also earning a share of the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award with Metea Valley’s Lange.
“We should have finished a few of the opportunities we had,”Lange said, “but she (Alessio) was doing really well. And of course later it was a matter of us going into the wind and her saving a few.”
Before the second half switch of ends and wind conditions, the Mustangs kept up the heat.
In the 19th minute, another Lange send from the left side initiated a nice combination effort. Lange’s pass was redirected by Katy Flanders to the front, where Kaiya Hansen’s eight-yard, one-touch shot went just over the net.
Then came two threats by Metea forward Delaney Putnam. The first was an 18-yard shot in the 24th minute that was blocked by Minooka’s Peyton Kellinger. Then one minute later, Putnam’s right-side rush and low 10-yard shot ended with an Alessio diving save at the right post.
Alessio capped her first half with another athletic stop in the 32nd minute. Kiley McKee’s send set up another Lange chance, this time an end line cross to the crease that Alessio nicely snuffed out with a diving one-handed grab at the post.
“Definitely it’s a huge difference from my freshman year,” Alessio said of her goaltending. “I grew a little bit, and I’m able to get more strength on the ball, so I can distribute off the ball better. And overall my diving has improved a lot since freshman year.”
Minooka (6-8-2) also received strong midfield play in the first half Monday from junior midfielder Mia Alessio.
She nicely headed away a Metea corner kick upfield in the 10th minute. Then off a Mustangs throw-in in the 11th minute, her steal and dribble upfield led to Minooka’s first shot of the game, a 25-yarder wide of frame by Brooke Brodzinski.
But scoring chances like that were few and far between against a Metea defense that was in its usual top form. And even with center back Paige Buranosky sidelined by an injury, McCrary and the Mustangs backline took care of business.
“Our center back Paige tweaked her ankle last game, so they threw me in at center back today,” McCrary said. “Things were a little different, but we adjusted pretty easily. I play outside (back) usually, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“We just work on staying composed in the back. Even if our shots aren’t going in, we work on not having a breakdown in the back so that we can stay strong defensively.”
McCrary and the defense’s workload hasn’t gone unnoticed by any means.
“Morgan gives us a ton of energy and is super positive,” Whaley said. “She’s been a big part of our success defensively this year.
“It’s nice having somebody like her that you can put in the middle, or put out wide. She’s been pretty stable for us.
“Katy Flanders has also been working really hard and playing really well,” Whaley added. “And Paige Buranosky is resting today but has been doing her thing (at center back).”
Metea goalkeeper Coryell’s first save came on a one-hop, 32-yard try by Minooka’s Maddy Lant in the 36th minute.
Despite limited chances and Metea’s threats, Minooka had reason for optimism as the first half ended as it started at 0-0.
“We knew that Metea was going to be a good team coming into this,” Bella Alessio said. “Just coming out of halftime with it 0-0 with all that wind coming (at Metea’s backs in the first half), that was a big momentum push for us.
“And getting the ball forward in the first 15 minutes I think showed a lot of our character. We can definitely move forward from this. Even though we have a losing record right now, this should help us going into the rest of the season.”
Minooka had reason to believe its second half wind advantage would provide a big boost as well.
But after McKee’s clear of the box on a Genevieve Bowyer right side threat 90 seconds into the half, Metea Valley was back on the offensive.
Sydney Rohm’s pass to Alexa Paraham in on left wing began an extended Metea offensive end push one minute later.
Then with 36:40 left on the clock, Nicole Dawson’s corner kick set up a Kayla Hurst line drive header from 6 yards out -- which Alessio again denied with a diving grab at the left post.
With continued offensive pressure, the Mustangs adjusted well to turn the wind in their faces into somewhat of a positive.
“In the first half we were trying to play balls through,” McCrary said, “and because the wind kept carrying it we couldn’t get to those balls.
“So in the second half we were looking forward to playing more of those through-balls and being able to run onto it, because the wind would slow it down.”
McCrary nicely slowed down a Minooka offensive bid five minutes into the half, blocking a right side cross and clearing the zone.
Then the Mustangs offense continued to push in the final four minutes before lightning would wrap up the day prematurely.
Eight minutes into what would be an 11-minute, 39-second half, McKee’s 26-yard shot off a Dawson free kick from just inside midfield was caught by Alessio.
Then two minutes later, a Dawson corner kick deflected to the crease where Alessio fought off hard-charging Hansen and Paraham to cover the loose ball.
The graying skies would then soon give way to lightning, resulting in a 0-0 tie and postgame what-ifs for the Mustangs.
“That’s pretty much the story of our season,” Whaley said. “Playing well, but just having trouble putting the ball in the net.
But we’re trying to give girls opportunities to step up and make something happen, and we’ll keep rotating to see who that (scorer) ends up being.”
Lange had the huge goal to beat Batavia and has a plan in mind to produce more offense.
“It’s just maintaining possession, getting wide,” Lange said. “And then of course service (of passes to the box). We could have used more of that today, and more finishing.”
But after a week that featured excellent efforts against strong teams no. 15 Waubonsie Valley (a 1-0 loss) and Batavia (a 1-0 win), confidence is rising.
“It’s very challenging,” Lange said of the Mustangs’ schedule. “We have a lot of games against a lot of difficult people, but I think we do a pretty good job keeping up with everyone.
“We just work on getting a lot of energy. We play a lot of possession and just push each other, and we play in practice like we would in a game.”
While a very good goalkeeper and very bad weather combined to put a scoreless draw damper on Monday, the Mustangs march on undeterred.
“I’m really excited,” McCrary said. “The game against Batavia was really good for us to get our energy up, because they’re a really good team. I’m looking forward to playing Neuqua (Valley on April 30).”
Starting lineups
Minooka
GK: Bella Alessio
D: Emily Galvan
D: Libby Buss
D: Peyton Kellinger
D: Hailey Hoge
M: Maddy Lant
M: Mia Alessio
M: Taryn Sandei
M: Genevieve Bowyer
F: Brooke Brodzinski
F: Kaleigh Murphy
Metea Valley
GK: Nikki Coryell
D: Nicole Dawson
D: Morgan McCrary
D: Katy Flanders
D: Kaiya Hansen
M: Lauren Wardell
M: Hallie Lange
M: Ella Johnson
M: Kiley McKee
M: Kayla Hurst
F: Delaney Putnam
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Bella Alessio, sr. GK, Minooka
Hallie Lange, jr. MF, Metea Valley
Scoring
None
Mustangs attack shorted 28 minutes in 0-0 nonconference tie
By Dave Owen
AURORA – Just as Metea Valley appeared ready to strike on Monday, lightning beat the Mustangs to it.
Despite producing a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal and an even more lopsided 7-0 edge in corner kicks, the Mustangs (6-6-2) were denied for the first 52 minutes of play by standout Minooka goalkeeper Bella Alessio.
Then it was the weather’s turn. A series of lightning strikes caused cancellation of the match with 28:21 left in the second half, resulting in a 0-0 nonconference tie.
“We were pretty frustrated,” Metea Valley defender Morgan McCrary said, “just because we didn’t get one in yet, and we had lots of chances.
“The weather just got us, because we were eventually going to put one away.”
The Mustangs were coming off an impressive 1-0 win Saturday over Batavia, ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, which had entered that match with just one loss in 2019.
“A team like Batavia is pretty strong, and they had their opportunities,” Metea coach Chris Whaley said. “But we play good defense and have a good goalie (Nikki Coryell), and we were able to get one (goal) on them.”
Halle Lange’s first half goal stood up against Batavia, as the Mustangs produced another in a string of big defensive performances.
“We’re just a really good, strong defensive team,” Whaley said. “We move the ball well. But we’re just not a high-scoring team right now. But as far as I’m concerned, we’re as good as anybody.
“Honestly it’s been the same story since our first five games. We were kind of trying different people in different positions early on, and we came back from our St. Louis trip, and we kind of settled in to what we wanted to do and what our strengths were as a team.
“And ever since then we’ve been in tight games with everybody, whether it's really good teams or whomever,” Whaley said. “In the Pepsi (tournament) we beat Maine South who had been undefeated up until that point.”
With a strong first half wind at their backs, the Mustangs came out Monday with that combination tough defense and a drive to net an early goal. The first 14 minutes produced three corner kicks and two shots on net.
Then in the 18th minute came Metea’s first big threat, when Lange’s well-struck low 18-yard cross/shot from just left of the box was deflected just wide of the right post by Alessio.
“This is a big rebuilding year for us (at Minooka),” said Alessio, a four-year starting keeper headed to play at South Dakota this fall, “so this being my senior year I’m just trying to make sure that I’m saving as many as I can and working my hardest back there.
“And the more shots on goal, the more practice I get for college next year. But keeping our team in the game is really what I’m most worried about at this point.”
She more than accomplished that Monday, gaining her team a tie and also earning a share of the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match award with Metea Valley’s Lange.
“We should have finished a few of the opportunities we had,”Lange said, “but she (Alessio) was doing really well. And of course later it was a matter of us going into the wind and her saving a few.”
Before the second half switch of ends and wind conditions, the Mustangs kept up the heat.
In the 19th minute, another Lange send from the left side initiated a nice combination effort. Lange’s pass was redirected by Katy Flanders to the front, where Kaiya Hansen’s eight-yard, one-touch shot went just over the net.
Then came two threats by Metea forward Delaney Putnam. The first was an 18-yard shot in the 24th minute that was blocked by Minooka’s Peyton Kellinger. Then one minute later, Putnam’s right-side rush and low 10-yard shot ended with an Alessio diving save at the right post.
Alessio capped her first half with another athletic stop in the 32nd minute. Kiley McKee’s send set up another Lange chance, this time an end line cross to the crease that Alessio nicely snuffed out with a diving one-handed grab at the post.
“Definitely it’s a huge difference from my freshman year,” Alessio said of her goaltending. “I grew a little bit, and I’m able to get more strength on the ball, so I can distribute off the ball better. And overall my diving has improved a lot since freshman year.”
Minooka (6-8-2) also received strong midfield play in the first half Monday from junior midfielder Mia Alessio.
She nicely headed away a Metea corner kick upfield in the 10th minute. Then off a Mustangs throw-in in the 11th minute, her steal and dribble upfield led to Minooka’s first shot of the game, a 25-yarder wide of frame by Brooke Brodzinski.
But scoring chances like that were few and far between against a Metea defense that was in its usual top form. And even with center back Paige Buranosky sidelined by an injury, McCrary and the Mustangs backline took care of business.
“Our center back Paige tweaked her ankle last game, so they threw me in at center back today,” McCrary said. “Things were a little different, but we adjusted pretty easily. I play outside (back) usually, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“We just work on staying composed in the back. Even if our shots aren’t going in, we work on not having a breakdown in the back so that we can stay strong defensively.”
McCrary and the defense’s workload hasn’t gone unnoticed by any means.
“Morgan gives us a ton of energy and is super positive,” Whaley said. “She’s been a big part of our success defensively this year.
“It’s nice having somebody like her that you can put in the middle, or put out wide. She’s been pretty stable for us.
“Katy Flanders has also been working really hard and playing really well,” Whaley added. “And Paige Buranosky is resting today but has been doing her thing (at center back).”
Metea goalkeeper Coryell’s first save came on a one-hop, 32-yard try by Minooka’s Maddy Lant in the 36th minute.
Despite limited chances and Metea’s threats, Minooka had reason for optimism as the first half ended as it started at 0-0.
“We knew that Metea was going to be a good team coming into this,” Bella Alessio said. “Just coming out of halftime with it 0-0 with all that wind coming (at Metea’s backs in the first half), that was a big momentum push for us.
“And getting the ball forward in the first 15 minutes I think showed a lot of our character. We can definitely move forward from this. Even though we have a losing record right now, this should help us going into the rest of the season.”
Minooka had reason to believe its second half wind advantage would provide a big boost as well.
But after McKee’s clear of the box on a Genevieve Bowyer right side threat 90 seconds into the half, Metea Valley was back on the offensive.
Sydney Rohm’s pass to Alexa Paraham in on left wing began an extended Metea offensive end push one minute later.
Then with 36:40 left on the clock, Nicole Dawson’s corner kick set up a Kayla Hurst line drive header from 6 yards out -- which Alessio again denied with a diving grab at the left post.
With continued offensive pressure, the Mustangs adjusted well to turn the wind in their faces into somewhat of a positive.
“In the first half we were trying to play balls through,” McCrary said, “and because the wind kept carrying it we couldn’t get to those balls.
“So in the second half we were looking forward to playing more of those through-balls and being able to run onto it, because the wind would slow it down.”
McCrary nicely slowed down a Minooka offensive bid five minutes into the half, blocking a right side cross and clearing the zone.
Then the Mustangs offense continued to push in the final four minutes before lightning would wrap up the day prematurely.
Eight minutes into what would be an 11-minute, 39-second half, McKee’s 26-yard shot off a Dawson free kick from just inside midfield was caught by Alessio.
Then two minutes later, a Dawson corner kick deflected to the crease where Alessio fought off hard-charging Hansen and Paraham to cover the loose ball.
The graying skies would then soon give way to lightning, resulting in a 0-0 tie and postgame what-ifs for the Mustangs.
“That’s pretty much the story of our season,” Whaley said. “Playing well, but just having trouble putting the ball in the net.
But we’re trying to give girls opportunities to step up and make something happen, and we’ll keep rotating to see who that (scorer) ends up being.”
Lange had the huge goal to beat Batavia and has a plan in mind to produce more offense.
“It’s just maintaining possession, getting wide,” Lange said. “And then of course service (of passes to the box). We could have used more of that today, and more finishing.”
But after a week that featured excellent efforts against strong teams no. 15 Waubonsie Valley (a 1-0 loss) and Batavia (a 1-0 win), confidence is rising.
“It’s very challenging,” Lange said of the Mustangs’ schedule. “We have a lot of games against a lot of difficult people, but I think we do a pretty good job keeping up with everyone.
“We just work on getting a lot of energy. We play a lot of possession and just push each other, and we play in practice like we would in a game.”
While a very good goalkeeper and very bad weather combined to put a scoreless draw damper on Monday, the Mustangs march on undeterred.
“I’m really excited,” McCrary said. “The game against Batavia was really good for us to get our energy up, because they’re a really good team. I’m looking forward to playing Neuqua (Valley on April 30).”
Starting lineups
Minooka
GK: Bella Alessio
D: Emily Galvan
D: Libby Buss
D: Peyton Kellinger
D: Hailey Hoge
M: Maddy Lant
M: Mia Alessio
M: Taryn Sandei
M: Genevieve Bowyer
F: Brooke Brodzinski
F: Kaleigh Murphy
Metea Valley
GK: Nikki Coryell
D: Nicole Dawson
D: Morgan McCrary
D: Katy Flanders
D: Kaiya Hansen
M: Lauren Wardell
M: Hallie Lange
M: Ella Johnson
M: Kiley McKee
M: Kayla Hurst
F: Delaney Putnam
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Bella Alessio, sr. GK, Minooka
Hallie Lange, jr. MF, Metea Valley
Scoring
None