DGS survives late Morton flurry for Gold title
Morton's 80th-minute goal not enough in 2-1 W. Suburban defeat
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- It took perfect execution to end Morton’s 454-minute shutout streak in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play this season.
Unfortunately for the visiting Mustangs, host Downers Grove South had a double dose that decided the conference title race.
After a scoreless first half in which Morton (15-5-0, 5-1-x) had an edge in quality chances late in the stanza, Downers Grove South (8-8-1, 6-0-x) broke through with 25:55 left in regulation on a textbook corner kick send and finish.
A Downers Grove South insurance goal with 5:33 to go proved to be huge. Morton’s Carisma Rosales struck with her own nice finish in the final minute to set the final score at 2-1 Downers Grove South.
“I think the difference in the game was their ability to get the first goal,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. “It seemed like the first goal was going to dictate which team had to open up to then get the equalizer.”
On the goal that put Downers Grove South up 1-0, Mallory Qualizza’s left corner send to the crease connected with a sprinting Emily Petring, who got the touch in front and redirected the ball inside the lower left post.
“Set pieces are something we’ve been looking to improve on,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said, “To see Emily’s goal was very important and uplifting for the team.”
Morton’s increased push upfield in quest of a tying goal produced four decent chances (including two corner kicks) in the next 15 minutes before Downers Grove South built its lead to 2-0.
Grace Rappel touched a send toward the box to Priscilla Plascencia. Beating a defender on the dribble up the middle, Plascencia lined an 8-yard shot into the lower right corner.
“The way Morton defends is very man-to man in the backline,” Hernandez said, “so we tried to create opportunities with movement and energy in play.
“We had a couple of opportunities in transition, then we saw the breakthrough in the second half with Priscilla’s goal.”
Facing a Morton team with 13 shutouts this season, Downers Grove South needed perfect execution to solve the defensive puzzle. And they got it.
“The first goal was just a great effort by their number 13 (Petring) getting to the ball first,” Bageanis said. “A couple of our girls collided (on the corner kick send), and she slipped through to the ball.”
The lead up to the corner kick was just as frustrating.
“I feel that they actually caught us by getting a quick throw down the line that made us concede the corner in the first place,” Bageanis said.
“The second goal had us pushing up. They go in behind, us and we over-committed going in for the ball.”
But down 2-0, Morton battled literally to the final horn.
Increased persistent pressure in the offensive end eventually paid off in a nice send, a great, individual effort to create a laser shot and with it a goal.
With under a minute left, Downers Grove South appeared to have dodged danger with a long clear upfield of a Morton offensive end throw-in. But Morton defender Brianna Avalos and forward Rosales had other ideas.
Rosales nicely powered a high midair send 40 yards back in the other direction. Rosales fielded the ball left side and did the rest, dribbling toward the middle and rocketing a 25-yard shot just below the crossbar to cut the Downers Grove South lead to 2-1.
The sophomore was a huge focus all night of the Downers Grove South defense.
“Carisma is a very talented player,” Hernandez said, “so we had to make sure we were tight on her and have players aware of where she was at all times.
“The second half with two minutes left she was still a danger, and she got the goal on that punt. She had the opportunity to win that first ball (from Avalos) in the air, and then we had players out of position. She cut across the middle of the field and hit a great shot. Credit to her.”
Rosales’ earlier quality chances included a first half rush and drive just wide left in the 29th minute, then a second half low 18-yard, right-side liner with 10:10 left saved by Downers Grove South goalkeeper Hannah Fedinec.
Then given even a sliver of last-minute daylight, Rosales finished in style.
“Carisma did a great job taking on their defenders, getting in her scoring area and putting away the shot,” Bageanis said.
With just 44.9 seconds left after the Rosales goal, Morton continued to push full force. It wasn’t until Downers Grove South’s Jordan Rose nicely blocked and cleared a Morton send attempt from just inside midfield with 15 seconds left that the 2-1 final was secure.
“Nobody quit out there, even after the second goal,” Bageanis said. “The effort was there for the 80 minutes.”
Rewinding the clock way back from that furious finish, Downers Grove South had the better of chances in the first nine minutes of the match: an Ashley Molinari 25-yarder just over the net two minutes in, and saves by Morton goalkeeper Krystal Rodriguez on two free kicks by Petring (a 35-yarder, then a low 25-yard liner that Rodriguez nicely smothered at the left post).
From there, Morton began to establish the better of first half scoring bids. But getting clean looks proved daunting.
Downers Grove South blocked quality in-close shots by Esme Bautista (off a 14th-minute corner kick) and Rosales (off a left-sideline Andrea Aguirre free kick in the 18th minute). Then in the final 30 seconds of the first half, a Bautista shot off a Rosales pass was deflected wide by a defender.
The ensuing corner kick was cleared upfield, and the half ended nil-nil.
“I felt we were moving the ball well that last 15 minutes of the first half,” Bageanis said. “We had a couple opportunities, but didn’t get on a few of our shots.”
Downers Grove South stood tall in denying any clean looks at the net.
“I was very happy with how we defended,” Hernandez said. “We know that Morton is a team that likes to use their speed out wide at the flanks and on transition, so the concept of having players in the right spot defensively even when they’re not on the ball gives us the idea that if we do lose the ball, where does the ball have to go for them, and can we occupy those passing lanes.”
Senior midfielder Mayte Gongora has been on the Morton varsity since her freshman year, and she did her part on two second half plays to nearly jump start her team’s scoring attack.
With 27:30 left, Gongora made a nice left-side run and lined a shot just over the net.
Then with 6:40 to play and the score 1-0 Downers Grove South, a long Gongora dash up the middle put more pressure on. But another Downers Grove South blocked shot denied that great effort.
“In terms of the run of play, we knew it was going to be a battle in the midfield,” Hernandez said, “just the way their system lines up against ours and the danger they cause in the middle of the field.
“But we were pleased with how we defended for the most part, and our transition.”
Bageanis was upbeat overall.
“I think both teams played very well,” he said. “It was physical, yet clean, hard soccer for the most part.
While Morton was denied victory, Bageanis hopes the game can aid his side’s quest for postseason success that begins next week in the Riverside-Brookfied Regional.
“We took a few things away from the game,” he said, “making better decisions on dead balls and corners, and understanding that one little play can make the difference in a game.
“We also learned that we can play with the top teams when we play well. Downers Grove South plays a really tough schedule each year and are always tough. We can play that way too, and need to do it from here on out.”
Next up is for Morton is a regional semifinal match next Wednesday vs. Proviso West.
“The playoffs don’t allow you to make errors and continue on for another game,” Bageanis said. “You need to be ready to go from the first game. And I think we will be ready.”
Downers Grove South’s tough schedule this spring has included three of the top 14 teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“With our schedule we’ve seen a lot of talented players all year round,” Hernandez said, “so seeing what Carisma was and a lot of the talented Morton players, seeing them last year gave us a good feel for how we wanted to approach the game.
“We didn’t make too many adjustments in the first half. But when they pushed Carisma up, we added an extra defender, and that really limited her until the last couple minutes there.
“The biggest thing that we learned (from the schedule) was that details matter playing against top teams. Every team we came up against we learned from, and that’s why we play that schedule, so we can win games like last night and hopefully next week (at regionals).
“Grace Rappel was fantastic in her role as outside back, and Emily knew she would be facing double-teams all night with the way Morton plays their system. She played her role to perfection in terms of being dangerous in transition. And our backline did an exceptional job being compact and composed. Collectively it was a great team performance.”
Downers Grove South continued an impressive run of conference success. In the last 20 years, only Morton (in 2019) has denied the Mustangs at least a share of the WSC Gold title.
“Since 2000 we’ve won every year but 2001, were co-conference champions in 2017 and did not win in 2019,” Hernandez said. “We talk about standards and goals, and that (conference champions) is a standard we set.
“Now we’re looking forward to carry the momentum of winning conference into the next round of play (regionals vs. host Glenbard East next Tuesday).”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK Krystal Rodriguez
D Stephanie Queved
D Leslie Jiminez
D Mya Hernandez
D Brianna Avalos
M Stephanie Salmeron
M Andrea Aguirre
M Mayte Gongora
M Esme Bautista
F Carisma Rosales
F Aaliyah Leanos
Downers Grove South
GK Hannah Fedinec
D Aubrey Molinari
D Micah Olson
D Grace Rappel
D Abby Wissler
M Mallory Qualizza
M Erin Davy
M Krystal Flores
M Ashley Molinari
F Emily Petring
F Priscilla Plascencia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emily Petring, jr., F, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
DGS: Emily Petring (Mallory Qualizza), 55’
DGS: Priscilla Plascencia, 75’
M: Carisma Rosales (Brianna Avalos), 80’
Morton's 80th-minute goal not enough in 2-1 W. Suburban defeat
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- It took perfect execution to end Morton’s 454-minute shutout streak in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play this season.
Unfortunately for the visiting Mustangs, host Downers Grove South had a double dose that decided the conference title race.
After a scoreless first half in which Morton (15-5-0, 5-1-x) had an edge in quality chances late in the stanza, Downers Grove South (8-8-1, 6-0-x) broke through with 25:55 left in regulation on a textbook corner kick send and finish.
A Downers Grove South insurance goal with 5:33 to go proved to be huge. Morton’s Carisma Rosales struck with her own nice finish in the final minute to set the final score at 2-1 Downers Grove South.
“I think the difference in the game was their ability to get the first goal,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. “It seemed like the first goal was going to dictate which team had to open up to then get the equalizer.”
On the goal that put Downers Grove South up 1-0, Mallory Qualizza’s left corner send to the crease connected with a sprinting Emily Petring, who got the touch in front and redirected the ball inside the lower left post.
“Set pieces are something we’ve been looking to improve on,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said, “To see Emily’s goal was very important and uplifting for the team.”
Morton’s increased push upfield in quest of a tying goal produced four decent chances (including two corner kicks) in the next 15 minutes before Downers Grove South built its lead to 2-0.
Grace Rappel touched a send toward the box to Priscilla Plascencia. Beating a defender on the dribble up the middle, Plascencia lined an 8-yard shot into the lower right corner.
“The way Morton defends is very man-to man in the backline,” Hernandez said, “so we tried to create opportunities with movement and energy in play.
“We had a couple of opportunities in transition, then we saw the breakthrough in the second half with Priscilla’s goal.”
Facing a Morton team with 13 shutouts this season, Downers Grove South needed perfect execution to solve the defensive puzzle. And they got it.
“The first goal was just a great effort by their number 13 (Petring) getting to the ball first,” Bageanis said. “A couple of our girls collided (on the corner kick send), and she slipped through to the ball.”
The lead up to the corner kick was just as frustrating.
“I feel that they actually caught us by getting a quick throw down the line that made us concede the corner in the first place,” Bageanis said.
“The second goal had us pushing up. They go in behind, us and we over-committed going in for the ball.”
But down 2-0, Morton battled literally to the final horn.
Increased persistent pressure in the offensive end eventually paid off in a nice send, a great, individual effort to create a laser shot and with it a goal.
With under a minute left, Downers Grove South appeared to have dodged danger with a long clear upfield of a Morton offensive end throw-in. But Morton defender Brianna Avalos and forward Rosales had other ideas.
Rosales nicely powered a high midair send 40 yards back in the other direction. Rosales fielded the ball left side and did the rest, dribbling toward the middle and rocketing a 25-yard shot just below the crossbar to cut the Downers Grove South lead to 2-1.
The sophomore was a huge focus all night of the Downers Grove South defense.
“Carisma is a very talented player,” Hernandez said, “so we had to make sure we were tight on her and have players aware of where she was at all times.
“The second half with two minutes left she was still a danger, and she got the goal on that punt. She had the opportunity to win that first ball (from Avalos) in the air, and then we had players out of position. She cut across the middle of the field and hit a great shot. Credit to her.”
Rosales’ earlier quality chances included a first half rush and drive just wide left in the 29th minute, then a second half low 18-yard, right-side liner with 10:10 left saved by Downers Grove South goalkeeper Hannah Fedinec.
Then given even a sliver of last-minute daylight, Rosales finished in style.
“Carisma did a great job taking on their defenders, getting in her scoring area and putting away the shot,” Bageanis said.
With just 44.9 seconds left after the Rosales goal, Morton continued to push full force. It wasn’t until Downers Grove South’s Jordan Rose nicely blocked and cleared a Morton send attempt from just inside midfield with 15 seconds left that the 2-1 final was secure.
“Nobody quit out there, even after the second goal,” Bageanis said. “The effort was there for the 80 minutes.”
Rewinding the clock way back from that furious finish, Downers Grove South had the better of chances in the first nine minutes of the match: an Ashley Molinari 25-yarder just over the net two minutes in, and saves by Morton goalkeeper Krystal Rodriguez on two free kicks by Petring (a 35-yarder, then a low 25-yard liner that Rodriguez nicely smothered at the left post).
From there, Morton began to establish the better of first half scoring bids. But getting clean looks proved daunting.
Downers Grove South blocked quality in-close shots by Esme Bautista (off a 14th-minute corner kick) and Rosales (off a left-sideline Andrea Aguirre free kick in the 18th minute). Then in the final 30 seconds of the first half, a Bautista shot off a Rosales pass was deflected wide by a defender.
The ensuing corner kick was cleared upfield, and the half ended nil-nil.
“I felt we were moving the ball well that last 15 minutes of the first half,” Bageanis said. “We had a couple opportunities, but didn’t get on a few of our shots.”
Downers Grove South stood tall in denying any clean looks at the net.
“I was very happy with how we defended,” Hernandez said. “We know that Morton is a team that likes to use their speed out wide at the flanks and on transition, so the concept of having players in the right spot defensively even when they’re not on the ball gives us the idea that if we do lose the ball, where does the ball have to go for them, and can we occupy those passing lanes.”
Senior midfielder Mayte Gongora has been on the Morton varsity since her freshman year, and she did her part on two second half plays to nearly jump start her team’s scoring attack.
With 27:30 left, Gongora made a nice left-side run and lined a shot just over the net.
Then with 6:40 to play and the score 1-0 Downers Grove South, a long Gongora dash up the middle put more pressure on. But another Downers Grove South blocked shot denied that great effort.
“In terms of the run of play, we knew it was going to be a battle in the midfield,” Hernandez said, “just the way their system lines up against ours and the danger they cause in the middle of the field.
“But we were pleased with how we defended for the most part, and our transition.”
Bageanis was upbeat overall.
“I think both teams played very well,” he said. “It was physical, yet clean, hard soccer for the most part.
While Morton was denied victory, Bageanis hopes the game can aid his side’s quest for postseason success that begins next week in the Riverside-Brookfied Regional.
“We took a few things away from the game,” he said, “making better decisions on dead balls and corners, and understanding that one little play can make the difference in a game.
“We also learned that we can play with the top teams when we play well. Downers Grove South plays a really tough schedule each year and are always tough. We can play that way too, and need to do it from here on out.”
Next up is for Morton is a regional semifinal match next Wednesday vs. Proviso West.
“The playoffs don’t allow you to make errors and continue on for another game,” Bageanis said. “You need to be ready to go from the first game. And I think we will be ready.”
Downers Grove South’s tough schedule this spring has included three of the top 14 teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“With our schedule we’ve seen a lot of talented players all year round,” Hernandez said, “so seeing what Carisma was and a lot of the talented Morton players, seeing them last year gave us a good feel for how we wanted to approach the game.
“We didn’t make too many adjustments in the first half. But when they pushed Carisma up, we added an extra defender, and that really limited her until the last couple minutes there.
“The biggest thing that we learned (from the schedule) was that details matter playing against top teams. Every team we came up against we learned from, and that’s why we play that schedule, so we can win games like last night and hopefully next week (at regionals).
“Grace Rappel was fantastic in her role as outside back, and Emily knew she would be facing double-teams all night with the way Morton plays their system. She played her role to perfection in terms of being dangerous in transition. And our backline did an exceptional job being compact and composed. Collectively it was a great team performance.”
Downers Grove South continued an impressive run of conference success. In the last 20 years, only Morton (in 2019) has denied the Mustangs at least a share of the WSC Gold title.
“Since 2000 we’ve won every year but 2001, were co-conference champions in 2017 and did not win in 2019,” Hernandez said. “We talk about standards and goals, and that (conference champions) is a standard we set.
“Now we’re looking forward to carry the momentum of winning conference into the next round of play (regionals vs. host Glenbard East next Tuesday).”
Starting lineups
Morton
GK Krystal Rodriguez
D Stephanie Queved
D Leslie Jiminez
D Mya Hernandez
D Brianna Avalos
M Stephanie Salmeron
M Andrea Aguirre
M Mayte Gongora
M Esme Bautista
F Carisma Rosales
F Aaliyah Leanos
Downers Grove South
GK Hannah Fedinec
D Aubrey Molinari
D Micah Olson
D Grace Rappel
D Abby Wissler
M Mallory Qualizza
M Erin Davy
M Krystal Flores
M Ashley Molinari
F Emily Petring
F Priscilla Plascencia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emily Petring, jr., F, Downers Grove South
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
DGS: Emily Petring (Mallory Qualizza), 55’
DGS: Priscilla Plascencia, 75’
M: Carisma Rosales (Brianna Avalos), 80’