Willowbrook overcomes
adversity to edge Morton
Warriors post fifth shutout in seven-match win streak
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK --- When a team loses a key player to injury early in a match against a squad that it has previously lost to, hopes for getting a different outcome become more challenging.
That's the situation that Willowbrook faced on Thursday in its West Suburban Conference Gold Division match against Morton when defender Izzy Manning had to be helped off the field in the 10th minute with an injury that kept her on the bench for the remainder of the contest.
While the Warriors seemed to struggle initially as a result of that setback, they picked up their play as the match went along and were able to collect the day's lone goal in the 52nd minute from scoring leader Grace Tumilty to prevail 1-0 in a hard-fought matchup between two teams fighting for second place in the division.
Tumilty, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, drove downfield past defenders to fire off a shot from about 20 yards for her 23rd goal to lead the Warriors (9-2-0, 8-2-0) to an exciting win over the Mustangs (7-4-1, 7-3-0) in a match where both sides had several good scoring opportunities during the final half.
"She (Manning) is a big player back there for us, but I think that everyone on the defensive line and in the midfield stepped up and played their positions correctly and that's how we got the win," Tumilty said. "As a team, we did a good job of staying in control and I think we passed pretty good through the middle, which helped us get the goal.
"I knew that this was a big game and that we were going to have to make some big plays, and that starts in the back moving up to even get the opportunity to have that shot. I knew that we were going to need to step up and as a whole team, I thought we did a great job of that. I like the chemistry that we have. We've all played together and know each others' strengths and weaknesses, and we just work really well off of each other in most games."
With a key player sidelined early, Warriors coach Julio Del Real was obviously concerned with how his players would respond. But with Allie Knudson stepping in to join Abbey Spada, Ali Vittorio and Layla Elgamal on the backline and sophomore keeper Maddie Aderholt coming up with several good stops, Willowbrook was able to record the fifth shutout of its current seven-match winning streak.
"It was fun, interesting and nerve-wracking," Del Real said. "But as a coach, it was a night that you wish you could have as many times as possible, because these are great games. Morton is a great team, and it was a very physical game. One of the things I feel very proud of how Allie stepped in and did a really nice job and everybody else helped her out. It was a really nice situation, because we always talk about being a team, and this was a great example. Everyone stepped up and did what they were supposed to do.
"Grace is a special young lady, and it doesn't matter how much pressure you put her under, she's always going to work very hard. When she needs to speak up, she speaks up, but a lot of times her play sets the tone and tells everybody what needs to be done. And this is a team that's very cohesive since a lot of the girls play in the same club which emphasizes team play. All that I and coach Monty (Pete Montgomery) have to do is make sure that we don't mess with that."
Willowbrook had the first good chances of the second half as tries Brooke Vandergrift and Molly Brennan were turned away by keeper Fernanda Sanchez Duran. But after Tumilty connected for the match's lone goal, things really picked up and both defenses and goalies were kept busy throughout the rest of the match.
During one flurry from Morton: saw Adriana Moreno was denied by Aderholt; had a ball bounce off the top of the goal; and got stymied on an attempt by Elgamal. Willowbrook's Aderholt also punched away a shot from Vicki Ferrer a bit later.
"The second half was very back-and-forth, and it kept us on our toes," Aderholt said. "It's been a good season so far, and we're happy to win this one, especially since they beat us last time. We came in wanting it, and I think we deserved it. We have a lot of chemistry and have a lot of talent on the defense, in the midfield and at forward. We know each other well and trust each other, so that makes everything a lot easier. It feels that much better winning when you have such good chemistry and relationships with each other."
This heated up as the clock wound down.
Willowbrook's Erin Fitzgibbon was denied on a shot from the side before Morton countered with a long try from Aaliyah Leanos and a shot by Laura Mora was stopped in the final minute. This was the first time that coach Jim Bageanis' squad failed to score since their first match of the season against Downers Grove South.
Willowbrook felt vindicated.
"We wanted this win since we lost on their field, and we got our win," Elgamal said. "We have an amazing group of girls. and we play very well together and have amazing chemistry on the field."
The Warriors close the regular-season with three home matches. The first is May 25 against conference champion and unbeaten Downers Grove South. Matches against the two Provisos follow May 27 and 29. Then they're looking forward to see how they'll compete as a no. 9 seed in Morton's Class 3A sectional. The Mustangs, who are seeded 10th, hope to win their final two conference matches against Hinsdale South (away, May 25) and Proviso East (home, May 27).
"As soon as we lost Izzy, we kind of got down, but when we put Allie in, we started connecting again," Warriors midfielder Rachael Klamecki said. "She really stepped up in the role, and it was nice to see that. In the second half we knew that we had to be cool and collected and just keep our heads, since that was how we were going to win the game. I like the way that we can step up to the challenge, and I think we do a great job of calming down and just playing our game, and I think that's the best thing about us."
Starting lineups
Morton
G - Fernanda Sanchez Duran
D - Natalie Valadez
D - Stephanie Quevedo
D - Mya Hernandez
D - Jacquelin Lara
M - Carisma Rosales
M - Fatima Garduza
M - Ariana Valdovinos
M - Vicki Ferrer
F - Adriana Moreno
F - Aaliyah Leanos
Willowbrook
G- Maddie Aderholt
D - Abbey Spada
D- Izzy Manning
D - Ali Vittorio
D- Layla Elgamal
M- Grace Tumilty
M- Mackenzie Parente
M-Rachael Klamecki
M-Brooke Vangergrift
M- Molly Brennan
F-Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match - Grace Tumilty, Willowbrook, Sr. M
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
W - Tumilty, 52
adversity to edge Morton
Warriors post fifth shutout in seven-match win streak
By Curt Herron
VILLA PARK --- When a team loses a key player to injury early in a match against a squad that it has previously lost to, hopes for getting a different outcome become more challenging.
That's the situation that Willowbrook faced on Thursday in its West Suburban Conference Gold Division match against Morton when defender Izzy Manning had to be helped off the field in the 10th minute with an injury that kept her on the bench for the remainder of the contest.
While the Warriors seemed to struggle initially as a result of that setback, they picked up their play as the match went along and were able to collect the day's lone goal in the 52nd minute from scoring leader Grace Tumilty to prevail 1-0 in a hard-fought matchup between two teams fighting for second place in the division.
Tumilty, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, drove downfield past defenders to fire off a shot from about 20 yards for her 23rd goal to lead the Warriors (9-2-0, 8-2-0) to an exciting win over the Mustangs (7-4-1, 7-3-0) in a match where both sides had several good scoring opportunities during the final half.
"She (Manning) is a big player back there for us, but I think that everyone on the defensive line and in the midfield stepped up and played their positions correctly and that's how we got the win," Tumilty said. "As a team, we did a good job of staying in control and I think we passed pretty good through the middle, which helped us get the goal.
"I knew that this was a big game and that we were going to have to make some big plays, and that starts in the back moving up to even get the opportunity to have that shot. I knew that we were going to need to step up and as a whole team, I thought we did a great job of that. I like the chemistry that we have. We've all played together and know each others' strengths and weaknesses, and we just work really well off of each other in most games."
With a key player sidelined early, Warriors coach Julio Del Real was obviously concerned with how his players would respond. But with Allie Knudson stepping in to join Abbey Spada, Ali Vittorio and Layla Elgamal on the backline and sophomore keeper Maddie Aderholt coming up with several good stops, Willowbrook was able to record the fifth shutout of its current seven-match winning streak.
"It was fun, interesting and nerve-wracking," Del Real said. "But as a coach, it was a night that you wish you could have as many times as possible, because these are great games. Morton is a great team, and it was a very physical game. One of the things I feel very proud of how Allie stepped in and did a really nice job and everybody else helped her out. It was a really nice situation, because we always talk about being a team, and this was a great example. Everyone stepped up and did what they were supposed to do.
"Grace is a special young lady, and it doesn't matter how much pressure you put her under, she's always going to work very hard. When she needs to speak up, she speaks up, but a lot of times her play sets the tone and tells everybody what needs to be done. And this is a team that's very cohesive since a lot of the girls play in the same club which emphasizes team play. All that I and coach Monty (Pete Montgomery) have to do is make sure that we don't mess with that."
Willowbrook had the first good chances of the second half as tries Brooke Vandergrift and Molly Brennan were turned away by keeper Fernanda Sanchez Duran. But after Tumilty connected for the match's lone goal, things really picked up and both defenses and goalies were kept busy throughout the rest of the match.
During one flurry from Morton: saw Adriana Moreno was denied by Aderholt; had a ball bounce off the top of the goal; and got stymied on an attempt by Elgamal. Willowbrook's Aderholt also punched away a shot from Vicki Ferrer a bit later.
"The second half was very back-and-forth, and it kept us on our toes," Aderholt said. "It's been a good season so far, and we're happy to win this one, especially since they beat us last time. We came in wanting it, and I think we deserved it. We have a lot of chemistry and have a lot of talent on the defense, in the midfield and at forward. We know each other well and trust each other, so that makes everything a lot easier. It feels that much better winning when you have such good chemistry and relationships with each other."
This heated up as the clock wound down.
Willowbrook's Erin Fitzgibbon was denied on a shot from the side before Morton countered with a long try from Aaliyah Leanos and a shot by Laura Mora was stopped in the final minute. This was the first time that coach Jim Bageanis' squad failed to score since their first match of the season against Downers Grove South.
Willowbrook felt vindicated.
"We wanted this win since we lost on their field, and we got our win," Elgamal said. "We have an amazing group of girls. and we play very well together and have amazing chemistry on the field."
The Warriors close the regular-season with three home matches. The first is May 25 against conference champion and unbeaten Downers Grove South. Matches against the two Provisos follow May 27 and 29. Then they're looking forward to see how they'll compete as a no. 9 seed in Morton's Class 3A sectional. The Mustangs, who are seeded 10th, hope to win their final two conference matches against Hinsdale South (away, May 25) and Proviso East (home, May 27).
"As soon as we lost Izzy, we kind of got down, but when we put Allie in, we started connecting again," Warriors midfielder Rachael Klamecki said. "She really stepped up in the role, and it was nice to see that. In the second half we knew that we had to be cool and collected and just keep our heads, since that was how we were going to win the game. I like the way that we can step up to the challenge, and I think we do a great job of calming down and just playing our game, and I think that's the best thing about us."
Starting lineups
Morton
G - Fernanda Sanchez Duran
D - Natalie Valadez
D - Stephanie Quevedo
D - Mya Hernandez
D - Jacquelin Lara
M - Carisma Rosales
M - Fatima Garduza
M - Ariana Valdovinos
M - Vicki Ferrer
F - Adriana Moreno
F - Aaliyah Leanos
Willowbrook
G- Maddie Aderholt
D - Abbey Spada
D- Izzy Manning
D - Ali Vittorio
D- Layla Elgamal
M- Grace Tumilty
M- Mackenzie Parente
M-Rachael Klamecki
M-Brooke Vangergrift
M- Molly Brennan
F-Erin Fitzgibbon
Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Match - Grace Tumilty, Willowbrook, Sr. M
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
W - Tumilty, 52