Metea tops Naperville C. on Hurst's 1st
Varsity goal no. 1 for junior gives Mustangs 1-0 victory
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The last night of the regular seasons for Metea Valley and Naperville Central ended with several firsts.
For the first time this season, Naperville Central started an all-senior lineup to celebrate its Senior Night, which included brief ceremonious appearances by injured stars Sarah Avery, and Emma Philips, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
But Metea Valley’s Kayla Hurst had the most significant first. The junior forward scored her first varsity goal and that was all the visiting Mustangs, ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, needed to record a 1-0 DuPage Valley Conference victory Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
Hurst’s strike came on a one-timer from five yards after Illinois-bound forward Maeve Riordan raced to the left endline before sending a perfect centering pass with 29:32 left in the first half.
“Maeve sent me a really good ball in the box, and I was just there,” Hurst said. “I just had to place it.
“It felt good. We’ve been working really hard during practice to finish our opportunities on crosses.”
Metea Valley (12-7-3, 5-2-1) has been struggling to finish lately. Aside from a 4-0 win over Glenbard North, the Mustangs had scored just three goals in their last five games and entered Thursday’s action with a three-game (0-1-2) winless streak.
“We had a busy two weeks and didn’t play very good soccer for about a week, at least,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “Tuesday we played really well against a really tough team, St. Francis, probably one of the best teams in the area. So we just wanted to continue that (effort) night and make sure that we ended the season on a positive note.”
The Mustangs, who tied sixth-ranked St. Francis 0-0 on the road, did just that. They weren’t spectacular offensively but prevailed behind their tough defense and goalkeeper Nikki Coryell, who made three saves.
Hurst’s finish was decisive, though the result may not have been. The host Redhawks (9-11-1, 3-5-0) played the Mustangs to a standstill, with both sides garnering about 50 percent of the possession.
“I think we really held it together,” Naperville Central senior Jessica Sonner said. “It was unfortunate that in the first 10 minutes they got a goal.
“It was so close in the end. It’s like 80 minutes and a one-second play (decides it).”
Whaley was pleased to see that play go Metea Valley's way.
“It was a nice cross,” Whaley said. “We’ve been trying to get them to work on that, do a little bit better.
“Kayla came all the way from the weak side and made a really nice run and had a nice finish. We had a couple more similar to that in the second half that I wish we would have finished.”
Sonner and her teammates can relate. The Redhawks were shut out for the eighth time this season despite mustering an 8-7 edge in shots, which included a 25-yarder off the foot of senior Katie Anderson that struck the top of the crossbar with 23:30 to go in the game.
Five minutes later, Coryell stopped a hard shot from Sonner and four minutes after that the Metea Valley sophomore jumped to snag Abbey Hillman’s long drive.
“We had so many opportunities,” Sonner said. “But I think that’s all I could ask for from my team – just to play good – and I think we did.”
The Redhawks, who have been decimated by injuries, started 11 seniors – Avery and Philips ceremoniously, along with Sonner, Erin McHugh, Maggie Olvera, Emily Renfro, Morgan Dudycha, Emma Meyer, Emily Roth, Maddie Redeker and Katie Anderson.
Of those, only Sonner, McHugh and Redeker are regular starters. Philips was a starting back until suffering her injury, and the Northern Illinois-bound Avery has missed the last two weeks with a badly sprained ankle and is questionable for Tuesday’s playoff opener against Oswego East.
Avery and Philips went to the bench after the ball was kicked out of bounds nearly immediately, but the rest of the starters got about 10 minutes together.
“It was super special,” Sonner said. “I think it’s a memory we will all hold onto.”
Whether the fifth-seeded Redhawks can knock off no. 12-seed Oswego East and fourth-seeded Waubonsie Valley to capture the regional title is an open question. The doubters may be many, but the faithful are resolute.
“I think we feel good overall,” the MIT-bound Sonner said. “We have a strong mentality going into it.
“I think with all these injuries, we just had to deal with the ups and downs of it, and I think we’ve really held it together these past few games. A few unfortunate plays, but I believe in my team, so I think we’ll do well.”
A similar sentiment prevails among the Mustangs, who have the talent and experience (four-straight sectional final appearances) to get over the hump and win their first sectional championship. Metea Valley, which will host its own regional, is the no. 2-seed behind Naperville North, which they beat 1-0.
“We’re feeling really great after this win,” junior Lauryn Wesolowski said. “We’re super excited to host regionals.
“This is definitely going to help us with our confidence.”
Hurst, who will make her playoff debut, agreed.
“I think it’s really good for our team’s confidence,” Hurst said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit to get the result we want, but we’ve been working really hard and today showed that.
“I think we’ll do good (in the playoffs). We have a really good team that works really hard, and we will try our best and hopefully get the results that we want.”
The top four seeds, which include third-seeded and fifth-ranked Neuqua Valley, seem evenly matched. Metea might actually be overlooked because of its recent struggles.
“It will be tough as always,” Whaley said. “There’s a reason we're the two-seed.
“Obviously, we’ve lost a few games since (the seedings were announced), but I think people know what we’re capable of and when we play our best soccer, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Kayla Hansen
D Sarah Davies
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Chesney Wargo
F Kayla Hurst
F Maeve Riordan
Naperville Central
GK Erin McHugh
D Erin Philips
D Sarah Avery
D Maggie Olvera
D Emily Renfro
D Morgan Dudycha
D Emma Meyer
M Emily Roth
M Jessica Sonner
M Maddie Redeker
F Katie Anderson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Kayla Hurst, jr., F, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Metea Valley – Kayla Hurst (Maeve Riordan) 29:32
Varsity goal no. 1 for junior gives Mustangs 1-0 victory
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The last night of the regular seasons for Metea Valley and Naperville Central ended with several firsts.
For the first time this season, Naperville Central started an all-senior lineup to celebrate its Senior Night, which included brief ceremonious appearances by injured stars Sarah Avery, and Emma Philips, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
But Metea Valley’s Kayla Hurst had the most significant first. The junior forward scored her first varsity goal and that was all the visiting Mustangs, ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, needed to record a 1-0 DuPage Valley Conference victory Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
Hurst’s strike came on a one-timer from five yards after Illinois-bound forward Maeve Riordan raced to the left endline before sending a perfect centering pass with 29:32 left in the first half.
“Maeve sent me a really good ball in the box, and I was just there,” Hurst said. “I just had to place it.
“It felt good. We’ve been working really hard during practice to finish our opportunities on crosses.”
Metea Valley (12-7-3, 5-2-1) has been struggling to finish lately. Aside from a 4-0 win over Glenbard North, the Mustangs had scored just three goals in their last five games and entered Thursday’s action with a three-game (0-1-2) winless streak.
“We had a busy two weeks and didn’t play very good soccer for about a week, at least,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “Tuesday we played really well against a really tough team, St. Francis, probably one of the best teams in the area. So we just wanted to continue that (effort) night and make sure that we ended the season on a positive note.”
The Mustangs, who tied sixth-ranked St. Francis 0-0 on the road, did just that. They weren’t spectacular offensively but prevailed behind their tough defense and goalkeeper Nikki Coryell, who made three saves.
Hurst’s finish was decisive, though the result may not have been. The host Redhawks (9-11-1, 3-5-0) played the Mustangs to a standstill, with both sides garnering about 50 percent of the possession.
“I think we really held it together,” Naperville Central senior Jessica Sonner said. “It was unfortunate that in the first 10 minutes they got a goal.
“It was so close in the end. It’s like 80 minutes and a one-second play (decides it).”
Whaley was pleased to see that play go Metea Valley's way.
“It was a nice cross,” Whaley said. “We’ve been trying to get them to work on that, do a little bit better.
“Kayla came all the way from the weak side and made a really nice run and had a nice finish. We had a couple more similar to that in the second half that I wish we would have finished.”
Sonner and her teammates can relate. The Redhawks were shut out for the eighth time this season despite mustering an 8-7 edge in shots, which included a 25-yarder off the foot of senior Katie Anderson that struck the top of the crossbar with 23:30 to go in the game.
Five minutes later, Coryell stopped a hard shot from Sonner and four minutes after that the Metea Valley sophomore jumped to snag Abbey Hillman’s long drive.
“We had so many opportunities,” Sonner said. “But I think that’s all I could ask for from my team – just to play good – and I think we did.”
The Redhawks, who have been decimated by injuries, started 11 seniors – Avery and Philips ceremoniously, along with Sonner, Erin McHugh, Maggie Olvera, Emily Renfro, Morgan Dudycha, Emma Meyer, Emily Roth, Maddie Redeker and Katie Anderson.
Of those, only Sonner, McHugh and Redeker are regular starters. Philips was a starting back until suffering her injury, and the Northern Illinois-bound Avery has missed the last two weeks with a badly sprained ankle and is questionable for Tuesday’s playoff opener against Oswego East.
Avery and Philips went to the bench after the ball was kicked out of bounds nearly immediately, but the rest of the starters got about 10 minutes together.
“It was super special,” Sonner said. “I think it’s a memory we will all hold onto.”
Whether the fifth-seeded Redhawks can knock off no. 12-seed Oswego East and fourth-seeded Waubonsie Valley to capture the regional title is an open question. The doubters may be many, but the faithful are resolute.
“I think we feel good overall,” the MIT-bound Sonner said. “We have a strong mentality going into it.
“I think with all these injuries, we just had to deal with the ups and downs of it, and I think we’ve really held it together these past few games. A few unfortunate plays, but I believe in my team, so I think we’ll do well.”
A similar sentiment prevails among the Mustangs, who have the talent and experience (four-straight sectional final appearances) to get over the hump and win their first sectional championship. Metea Valley, which will host its own regional, is the no. 2-seed behind Naperville North, which they beat 1-0.
“We’re feeling really great after this win,” junior Lauryn Wesolowski said. “We’re super excited to host regionals.
“This is definitely going to help us with our confidence.”
Hurst, who will make her playoff debut, agreed.
“I think it’s really good for our team’s confidence,” Hurst said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit to get the result we want, but we’ve been working really hard and today showed that.
“I think we’ll do good (in the playoffs). We have a really good team that works really hard, and we will try our best and hopefully get the results that we want.”
The top four seeds, which include third-seeded and fifth-ranked Neuqua Valley, seem evenly matched. Metea might actually be overlooked because of its recent struggles.
“It will be tough as always,” Whaley said. “There’s a reason we're the two-seed.
“Obviously, we’ve lost a few games since (the seedings were announced), but I think people know what we’re capable of and when we play our best soccer, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Starting lineups
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Kayla Hansen
D Sarah Davies
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Chesney Wargo
F Kayla Hurst
F Maeve Riordan
Naperville Central
GK Erin McHugh
D Erin Philips
D Sarah Avery
D Maggie Olvera
D Emily Renfro
D Morgan Dudycha
D Emma Meyer
M Emily Roth
M Jessica Sonner
M Maddie Redeker
F Katie Anderson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Kayla Hurst, jr., F, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
First half
Metea Valley – Kayla Hurst (Maeve Riordan) 29:32