Metea Valley turns tables on Naperville N.
McCrary lifts Mustangs to big DVC win, ends losing streak vs. NN
By Chris Walker
AURORA -- Those weren’t streamers and confetti that filled the frigid air at Metea Valley on Thursday night, but if the host Mustangs wanted to pretend that they were, who would blame them?
Metea Valley had just upset fourth-ranked Naperville North 1-0, beating the Huskies for the first time in four years and giving the visitors their first loss of the season.
This was the same Naperville North program that had broken the hearts of the Mustangs repeatedly in the postseason. But on this night -- when the mixture of snow and sleet sparkled off the stadium lights and provided a unique ambience -- Metea Valley walked off the field for the first time since 2014 with a win over the perennially dominant Huskies.
“We played Neuqua Valley on Tuesday (a 1-0 loss) which is a big rivalry and then these guys who are a big opponent, so this has been a big week,” Mustangs coach Chris Whaley said. “It’s still early in the season, but this was a good win for us and something we’ll use as an opportunity to learn from it and get better and hopefully build some momentum.”
Metea Valley (5-2-0, 1-1-0), ranked eighth in the Chicago Soccer Top 25, scored with 29:58 left in the second half. While the team might not have appreciated the historical significance of the go-ahead goal at the time, the program won’t forget it -- the Mustangs had been blanked by Naperville North in the previous four meetings.
“Well (Naperville North) does a good job year after year of getting shutouts so it’s nice to get one on our end for a change for sure,” Whaley said. “We’ve always had tight games with them -- at least I know they’ve been that way for the four years I’ve been here. It’s fun, and it’s really good soccer.”
Junior defender Morgan McCrary saw the rare opportunity to put the Mustangs ahead, and she didn’t back away from the chance. She spotted teammate Maeve Riordan with the ball and requested it.
“Maeve has trouble passing the ball sometimes, so I screamed for it,” McCrary said. “And I saw the corner and placed it in.”
It wasn’t the typical kind of goal that defensive-minded Naperville North gives up, but even the most dominant teams sometimes break down. The Huskies (3-1-2, 1-1-0) had surrendered four goals this season, but they came in ties against no. 1 Barrington and current no. 17 St. Charles East.
“We made an uncharacteristic foul 45 yards away from the goal with no danger, and the ball gets whipped in on the restart. We don’t clear it,” Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. “Give (McCrary) credit, because she pounced on it and hit a great shot in the lower corner from 25 yards out. In a game against a team like this, one shot or one bounce can get you, and unfortunately tonight it went the other way.”
After repeated losses in the rivalry, albeit in tight games, Metea Valley had to be wondering when, or if, it would finally break through, especially after creating some nice chances in the first half.
Riordan, Charlotte Ives, Sydney Rohm and Lauryn Wesoloski all missed on opportunities in the first half, but their ability to piece together some things collectively on the offensive end provided positive momentum heading into the second half.
The Mustangs nearly scored twice just before the break. First, Wesoloski lofted a shot that was taken in by keeper Maddie Hausmann. Then less than a minute later she was able to secure possession and send another shot on goal that Hausmann saved.
Naperville North had its own scoring chances in the first half, primarily from Hannah Martin and Shaina Dudas, but neither found the mark.
Martin was able to get through the Metea Valley defense with about 15 minutes left in the first half, but her tight window closed quickly, and she wasn’t able to get much power on her shot.
“On Wednesday (a 5-0 win over Wheaton North), we capitalized on three restarts and that’s the name of the game sometimes,” Goletz said. “And early in the year sometimes it’s figuring out how to play together and to get that continuity which really isn’t there yet.”
A dominant scoring threat hasn’t yet either, which doesn’t take anything away from another talented roster at North. It’s just that players like Abbie Boswell and Zoe Swift don’t come around very often.
“I told them that Metea is a great program, and we knew this was going to be super competitive, and we both battled super hard tonight,” Goletz said. “Our kids need to execute better closer to the goal, because I thought we definitely did a nice job of containing them, and they’ve got some really good offensive players. Unfortunately we didn’t do a good job of clearing that restart, and it came back to bite us tonight.”
Goletz remains hopeful that a kid, or two or three, is going to step up and turn into an offensive threat who delivers in the clutch.
“We just need to do more when we get the ball forward. Some of that is individual decision-making, and some of that is on us as coaches to figure out as the season goes on,” he said. “We’re trying to give the girls a better idea of combinations, but I also think at some level we need some kids to step up and be that one that scores the goals.”
The girl who scored the lone goal in this game actually thought it was the first time the Metea Valley had beaten the Huskies. It’s happened before, it just hadn’t happened since a 2-0 victory in April, 2014.
“We’re all so happy,” McCrary said. “This means a lot … I thought it would probably just come down to one goal, like it did, because both teams don’t give up much.”
As pleased as she was in scoring the game-winner, she was equally, if not, more satisfied by her team’s defensive effort.
“I think as a defense we just tried to stay composed,” she said. “We were just pinching, making sure their forwards couldn’t turn and shoot the ball. I think we just wanted it so bad, and we came out with that energy, and we got the win.”
McCrary also received Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her effort. But her biggest joy doesn’t come from a really cool T-shirt or even big wins. Everything right now she considers as preparation for the postseason.
“These games are kind of just practice for the playoffs,” she said. “And I think that whatever happens we’re not focused on the wins or losses, it’s more important how we’re playing.”
Both teams will now take a breather from Dupage Valley Conference play with tournament action.
Naperville North heads north for the Lou Malnati Deep Dish Classic (formerly the North Shore Invitational) and a first round date at site host Evanston at 4 p.m. Saturday. Metea Valley, a second bracket seed, meets Nazareth in the PepsiCo at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Maddie Hausmann
D Jessica Siebers
D Paige Sylvester
D Alyssa Siebers
D Sarah Stokes
D Reilly Riggs
MF Katelynn Bueschler
MF Shaina Dudas
MF Leah Shumate
F Megan Benmore
F Hannah Martin
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Paige Buranosky
D Nicole Dawson
D Katy Flanders
D Morgan McCrary
MF Sophia Senese
MF Kayla Hurst
MF Charlotte Ives
MF Chesney Wargo
MF Lauryn Wesoloski
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Morgan McCrary, jr., D, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
Second half
MV: Morgan McCrary (Maeve Riordan), 51st minute
McCrary lifts Mustangs to big DVC win, ends losing streak vs. NN
By Chris Walker
AURORA -- Those weren’t streamers and confetti that filled the frigid air at Metea Valley on Thursday night, but if the host Mustangs wanted to pretend that they were, who would blame them?
Metea Valley had just upset fourth-ranked Naperville North 1-0, beating the Huskies for the first time in four years and giving the visitors their first loss of the season.
This was the same Naperville North program that had broken the hearts of the Mustangs repeatedly in the postseason. But on this night -- when the mixture of snow and sleet sparkled off the stadium lights and provided a unique ambience -- Metea Valley walked off the field for the first time since 2014 with a win over the perennially dominant Huskies.
“We played Neuqua Valley on Tuesday (a 1-0 loss) which is a big rivalry and then these guys who are a big opponent, so this has been a big week,” Mustangs coach Chris Whaley said. “It’s still early in the season, but this was a good win for us and something we’ll use as an opportunity to learn from it and get better and hopefully build some momentum.”
Metea Valley (5-2-0, 1-1-0), ranked eighth in the Chicago Soccer Top 25, scored with 29:58 left in the second half. While the team might not have appreciated the historical significance of the go-ahead goal at the time, the program won’t forget it -- the Mustangs had been blanked by Naperville North in the previous four meetings.
“Well (Naperville North) does a good job year after year of getting shutouts so it’s nice to get one on our end for a change for sure,” Whaley said. “We’ve always had tight games with them -- at least I know they’ve been that way for the four years I’ve been here. It’s fun, and it’s really good soccer.”
Junior defender Morgan McCrary saw the rare opportunity to put the Mustangs ahead, and she didn’t back away from the chance. She spotted teammate Maeve Riordan with the ball and requested it.
“Maeve has trouble passing the ball sometimes, so I screamed for it,” McCrary said. “And I saw the corner and placed it in.”
It wasn’t the typical kind of goal that defensive-minded Naperville North gives up, but even the most dominant teams sometimes break down. The Huskies (3-1-2, 1-1-0) had surrendered four goals this season, but they came in ties against no. 1 Barrington and current no. 17 St. Charles East.
“We made an uncharacteristic foul 45 yards away from the goal with no danger, and the ball gets whipped in on the restart. We don’t clear it,” Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. “Give (McCrary) credit, because she pounced on it and hit a great shot in the lower corner from 25 yards out. In a game against a team like this, one shot or one bounce can get you, and unfortunately tonight it went the other way.”
After repeated losses in the rivalry, albeit in tight games, Metea Valley had to be wondering when, or if, it would finally break through, especially after creating some nice chances in the first half.
Riordan, Charlotte Ives, Sydney Rohm and Lauryn Wesoloski all missed on opportunities in the first half, but their ability to piece together some things collectively on the offensive end provided positive momentum heading into the second half.
The Mustangs nearly scored twice just before the break. First, Wesoloski lofted a shot that was taken in by keeper Maddie Hausmann. Then less than a minute later she was able to secure possession and send another shot on goal that Hausmann saved.
Naperville North had its own scoring chances in the first half, primarily from Hannah Martin and Shaina Dudas, but neither found the mark.
Martin was able to get through the Metea Valley defense with about 15 minutes left in the first half, but her tight window closed quickly, and she wasn’t able to get much power on her shot.
“On Wednesday (a 5-0 win over Wheaton North), we capitalized on three restarts and that’s the name of the game sometimes,” Goletz said. “And early in the year sometimes it’s figuring out how to play together and to get that continuity which really isn’t there yet.”
A dominant scoring threat hasn’t yet either, which doesn’t take anything away from another talented roster at North. It’s just that players like Abbie Boswell and Zoe Swift don’t come around very often.
“I told them that Metea is a great program, and we knew this was going to be super competitive, and we both battled super hard tonight,” Goletz said. “Our kids need to execute better closer to the goal, because I thought we definitely did a nice job of containing them, and they’ve got some really good offensive players. Unfortunately we didn’t do a good job of clearing that restart, and it came back to bite us tonight.”
Goletz remains hopeful that a kid, or two or three, is going to step up and turn into an offensive threat who delivers in the clutch.
“We just need to do more when we get the ball forward. Some of that is individual decision-making, and some of that is on us as coaches to figure out as the season goes on,” he said. “We’re trying to give the girls a better idea of combinations, but I also think at some level we need some kids to step up and be that one that scores the goals.”
The girl who scored the lone goal in this game actually thought it was the first time the Metea Valley had beaten the Huskies. It’s happened before, it just hadn’t happened since a 2-0 victory in April, 2014.
“We’re all so happy,” McCrary said. “This means a lot … I thought it would probably just come down to one goal, like it did, because both teams don’t give up much.”
As pleased as she was in scoring the game-winner, she was equally, if not, more satisfied by her team’s defensive effort.
“I think as a defense we just tried to stay composed,” she said. “We were just pinching, making sure their forwards couldn’t turn and shoot the ball. I think we just wanted it so bad, and we came out with that energy, and we got the win.”
McCrary also received Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her effort. But her biggest joy doesn’t come from a really cool T-shirt or even big wins. Everything right now she considers as preparation for the postseason.
“These games are kind of just practice for the playoffs,” she said. “And I think that whatever happens we’re not focused on the wins or losses, it’s more important how we’re playing.”
Both teams will now take a breather from Dupage Valley Conference play with tournament action.
Naperville North heads north for the Lou Malnati Deep Dish Classic (formerly the North Shore Invitational) and a first round date at site host Evanston at 4 p.m. Saturday. Metea Valley, a second bracket seed, meets Nazareth in the PepsiCo at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Maddie Hausmann
D Jessica Siebers
D Paige Sylvester
D Alyssa Siebers
D Sarah Stokes
D Reilly Riggs
MF Katelynn Bueschler
MF Shaina Dudas
MF Leah Shumate
F Megan Benmore
F Hannah Martin
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Paige Buranosky
D Nicole Dawson
D Katy Flanders
D Morgan McCrary
MF Sophia Senese
MF Kayla Hurst
MF Charlotte Ives
MF Chesney Wargo
MF Lauryn Wesoloski
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Morgan McCrary, jr., D, Metea Valley
Scoring summary
Second half
MV: Morgan McCrary (Maeve Riordan), 51st minute