Neuqua V. bests Batavia in welcome return
Numerous newcomers on both sides
begin varsity careers in 3-1 NV win
By Jared Birchfield
BATAVIA – When Batavia sophomore Laila Figuera's toe touched the ball at 3:02 Saturday afternoon to start the season-opener between the Bulldogs and Neuqua Valley, a nearly two-year drought of matches ended for the two teams.
A major impact of the cancelled 2020 season was many of the teams’ veteran players graduated. For a majority of the players on the pitch, the match was their first varsity start.
Neuqua Valley, ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 state-wide preseason poll, topped no. 35 Batavia 3-1 with two late second half goals.
Both coaches were happy with the performances of their rookie-filled lineups.
“The fact of the matter is that most of these girls have never played a varsity game. They never had a game last year, so we only have a few girls who were on the 2019 team,” Neuqua coach Joe Moreau said. “There were some nerves throughout the game. We needed to relax in the offensive third I believe. We got the outcome we wanted, so for the first game so you have got to be a little pleased.”
“I thought that against a quality Neuqua team, we did pretty well,” said Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco. “We had one person, Ashley Whelpley, with varsity experience that started today. Everyone else was new. Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job.
“You're going to have some nerves. I thought they started getting comfortable in their roles and their positioning as the game progressed. I was very happy to see that.
“It's good to get the first one under your belt and good to play a quality opponent because they really let you know where you are. We know what we need to work on moving forward.
“I thought everyone that we put out there at least did better than expected for the first game.”
Gianfrancesco’s roster features four sophomores and six freshman.
Neuqua Valley got on the board first on an Abby Michalczyk goal in the 24th minute. Her shot, on a cross from Xavier commit Katelyn Nardulli, brushed Bulldogs goalkeeper Morgan Haug’s outstretched hand and went in just below the cross bar.
“We started in the middle, (Nardulli) just kind of found me up-top,” Michalczyk said. “It was a good play. I just chucked it in.”
Michalczyk sees a bright future for the Wildcats.
“I thought it was a great start to our season. You can certainly see us coming together,” said the junior. “I can only see us going up from here.”
Kyra O’Brien’s free kick from the far sideline four minutes later almost gave Neuqua a two-goal lead. Haug caught the 35-yarder to prevent the score.
“I thought our midfield controlled a lot of the game, but I credit Batavia; they defended very well,” said Moreau. “Mark does a nice job defending. They limited our quality chances that we had.
“We might have controlled the ball in the overall game, but they defended well. We had to be a little more patient in the offensive third instead of giving the ball up so much.”
Batavia finally evened the score in the 60th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Riley DiBiase dribbled the ball through Neuqua Valley defenders and blasted it from 10 yards past senior keeper Tara Tesmond. Tesmond, one of the few veteran Wildcats, will play next year at Indiana State.
“Carolina (Garcia) had a really good (50/50 ball) win and I just kind of took advantage of that,” said DiBiase. “I bounced through the defenders and then found an open hole in the corner of the net.”
DiBiase was also pleased with her team’s effort.
“I thought we did really well for our first game,” she said. “I just thought we did really well as a team, and I'm ready for our next game.”
“I think our defense played pretty soundly except for that one goal,” Moreau said. “ (DiBiase) made a 70-yard run; it was a nice run by her.
“Tara was the starting goalkeeper two years ago but the four in the back are all new. Those girls have never started a varsity game before, so I thought they played pretty soundly.
“Lauryn Adamski , our sixth, did well. Grace Patrina, when she went in for her, she played fairly well too.”
“I thought it was a nice response, being down 1-0 and then scoring one.” Gianfrancesco said. “I wish we played a little more to the ball in the first half. Second half there was some fatigue. I think we'll get there.”
With 11:26 left to play, the Wildcats scored on a free kick to retake the lead. O’Brien found the back of the net on a shot from 45 yards that just went over goalkeeper Abby Piwowarczyk’s head. The junior keeper replaced Haug at the start of the second half.
Gianfrancesco swapped keepers to give all his players an opportunity in the season opener.
“I just wanted to give everybody a shot. Everybody got a chance to play,” he said.
Neuqua converted a second free kick into a goal in the 74th minute. Brooke Miller headed in a Nardulli kick that originated 10 yards from the far sideline.
“I thought Brook was the best player on the field today. It was pretty obvious she controlled the whole game I thought,” said Moreau.
The Neuqua Valley restarts were the difference in a game that Gianfrancesco thought was productive for his club.
“We defended well together. We saw some definite connections out and the effort to do that. When we did that, we kind of broke out and were able to counter on them a little bit,” he said. “They hit those late goals in the last 10 minutes, but I'm pretty pleased overall with the effort in what I was seeing.”
“Ashley Whelpley did a nice job on Brooke Miller who is their best player. I thought (Ashley) did a nice job of closing her down for a majority of the game,” he continued. “(Miller) got a goal at the end, but Ashley wasn't marking Miller then. She actually did a good job being physical with Miller.”
Gianfrancesco also lauded the play of newcomers DiBiase and Mia Anzalone.
“I thought Mia did a nice job at the center back role, kind of organizing back there. Obviously, Riley did a nice job in the middle,” said the Batavia coach. “I thought out of the gate, Ashley, Riley and Mia did a pretty good job.”
Starting line ups
Neuqua Valley
GK: Tara Tesmond
D: Kassie Salviola
D: Maya Stone
D: Maddy McGrath
D: Kyra O’Brien
M: Lauryn Adamski
M: Katelyn Nardulli
M: Frannie Keen
F: Grace Williams
F: Brook Miller
F: Abby Michalczyk
Batavia
GK: Morgan Haug
D: Mia Anzalone
D: Caitlin Callahan
D: Carlin King
D: Delia Perfect
M: Alyssa Sarik
M: Ashley Whelpley
M: Riley DiBiase
F: Laila Figueras
F: Bella Lins
F: Johanna Shubert
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Brooke Miller, jr. MF, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
First half
NV: Michalczyk (Nardulli) 24 minutes
Second half
B: DiBiase (UA) 60 minutes
NV: O’Brien (UA) 69 minutes
NV: Miller (Nardulli) 74 minutes
Numerous newcomers on both sides
begin varsity careers in 3-1 NV win
By Jared Birchfield
BATAVIA – When Batavia sophomore Laila Figuera's toe touched the ball at 3:02 Saturday afternoon to start the season-opener between the Bulldogs and Neuqua Valley, a nearly two-year drought of matches ended for the two teams.
A major impact of the cancelled 2020 season was many of the teams’ veteran players graduated. For a majority of the players on the pitch, the match was their first varsity start.
Neuqua Valley, ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 state-wide preseason poll, topped no. 35 Batavia 3-1 with two late second half goals.
Both coaches were happy with the performances of their rookie-filled lineups.
“The fact of the matter is that most of these girls have never played a varsity game. They never had a game last year, so we only have a few girls who were on the 2019 team,” Neuqua coach Joe Moreau said. “There were some nerves throughout the game. We needed to relax in the offensive third I believe. We got the outcome we wanted, so for the first game so you have got to be a little pleased.”
“I thought that against a quality Neuqua team, we did pretty well,” said Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco. “We had one person, Ashley Whelpley, with varsity experience that started today. Everyone else was new. Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job.
“You're going to have some nerves. I thought they started getting comfortable in their roles and their positioning as the game progressed. I was very happy to see that.
“It's good to get the first one under your belt and good to play a quality opponent because they really let you know where you are. We know what we need to work on moving forward.
“I thought everyone that we put out there at least did better than expected for the first game.”
Gianfrancesco’s roster features four sophomores and six freshman.
Neuqua Valley got on the board first on an Abby Michalczyk goal in the 24th minute. Her shot, on a cross from Xavier commit Katelyn Nardulli, brushed Bulldogs goalkeeper Morgan Haug’s outstretched hand and went in just below the cross bar.
“We started in the middle, (Nardulli) just kind of found me up-top,” Michalczyk said. “It was a good play. I just chucked it in.”
Michalczyk sees a bright future for the Wildcats.
“I thought it was a great start to our season. You can certainly see us coming together,” said the junior. “I can only see us going up from here.”
Kyra O’Brien’s free kick from the far sideline four minutes later almost gave Neuqua a two-goal lead. Haug caught the 35-yarder to prevent the score.
“I thought our midfield controlled a lot of the game, but I credit Batavia; they defended very well,” said Moreau. “Mark does a nice job defending. They limited our quality chances that we had.
“We might have controlled the ball in the overall game, but they defended well. We had to be a little more patient in the offensive third instead of giving the ball up so much.”
Batavia finally evened the score in the 60th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Riley DiBiase dribbled the ball through Neuqua Valley defenders and blasted it from 10 yards past senior keeper Tara Tesmond. Tesmond, one of the few veteran Wildcats, will play next year at Indiana State.
“Carolina (Garcia) had a really good (50/50 ball) win and I just kind of took advantage of that,” said DiBiase. “I bounced through the defenders and then found an open hole in the corner of the net.”
DiBiase was also pleased with her team’s effort.
“I thought we did really well for our first game,” she said. “I just thought we did really well as a team, and I'm ready for our next game.”
“I think our defense played pretty soundly except for that one goal,” Moreau said. “ (DiBiase) made a 70-yard run; it was a nice run by her.
“Tara was the starting goalkeeper two years ago but the four in the back are all new. Those girls have never started a varsity game before, so I thought they played pretty soundly.
“Lauryn Adamski , our sixth, did well. Grace Patrina, when she went in for her, she played fairly well too.”
“I thought it was a nice response, being down 1-0 and then scoring one.” Gianfrancesco said. “I wish we played a little more to the ball in the first half. Second half there was some fatigue. I think we'll get there.”
With 11:26 left to play, the Wildcats scored on a free kick to retake the lead. O’Brien found the back of the net on a shot from 45 yards that just went over goalkeeper Abby Piwowarczyk’s head. The junior keeper replaced Haug at the start of the second half.
Gianfrancesco swapped keepers to give all his players an opportunity in the season opener.
“I just wanted to give everybody a shot. Everybody got a chance to play,” he said.
Neuqua converted a second free kick into a goal in the 74th minute. Brooke Miller headed in a Nardulli kick that originated 10 yards from the far sideline.
“I thought Brook was the best player on the field today. It was pretty obvious she controlled the whole game I thought,” said Moreau.
The Neuqua Valley restarts were the difference in a game that Gianfrancesco thought was productive for his club.
“We defended well together. We saw some definite connections out and the effort to do that. When we did that, we kind of broke out and were able to counter on them a little bit,” he said. “They hit those late goals in the last 10 minutes, but I'm pretty pleased overall with the effort in what I was seeing.”
“Ashley Whelpley did a nice job on Brooke Miller who is their best player. I thought (Ashley) did a nice job of closing her down for a majority of the game,” he continued. “(Miller) got a goal at the end, but Ashley wasn't marking Miller then. She actually did a good job being physical with Miller.”
Gianfrancesco also lauded the play of newcomers DiBiase and Mia Anzalone.
“I thought Mia did a nice job at the center back role, kind of organizing back there. Obviously, Riley did a nice job in the middle,” said the Batavia coach. “I thought out of the gate, Ashley, Riley and Mia did a pretty good job.”
Starting line ups
Neuqua Valley
GK: Tara Tesmond
D: Kassie Salviola
D: Maya Stone
D: Maddy McGrath
D: Kyra O’Brien
M: Lauryn Adamski
M: Katelyn Nardulli
M: Frannie Keen
F: Grace Williams
F: Brook Miller
F: Abby Michalczyk
Batavia
GK: Morgan Haug
D: Mia Anzalone
D: Caitlin Callahan
D: Carlin King
D: Delia Perfect
M: Alyssa Sarik
M: Ashley Whelpley
M: Riley DiBiase
F: Laila Figueras
F: Bella Lins
F: Johanna Shubert
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Brooke Miller, jr. MF, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
First half
NV: Michalczyk (Nardulli) 24 minutes
Second half
B: DiBiase (UA) 60 minutes
NV: O’Brien (UA) 69 minutes
NV: Miller (Nardulli) 74 minutes