Happy mudders day! NV slogs past HC
2 early goals lead Wildcats to 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
HINSDALE – In horse racing, a mudder is a horse that thrives in sloppy conditions.
The term came to mind when Thursday’s game between Neuqua Valley and host Hinsdale Central was relegated to a grass field so the boys lacrosse team could play on the stadium field.
The pitch was covered in deep puddles in several places, and many of the players sported mud stains on their uniforms.
If the visiting Wildcats, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, minded the snub, they didn’t show it. And it didn’t seem to matter.
Speedy forwards Julia Rushing and Alison Dovalovsky scored on the first two shots of the game, and Neuqua closed out the regular season with a 3-1 victory at Centennial Field.
It was a nice bounce-back for the Wildcats, who lost a chance to win the DuPage Valley Conference title when they were beaten 3-2 by Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday.
Senior Shannon Tagler initiated the first strike with a crisp cross from the left wing. The first one found the head of senior Danielle Hopkins, whose header fell to the feet of the wide-open Rushing, who tapped in her third goal of the season in the fifth minute.
“It was just about being on the end of it, being in the right place and anticipating a ball that was coming through,” Rushing said. “We didn’t get it on the first try, but it bounced back out and you just have to be ready to get it if it pops out again.”
Rushing was and the Wildcats (9-4-4) were ready to win.
“It feels pretty good,” Rushing said. “It gets the game going right away and the adrenaline of the team gets going, and we’re ready to score one right after that.”
Dovalovsky did just that in the seventh minute. She received a pass up the left wing from Erin McCarthy, turned and ripped a 10-yard shot inside the far post for a 2-0 lead.
“We worked a lot in practice on turning with our back to goal and then taking people 1-v.-1,” Dovalovsky said. “We did that a lot in practice this week, and I think it was (an example) of putting what we did at practice to work.
“It was (a nice start). It really set the tone for the rest of the game for us to get on the back of those early.”
Fortunate, too, as it turned out. The offense slowed and the Wildcats did not get another shot off for the rest of the first half.
Hinsdale Central (7-10-2) also had only two shots in the first half -- both long-distance attempts from Sammy Guido which Neuqua goalie Emma Guthrie saved easily -- but the hosts turned the match into a competitive battle.
“We fell into some bad habits after playing an opponent yesterday that was not nearly as organized, so we had to break those bad habits,” said Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia, whose team had a four-game winning streak snapped. “We were just getting out of our shape a little bit.
“We said the second half we wanted to win at least 1-0. Again, kind of a lapse there, but take away the first few minutes and it was a great game.”
The Wildcats increased their cushion to 3-0 when Hopkins, rather than try to dash through the worst of the slop just outside the Hinsdale Central box, lofted a high-arcing 30-yard shot over the head of Red Devils goalie Fiona Fitzsimmons in the 53rd minute.
That didn’t break the Red Devils, who continued to battle. They actually matched the Wildcats shot for shot, though the visitors had most of the dangerous chances.
“We just wanted to regroup at halftime, because we hadn’t conceded a lot of goals in the past few games, so we knew we really wanted to try to not let any more in,” Hinsdale Central senior Jane Bibby said. “We also haven’t been shut out in a while, so we were focused on trying to get one in, and we finally did.”
The breakthrough came in the 57th minute when Bibby, who had just checked in, scored her second goal in as many games. The field conditions played a role as a Neuqua defender slipped and fell while attempting to clear Sarah Cernugel’s cross.
Bibby didn’t hesitate in booting the ball by Guthrie and inside the left post to make it 3-1.
“It was pretty slippery out there,” Bibby said. “Luckily, she kind of missed the ball a little bit, and I was right there to tap it in.”
Like her team, Bibby is finishing the season strong. The third-year varsity player scored one goal as a sophomore but hadn’t found the back of the net again until Wednesday. Now she has two in her final two regular season games, and the Red Devils are playing their best soccer of the season.
“We’ve improved every single game,” Bibby said. “We knew this was a really good team so we thought it would be a really good warmup for the playoffs.
“We tried to connect all of our passes and do what we’re going to try to do in the playoffs. Hopefully we set ourselves for a good position.”
The Red Devils will get at least one -- and possibly two -- more home games as they host a Class 3A regional next week, beginning with a semifinal match against York on Tuesday. Thankfully for all teams involved, those games are scheduled for the stadium field, barring an unforeseen scheduling change.
Madonia thinks the Red Devils are capable of making a run to the sectional final if they hit on all cylinders. They would have to defeat York, which they beat 2-0 in the regular season, Jones and likely Glenbard East to do it.
But regardless of what happens in the playoffs, Bibby is going to savor the memory of scoring in her last two regular season outings.
“It felt pretty good,” Bibby said. “I’m not playing college soccer, so it feels good to finish strong.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Emma Guthrie
D Brooke Miller
D Megan Olah
D Leah Senese
D Paige Munar
M Erin McCarthy
M Danielle Hopkins
M Katelyn Nardulli
F Julia Rushing
F Shannon Tagler
F Alison Dovalovsky
Hinsdale Central
GK Fiona Fitzsimmons
D Lauren Oleferchik
D Sam Moriarty
D Olivia Rayis
M Haley Paulson
M Sammy Guido
M Lindsey May
M Caroline Lyman
M Sarah Cernugel
F Brittany Doneske
F Grace Kalis
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Julia Rushing, jr., F, Neuqua Valley.
Scoring summary
First half
NV – Julia Rushing (Danielle Hopkins, Shannon Tagler) 5th minute
NV – Alison Dovalovsky (Erin McCarthy) 7th minute
Second half
NV – Hopkins 50th minute
HC – Jane Bibby (Sarah Cernugel) 54th minute
2 early goals lead Wildcats to 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
HINSDALE – In horse racing, a mudder is a horse that thrives in sloppy conditions.
The term came to mind when Thursday’s game between Neuqua Valley and host Hinsdale Central was relegated to a grass field so the boys lacrosse team could play on the stadium field.
The pitch was covered in deep puddles in several places, and many of the players sported mud stains on their uniforms.
If the visiting Wildcats, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, minded the snub, they didn’t show it. And it didn’t seem to matter.
Speedy forwards Julia Rushing and Alison Dovalovsky scored on the first two shots of the game, and Neuqua closed out the regular season with a 3-1 victory at Centennial Field.
It was a nice bounce-back for the Wildcats, who lost a chance to win the DuPage Valley Conference title when they were beaten 3-2 by Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday.
Senior Shannon Tagler initiated the first strike with a crisp cross from the left wing. The first one found the head of senior Danielle Hopkins, whose header fell to the feet of the wide-open Rushing, who tapped in her third goal of the season in the fifth minute.
“It was just about being on the end of it, being in the right place and anticipating a ball that was coming through,” Rushing said. “We didn’t get it on the first try, but it bounced back out and you just have to be ready to get it if it pops out again.”
Rushing was and the Wildcats (9-4-4) were ready to win.
“It feels pretty good,” Rushing said. “It gets the game going right away and the adrenaline of the team gets going, and we’re ready to score one right after that.”
Dovalovsky did just that in the seventh minute. She received a pass up the left wing from Erin McCarthy, turned and ripped a 10-yard shot inside the far post for a 2-0 lead.
“We worked a lot in practice on turning with our back to goal and then taking people 1-v.-1,” Dovalovsky said. “We did that a lot in practice this week, and I think it was (an example) of putting what we did at practice to work.
“It was (a nice start). It really set the tone for the rest of the game for us to get on the back of those early.”
Fortunate, too, as it turned out. The offense slowed and the Wildcats did not get another shot off for the rest of the first half.
Hinsdale Central (7-10-2) also had only two shots in the first half -- both long-distance attempts from Sammy Guido which Neuqua goalie Emma Guthrie saved easily -- but the hosts turned the match into a competitive battle.
“We fell into some bad habits after playing an opponent yesterday that was not nearly as organized, so we had to break those bad habits,” said Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia, whose team had a four-game winning streak snapped. “We were just getting out of our shape a little bit.
“We said the second half we wanted to win at least 1-0. Again, kind of a lapse there, but take away the first few minutes and it was a great game.”
The Wildcats increased their cushion to 3-0 when Hopkins, rather than try to dash through the worst of the slop just outside the Hinsdale Central box, lofted a high-arcing 30-yard shot over the head of Red Devils goalie Fiona Fitzsimmons in the 53rd minute.
That didn’t break the Red Devils, who continued to battle. They actually matched the Wildcats shot for shot, though the visitors had most of the dangerous chances.
“We just wanted to regroup at halftime, because we hadn’t conceded a lot of goals in the past few games, so we knew we really wanted to try to not let any more in,” Hinsdale Central senior Jane Bibby said. “We also haven’t been shut out in a while, so we were focused on trying to get one in, and we finally did.”
The breakthrough came in the 57th minute when Bibby, who had just checked in, scored her second goal in as many games. The field conditions played a role as a Neuqua defender slipped and fell while attempting to clear Sarah Cernugel’s cross.
Bibby didn’t hesitate in booting the ball by Guthrie and inside the left post to make it 3-1.
“It was pretty slippery out there,” Bibby said. “Luckily, she kind of missed the ball a little bit, and I was right there to tap it in.”
Like her team, Bibby is finishing the season strong. The third-year varsity player scored one goal as a sophomore but hadn’t found the back of the net again until Wednesday. Now she has two in her final two regular season games, and the Red Devils are playing their best soccer of the season.
“We’ve improved every single game,” Bibby said. “We knew this was a really good team so we thought it would be a really good warmup for the playoffs.
“We tried to connect all of our passes and do what we’re going to try to do in the playoffs. Hopefully we set ourselves for a good position.”
The Red Devils will get at least one -- and possibly two -- more home games as they host a Class 3A regional next week, beginning with a semifinal match against York on Tuesday. Thankfully for all teams involved, those games are scheduled for the stadium field, barring an unforeseen scheduling change.
Madonia thinks the Red Devils are capable of making a run to the sectional final if they hit on all cylinders. They would have to defeat York, which they beat 2-0 in the regular season, Jones and likely Glenbard East to do it.
But regardless of what happens in the playoffs, Bibby is going to savor the memory of scoring in her last two regular season outings.
“It felt pretty good,” Bibby said. “I’m not playing college soccer, so it feels good to finish strong.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Emma Guthrie
D Brooke Miller
D Megan Olah
D Leah Senese
D Paige Munar
M Erin McCarthy
M Danielle Hopkins
M Katelyn Nardulli
F Julia Rushing
F Shannon Tagler
F Alison Dovalovsky
Hinsdale Central
GK Fiona Fitzsimmons
D Lauren Oleferchik
D Sam Moriarty
D Olivia Rayis
M Haley Paulson
M Sammy Guido
M Lindsey May
M Caroline Lyman
M Sarah Cernugel
F Brittany Doneske
F Grace Kalis
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Julia Rushing, jr., F, Neuqua Valley.
Scoring summary
First half
NV – Julia Rushing (Danielle Hopkins, Shannon Tagler) 5th minute
NV – Alison Dovalovsky (Erin McCarthy) 7th minute
Second half
NV – Hopkins 50th minute
HC – Jane Bibby (Sarah Cernugel) 54th minute