Neuqua's OT goal knocks out Metea
McCarthy's tally the difference, New Trier up next in NI semifinal
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – With defensive stalwart Kailey Serna out with an injury, junior Erin McCarthy has had to fill a leadership role in the back for Neuqua Valley.
McCarthy did a great job of that Thursday night, helping to hold Metea Valley star Maeve Riordan to two shots, but she made just as big an impact at the other end of the field.
McCarthy tapped in a pass from Alyssa Bombacino with 2:20 left in the first overtime and that proved to be the difference as the Wildcats, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top25, edged the host and no. 12 Mustangs 2-1 in double overtime in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals.
It was the second time in 23 days Neuqua Valley (7-4-0) has gone to Metea and emerged with a one-goal victory. This win gives the Wildcats a semifinal date with second-ranked New Trier at 5 p.m. Friday at Naperville Central.
Naperville North will play defending state champion Barrington in the other semifinal at 7 p.m.
“It’s a great feeling,” McCarthy said. “We definitely fought our hardest out there, and I’m glad our results showed it.”
McCarthy, who had scored one previous goal in her varsity career, batted home her first game-winner on a hustle play off a corner kick.
Shannon Tagler played the ball on the ground to Bombacino, who was held without a shot. But the Marquette recruit met the ball at the top of the box and sent a cutback ball skittering toward the far post.
The ball got through traffic to McCarthy, who got just enough of a touch to redirect it past diving Metea Valley goalkeeper Nikki Coryell.
“We have a corner kick play,” Bombacino said. “My goal is to try to come in and get a shot off, but usually I just try to play it back post, and we always have runners there. It worked for us in the Waubonsie game, too.”
This time the runners were McCarthy and Julia Rushing, both of whom snuck into space just outside the left post as the ball came toward them.
“I was just there to make sure it got in,” McCarthy said. “(Neuqua coach Joe) Moreau tells us all the time, just put our whole body in there and make sure.
“I just tried to do that, put my body out there to get that one last goal. I’m sure it deflected off someone else. I was glad to be able to get that touch on it.”
Coryell, who turned in a brilliant effort after coming into the game to start the second half, tracked Bombacino’s ball and almost got to it.
“The ball she played in, it just had a weird spin on it,” Coryell said. “They were able to get a touch on it.
“I was going far post, where the ball was going, but they were able to touch it to the other side. Credit to them for following up.”
Moreau was not surprised to see McCarthy score.
“I think sometimes we expect her to score on the corner kicks, because she’s tall and sometimes we kind of watch her instead of attacking the ball,” Moreau said. “And (this time) there were two people there. She happened to be the one to attack.”
Yet for most of the game, McCarthy was busy defending Metea Valley’s attack. She thwarted several of the Mustangs’ forays into the box, starting in the fourth minute when she relieved Riordan of the ball just six yards from the net.
“She played a great game,” Moreau said. “She’s been playing solid all season.
“She’s simple, and she’s deceptively fast, because she’s got such long strides. She’s a very intelligent girl, so she’s a smart player and does a lot of things very well.”
The Wildcats needed that because the Mustangs (10-5-0) were just as good as Neuqua Valley in an evenly played match that saw each team control possession for long stretches.
Riordan got loose only once, that coming when Sophia Senese passed into the right side of the box. That gave Riordan a step on her defender, but Neuqua goalie Kasey Gillespie made the save on the near post with 5:20 left in regulation to keep the game tied.
“We had to make sure that we all communicated back there,” McCarthy said. “They definitely have some good players up there. I’m just glad we were able to pressure hard on them.”
The pressure on McCarthy has increased since Serna suffered a head injury.
“She’s definitely one of our key players,” McCarthy said. “I’m just trying to help step up and bring the team together.”
That was difficult to do against the dynamic Riordan, who made a couple of weaving 50-yard runs through the heart of the defense.
“You definitely have to give it to her,” McCarthy said of Riordan. “She’s a great player. She’s really fast, and we were just able to defend them well enough to get the outcome that we wanted.”
The Wildcats had to get a little luck and overcome the great play of Coryell to do it. The visitors took a 1-0 lead at the 27:27 mark of the first half on a bizarre own goal that saw a Metea defender volley the ball from the top of the box into her own net.
“I have no idea how that even happened,” Metea coach Chris Whaley said. “It looked really odd. It was unfortunate in every way.”
Looking past the miscue, Whaley was pleased with the way his team responded. The Mustangs survived a couple shaky moments later in the half.
Neuqua’s Madison Zaleski fired a 22-yard shot over the crossbar with Metea starting goalie Myah Schoolman caught out of the net with 19:30 remaining. Seven minutes later, Rushing took the ball to the left endline before crossing in front to Reaghan Young, whose shot was blocked before McCarthy rolled the rebound just wide of the post.
The Mustangs regrouped in the second half and tied the game with 30:44 to go. Lauryn Wesolowski fed a pass from the left wing to Charlotte Ives, who turned and rifled a 20-yard shot into the upper right corner of the net.
“I felt like we controlled the game really well and had a ton of possession,” Whaley said. “Our midfield played well. The girls gave their best tonight and fought back from that unfortunate own goal.
“(The Wildcats) played their game, and I thought we played our game well. In the end, a couple favorable bounces for them, and we end up on the losing end.”
Neuqua Valley would likely have won in regulation if not for Coryell, who made six-of-her-seven saves in the second half, including an incredible sequence that saw her make three stops in 70 seconds.
The first came with 20:20 remaining when Coryell lunged to her right to stop Danielle Hopkins’ 12-yard shot. Rushing got to the rebound but was unable to get a shot off as Coryell got up and challenged her.
A minute later, Neuqua’s Alison Dovalovsky sent a nasty shot from the right side of the box that looked like it would go over Coryell’s head and dip under the crossbar.
But Coryell timed her leap perfectly, got a hand on the ball and knocked it forward as she was falling to the ground. Rushing was right there for the rebound shot from point-blank range, but somehow Coryell got up and made a diving save just before the ball crossed the goal line.
“I was just trying to keep it out of the net, do whatever I can,” Coryell said. “I don’t know how (I did it). I just tried to bounce back up really fast and trying to do everything I can for my team.”
The Mustangs could face Neuqua Valley again in the sectional semifinals. They are seeded second and third, respectively, in the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional.
“I thought we fought hard,” Coryell said. “We wanted to get them back for the last one, but we worked our butts off the second half doing everything we can.
“We wanted this game so bad, but we’ll come back ready to go next time we play them.”
That game, if it happens, is a month away. In the meantime, the Wildcats will have had only 19 hours to get ready for New Trier, which knocked off Naperville Central 4-1 on Thursday in a quarterfinal game that started two hours earlier than the Neuqua-Metea match did.
“That will be a tough game,” McCarthy said. “We’re definitely going to try to bring it out like we did tonight and hopefully get that win.”
Bombacino has been waiting a long time to beat New Trier. She is Neuqua’s last remaining starter from the last meeting between the Wildcats and New Trier. The Trevians beat Neuqua 2-0 in the 2015 state championship game.
“I’m excited,” Bombacino said. “The last time we played them they scored almost right away, and we didn’t have time to get going, so hopefully this time it will be different.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Kasey Gillespie
D Shannon Tagler
D Paige Munar
D Erin McCarthy
D Kayla Monis
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Danielle Hopkins
M Leah Senese
F Sydney Rushing
F Alison Dovalovsky
Metea Valley
GK Myah Schoolman
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Katy Flanders
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Chesney Wargo
M Charlotte Ives
F Kayla Hurst
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Erin McCarthy, jr, D, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
1st Half
Neuqua Valley – own goal 27:27
2nd Half
Metea Valley – Charlotte Ives (Lauryn Wesolowski) 30:44
1st Overtime
Neuqua Valley – Erin McCarthy (Alyssa Bombacino, Shannon Tagler) 2:20
McCarthy's tally the difference, New Trier up next in NI semifinal
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – With defensive stalwart Kailey Serna out with an injury, junior Erin McCarthy has had to fill a leadership role in the back for Neuqua Valley.
McCarthy did a great job of that Thursday night, helping to hold Metea Valley star Maeve Riordan to two shots, but she made just as big an impact at the other end of the field.
McCarthy tapped in a pass from Alyssa Bombacino with 2:20 left in the first overtime and that proved to be the difference as the Wildcats, ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top25, edged the host and no. 12 Mustangs 2-1 in double overtime in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals.
It was the second time in 23 days Neuqua Valley (7-4-0) has gone to Metea and emerged with a one-goal victory. This win gives the Wildcats a semifinal date with second-ranked New Trier at 5 p.m. Friday at Naperville Central.
Naperville North will play defending state champion Barrington in the other semifinal at 7 p.m.
“It’s a great feeling,” McCarthy said. “We definitely fought our hardest out there, and I’m glad our results showed it.”
McCarthy, who had scored one previous goal in her varsity career, batted home her first game-winner on a hustle play off a corner kick.
Shannon Tagler played the ball on the ground to Bombacino, who was held without a shot. But the Marquette recruit met the ball at the top of the box and sent a cutback ball skittering toward the far post.
The ball got through traffic to McCarthy, who got just enough of a touch to redirect it past diving Metea Valley goalkeeper Nikki Coryell.
“We have a corner kick play,” Bombacino said. “My goal is to try to come in and get a shot off, but usually I just try to play it back post, and we always have runners there. It worked for us in the Waubonsie game, too.”
This time the runners were McCarthy and Julia Rushing, both of whom snuck into space just outside the left post as the ball came toward them.
“I was just there to make sure it got in,” McCarthy said. “(Neuqua coach Joe) Moreau tells us all the time, just put our whole body in there and make sure.
“I just tried to do that, put my body out there to get that one last goal. I’m sure it deflected off someone else. I was glad to be able to get that touch on it.”
Coryell, who turned in a brilliant effort after coming into the game to start the second half, tracked Bombacino’s ball and almost got to it.
“The ball she played in, it just had a weird spin on it,” Coryell said. “They were able to get a touch on it.
“I was going far post, where the ball was going, but they were able to touch it to the other side. Credit to them for following up.”
Moreau was not surprised to see McCarthy score.
“I think sometimes we expect her to score on the corner kicks, because she’s tall and sometimes we kind of watch her instead of attacking the ball,” Moreau said. “And (this time) there were two people there. She happened to be the one to attack.”
Yet for most of the game, McCarthy was busy defending Metea Valley’s attack. She thwarted several of the Mustangs’ forays into the box, starting in the fourth minute when she relieved Riordan of the ball just six yards from the net.
“She played a great game,” Moreau said. “She’s been playing solid all season.
“She’s simple, and she’s deceptively fast, because she’s got such long strides. She’s a very intelligent girl, so she’s a smart player and does a lot of things very well.”
The Wildcats needed that because the Mustangs (10-5-0) were just as good as Neuqua Valley in an evenly played match that saw each team control possession for long stretches.
Riordan got loose only once, that coming when Sophia Senese passed into the right side of the box. That gave Riordan a step on her defender, but Neuqua goalie Kasey Gillespie made the save on the near post with 5:20 left in regulation to keep the game tied.
“We had to make sure that we all communicated back there,” McCarthy said. “They definitely have some good players up there. I’m just glad we were able to pressure hard on them.”
The pressure on McCarthy has increased since Serna suffered a head injury.
“She’s definitely one of our key players,” McCarthy said. “I’m just trying to help step up and bring the team together.”
That was difficult to do against the dynamic Riordan, who made a couple of weaving 50-yard runs through the heart of the defense.
“You definitely have to give it to her,” McCarthy said of Riordan. “She’s a great player. She’s really fast, and we were just able to defend them well enough to get the outcome that we wanted.”
The Wildcats had to get a little luck and overcome the great play of Coryell to do it. The visitors took a 1-0 lead at the 27:27 mark of the first half on a bizarre own goal that saw a Metea defender volley the ball from the top of the box into her own net.
“I have no idea how that even happened,” Metea coach Chris Whaley said. “It looked really odd. It was unfortunate in every way.”
Looking past the miscue, Whaley was pleased with the way his team responded. The Mustangs survived a couple shaky moments later in the half.
Neuqua’s Madison Zaleski fired a 22-yard shot over the crossbar with Metea starting goalie Myah Schoolman caught out of the net with 19:30 remaining. Seven minutes later, Rushing took the ball to the left endline before crossing in front to Reaghan Young, whose shot was blocked before McCarthy rolled the rebound just wide of the post.
The Mustangs regrouped in the second half and tied the game with 30:44 to go. Lauryn Wesolowski fed a pass from the left wing to Charlotte Ives, who turned and rifled a 20-yard shot into the upper right corner of the net.
“I felt like we controlled the game really well and had a ton of possession,” Whaley said. “Our midfield played well. The girls gave their best tonight and fought back from that unfortunate own goal.
“(The Wildcats) played their game, and I thought we played our game well. In the end, a couple favorable bounces for them, and we end up on the losing end.”
Neuqua Valley would likely have won in regulation if not for Coryell, who made six-of-her-seven saves in the second half, including an incredible sequence that saw her make three stops in 70 seconds.
The first came with 20:20 remaining when Coryell lunged to her right to stop Danielle Hopkins’ 12-yard shot. Rushing got to the rebound but was unable to get a shot off as Coryell got up and challenged her.
A minute later, Neuqua’s Alison Dovalovsky sent a nasty shot from the right side of the box that looked like it would go over Coryell’s head and dip under the crossbar.
But Coryell timed her leap perfectly, got a hand on the ball and knocked it forward as she was falling to the ground. Rushing was right there for the rebound shot from point-blank range, but somehow Coryell got up and made a diving save just before the ball crossed the goal line.
“I was just trying to keep it out of the net, do whatever I can,” Coryell said. “I don’t know how (I did it). I just tried to bounce back up really fast and trying to do everything I can for my team.”
The Mustangs could face Neuqua Valley again in the sectional semifinals. They are seeded second and third, respectively, in the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional.
“I thought we fought hard,” Coryell said. “We wanted to get them back for the last one, but we worked our butts off the second half doing everything we can.
“We wanted this game so bad, but we’ll come back ready to go next time we play them.”
That game, if it happens, is a month away. In the meantime, the Wildcats will have had only 19 hours to get ready for New Trier, which knocked off Naperville Central 4-1 on Thursday in a quarterfinal game that started two hours earlier than the Neuqua-Metea match did.
“That will be a tough game,” McCarthy said. “We’re definitely going to try to bring it out like we did tonight and hopefully get that win.”
Bombacino has been waiting a long time to beat New Trier. She is Neuqua’s last remaining starter from the last meeting between the Wildcats and New Trier. The Trevians beat Neuqua 2-0 in the 2015 state championship game.
“I’m excited,” Bombacino said. “The last time we played them they scored almost right away, and we didn’t have time to get going, so hopefully this time it will be different.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Kasey Gillespie
D Shannon Tagler
D Paige Munar
D Erin McCarthy
D Kayla Monis
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Danielle Hopkins
M Leah Senese
F Sydney Rushing
F Alison Dovalovsky
Metea Valley
GK Myah Schoolman
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Katy Flanders
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Chesney Wargo
M Charlotte Ives
F Kayla Hurst
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Erin McCarthy, jr, D, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
1st Half
Neuqua Valley – own goal 27:27
2nd Half
Metea Valley – Charlotte Ives (Lauryn Wesolowski) 30:44
1st Overtime
Neuqua Valley – Erin McCarthy (Alyssa Bombacino, Shannon Tagler) 2:20