Rookie's 1st goal leads NV past MV
Leah Senese's rebound gives Wildcat's big DVC road win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Leah Senese had never played varsity soccer until this year.
And up until a few weeks ago, she had focused mostly on defense.
But the Neuqua Valley junior is adapting well to the highest level of high school soccer and to a new position, right wing, where Wildcats coach Joe Moreau moved her last month.
Indeed, Senese looked like a veteran when she alertly pounced on a rebound and scored in the 11th minute in the teams' Tuesday night DuPage Valley Conference opener at Metea Valley.
Senese’s first career goal gave the 20th-ranked defending DVC champions a 1-0 victory over their eighth-ranked District 204 rivals. And winning is another thing she’s fine with getting used to.
“It was really exciting,” said Senese, who is no relation to Metea Valley star Sophia Senese. “It was nice that my teammate worked hard for the shot, and then I was just there to finish it.”
Neuqua Valley junior forward Alison Dovalovsky triggered the decisive play when she fired a 28-yard rocket on frame. Metea Valley goalie Nikki Coryell stopped the one-hop shot but could not corral it in the wintery conditions that featured a cold rain for most of the match.
Leah Senese alertly got into the otherwise deserted box before any defender and beat Coryell to the rebound for a 10-yard finish at the 29:40 mark of the first half.
“I knew (Dovalovsky) had a hard shot,” she said. “And with the conditions, it was wet, so I knew I had to take my chances if (there) was a rebound, so I was just ready.
“I was prepared for anything to happen.”
The slick, frigid conditions made it hard for both teams, yet they played entertaining soccer and created plenty of chances. The Wildcats (2-3-0, 1-0-0) were the team that made things happen.
“I was just trying to get as many on frame as possible because of the slippery conditions,” Dovalovsky said. “Any shot, you don’t know what’s going to happen. It could bounce or it gets very slick.”
Coryell and her counterpart, Yanel Ortiz, were slick in the difficult conditions, keeping their teams in the game. Ortiz made three saves but also was impressive in catching every ball sent her way.
Coryell, whose team was outshot 16-8 in total shots, was busier and had a great effort with nine saves. Several shots gave her trouble including the one that led to Senese’s goal.
“She played well,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “She always does.
“It’s nights like tonight, though, you’ve got to be sharp. You’ve got to be at your best against a talented team.”
Coryell came close.
“It was pretty tough,” Coryell said of Dovalovsky’s shot. “I was just trying to get my body behind it, but unfortunately I couldn’t come up with it clean.
“It was just tough conditions. First conference game, it’s hard to come out right away against a crosstown rival, but it was a good game. Both teams fought hard.”
True, and the game was decided by a pair of bounces that both went Neuqua Valley’s way.
The first came in the sixth minute, when Metea Valley’s Illinois-bound forward Maeve Riordan beat Ortiz with a left-footed shot from 25 yards on the left wing, only to see the ball bounce off the right post.
The second led to Senese’s goal.
“It was great, I’m just really proud of her,” Dovalovsky said. “She’s been working really hard for that, and it’s something we’ve always been working on -- following the shot and always chasing the rebound because you never know what is going to happen.”
That seems like a no-brainer to any forward, but Senese has only been playing up-top for a short while, and she’s mostly been deployed on the outside. Moreau was pleased to see Senese rewarded for her effort.
“It’s nice. She’s playing a position she’s not used to playing, so she’s learning,” Moreau said. “She’s getting better every game in terms of understanding what the heck am I doing.
“You can’t coach speed. She’s got good speed.”
That’s an asset any team can use. The Wildcats used it to create a decent amount of pressure against the Mustangs (4-2-0, 0-1-0), the team that eliminated them from the 2017 state playoffs. Dovalovsky and Marquette-bound senior Alyssa Bombacino were the main beneficiaries of the wing work.
“We wanted some speed down the lines,” Senese said. “(The switch) has been a little difficult for me to adjust, because I usually play defense.
“I’ve been learning the outside a lot. Mainly I’m just learning to beat the player down the sideline and then cross it to my teammates.”
The Wildcats held a 9-1 edge in shots in the first half and controlled the midfield action. But the play was more even in the second half as the Mustangs adjusted even though the rain fell harder.
Neuqua Valley's Ortiz made all of her saves after intermission, including a leaping effort to knock down and then clear Paige Buranosky’s high-bouncing 50-yard free kick, and Riordan’s open shot from the left side of the box.
“Nikki is one of the best goalies around, but all our kids know her, and they know she’s quality,” Moreau said. “But look at Yanel -- she didn’t give up a rebound.
“She’s so underrated. If she was 5-(foot)-10 she’d be highly recruited. She just gets the job done.”
As did the Wildcats, who needed a boost as they are in the midst of perhaps their toughest schedule ever.
“It felt really good,” Dovalovsky said. “One of the reasons is we know a lot of the people on their team. They’re always very competitive, and it’s always nice to beat someone in a crosstown game.
“It feels great to get off to that start because with the tough competition that we have, we have to figure out what we have to work on early in the season. I think those first couple games really helped us figure out what we need to work on to do what we did in this game.”
Senese said talking was the main ingredient.
“I think our biggest strength on the field was communicating,” Senese said. “We’re getting used to playing with one another, because we are a fairly new team.”
So are the Mustangs, who have an interesting blend of veterans and newcomers. They may lack the top-tier college recruits they have fielded in recent years but still have the stuff to make another run at their first sectional title.
One position Metea Valley is well-stocked at is goalkeeper. Coryell and fellow sophomore Myah Schoolman were on varsity last year but backed up since-graduated Amy Ahern. Now they are both are getting varsity minutes.
“It’s fun,” said Coryell, who went the full 80 minutes Tuesday. “We’re both really excited.
“The competition between us in practice is really fun. It’s a great opportunity for both of us.”
The Mustangs could get at least one more opportunity to knock off the Wildcats, who beat them last year in the regular season before Metea turned the tables in the sectional semifinals. The teams could meet again in the Naperville Invitational and in the postseason.
“(The season) should be a fun one,” Coryell said. “We have a lot of new people on the team this year so we’ve still got to get the chemistry a little bit, but we’re working hard in practice every day to get there.”
Overall, Whaley is pleased with what he has seen so far.
“We should have limited some of (Neuqua’s) opportunities but on a night like tonight, sometimes it comes down to a favorable bounce or a favorable skip, and it’s the difference in the game,” Whaley said. “But I was happy with the way the girls played in the second half.
“The ball was on our offensive half for a big part of it, and I think we had four or five corners in the second half, which is a good thing because it means you’re getting down there and creating opportunities.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Yanel Ortiz
D Shannon Tagler
D Erin McCarthy
D Kailey Serna
D Alex Lichtman
M Kayla Monis
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
F Sydney Rushing
F Alison Dovalovsky
F Leah Senese
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Morgan McCrary
D Katy Flanders
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Kayla Hurst
M Chesney Wargo
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Leah Senese, jr., F, Neuqua Valley.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Neuqua Valley – Leah Senese 29:40
Leah Senese's rebound gives Wildcat's big DVC road win
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA – Leah Senese had never played varsity soccer until this year.
And up until a few weeks ago, she had focused mostly on defense.
But the Neuqua Valley junior is adapting well to the highest level of high school soccer and to a new position, right wing, where Wildcats coach Joe Moreau moved her last month.
Indeed, Senese looked like a veteran when she alertly pounced on a rebound and scored in the 11th minute in the teams' Tuesday night DuPage Valley Conference opener at Metea Valley.
Senese’s first career goal gave the 20th-ranked defending DVC champions a 1-0 victory over their eighth-ranked District 204 rivals. And winning is another thing she’s fine with getting used to.
“It was really exciting,” said Senese, who is no relation to Metea Valley star Sophia Senese. “It was nice that my teammate worked hard for the shot, and then I was just there to finish it.”
Neuqua Valley junior forward Alison Dovalovsky triggered the decisive play when she fired a 28-yard rocket on frame. Metea Valley goalie Nikki Coryell stopped the one-hop shot but could not corral it in the wintery conditions that featured a cold rain for most of the match.
Leah Senese alertly got into the otherwise deserted box before any defender and beat Coryell to the rebound for a 10-yard finish at the 29:40 mark of the first half.
“I knew (Dovalovsky) had a hard shot,” she said. “And with the conditions, it was wet, so I knew I had to take my chances if (there) was a rebound, so I was just ready.
“I was prepared for anything to happen.”
The slick, frigid conditions made it hard for both teams, yet they played entertaining soccer and created plenty of chances. The Wildcats (2-3-0, 1-0-0) were the team that made things happen.
“I was just trying to get as many on frame as possible because of the slippery conditions,” Dovalovsky said. “Any shot, you don’t know what’s going to happen. It could bounce or it gets very slick.”
Coryell and her counterpart, Yanel Ortiz, were slick in the difficult conditions, keeping their teams in the game. Ortiz made three saves but also was impressive in catching every ball sent her way.
Coryell, whose team was outshot 16-8 in total shots, was busier and had a great effort with nine saves. Several shots gave her trouble including the one that led to Senese’s goal.
“She played well,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “She always does.
“It’s nights like tonight, though, you’ve got to be sharp. You’ve got to be at your best against a talented team.”
Coryell came close.
“It was pretty tough,” Coryell said of Dovalovsky’s shot. “I was just trying to get my body behind it, but unfortunately I couldn’t come up with it clean.
“It was just tough conditions. First conference game, it’s hard to come out right away against a crosstown rival, but it was a good game. Both teams fought hard.”
True, and the game was decided by a pair of bounces that both went Neuqua Valley’s way.
The first came in the sixth minute, when Metea Valley’s Illinois-bound forward Maeve Riordan beat Ortiz with a left-footed shot from 25 yards on the left wing, only to see the ball bounce off the right post.
The second led to Senese’s goal.
“It was great, I’m just really proud of her,” Dovalovsky said. “She’s been working really hard for that, and it’s something we’ve always been working on -- following the shot and always chasing the rebound because you never know what is going to happen.”
That seems like a no-brainer to any forward, but Senese has only been playing up-top for a short while, and she’s mostly been deployed on the outside. Moreau was pleased to see Senese rewarded for her effort.
“It’s nice. She’s playing a position she’s not used to playing, so she’s learning,” Moreau said. “She’s getting better every game in terms of understanding what the heck am I doing.
“You can’t coach speed. She’s got good speed.”
That’s an asset any team can use. The Wildcats used it to create a decent amount of pressure against the Mustangs (4-2-0, 0-1-0), the team that eliminated them from the 2017 state playoffs. Dovalovsky and Marquette-bound senior Alyssa Bombacino were the main beneficiaries of the wing work.
“We wanted some speed down the lines,” Senese said. “(The switch) has been a little difficult for me to adjust, because I usually play defense.
“I’ve been learning the outside a lot. Mainly I’m just learning to beat the player down the sideline and then cross it to my teammates.”
The Wildcats held a 9-1 edge in shots in the first half and controlled the midfield action. But the play was more even in the second half as the Mustangs adjusted even though the rain fell harder.
Neuqua Valley's Ortiz made all of her saves after intermission, including a leaping effort to knock down and then clear Paige Buranosky’s high-bouncing 50-yard free kick, and Riordan’s open shot from the left side of the box.
“Nikki is one of the best goalies around, but all our kids know her, and they know she’s quality,” Moreau said. “But look at Yanel -- she didn’t give up a rebound.
“She’s so underrated. If she was 5-(foot)-10 she’d be highly recruited. She just gets the job done.”
As did the Wildcats, who needed a boost as they are in the midst of perhaps their toughest schedule ever.
“It felt really good,” Dovalovsky said. “One of the reasons is we know a lot of the people on their team. They’re always very competitive, and it’s always nice to beat someone in a crosstown game.
“It feels great to get off to that start because with the tough competition that we have, we have to figure out what we have to work on early in the season. I think those first couple games really helped us figure out what we need to work on to do what we did in this game.”
Senese said talking was the main ingredient.
“I think our biggest strength on the field was communicating,” Senese said. “We’re getting used to playing with one another, because we are a fairly new team.”
So are the Mustangs, who have an interesting blend of veterans and newcomers. They may lack the top-tier college recruits they have fielded in recent years but still have the stuff to make another run at their first sectional title.
One position Metea Valley is well-stocked at is goalkeeper. Coryell and fellow sophomore Myah Schoolman were on varsity last year but backed up since-graduated Amy Ahern. Now they are both are getting varsity minutes.
“It’s fun,” said Coryell, who went the full 80 minutes Tuesday. “We’re both really excited.
“The competition between us in practice is really fun. It’s a great opportunity for both of us.”
The Mustangs could get at least one more opportunity to knock off the Wildcats, who beat them last year in the regular season before Metea turned the tables in the sectional semifinals. The teams could meet again in the Naperville Invitational and in the postseason.
“(The season) should be a fun one,” Coryell said. “We have a lot of new people on the team this year so we’ve still got to get the chemistry a little bit, but we’re working hard in practice every day to get there.”
Overall, Whaley is pleased with what he has seen so far.
“We should have limited some of (Neuqua’s) opportunities but on a night like tonight, sometimes it comes down to a favorable bounce or a favorable skip, and it’s the difference in the game,” Whaley said. “But I was happy with the way the girls played in the second half.
“The ball was on our offensive half for a big part of it, and I think we had four or five corners in the second half, which is a good thing because it means you’re getting down there and creating opportunities.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Yanel Ortiz
D Shannon Tagler
D Erin McCarthy
D Kailey Serna
D Alex Lichtman
M Kayla Monis
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
F Sydney Rushing
F Alison Dovalovsky
F Leah Senese
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Morgan McCrary
D Katy Flanders
M Sydney Rohm
M Sophia Senese
M Lauryn Wesolowski
M Kayla Hurst
M Chesney Wargo
F Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Leah Senese, jr., F, Neuqua Valley.
Scoring summary
1st Half
Neuqua Valley – Leah Senese 29:40