Bombacino breaks free, leads
Neuqua Valley over Naperville Central
Senior’s 2nd goal of season lifts Neuqua to big 1-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Neuqua Valley midfielder Alyssa Bombacino hasn’t found the back of the net as much as she’d like to so far this spring.
A significant part of the reason is the renewed attention she draws from opposing defenses, which forces her to contribute in other useful ways, as is the tough competition the Wildcats play.
But the Marquette recruit remains as dangerous as ever, as she proved Saturday.
Bombacino scored her second goal of the season – and first game-winner – early in the second half as Neuqua Valley edged Naperville Central 1-0 on the road at Memorial Stadium.
The 10th-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 extended its winning streak to four games. The victories include conference scores against no. 6 Metea Valley, no. 11 Waubonsie Valley, and a nonconference win versus downstate Collinsville (then ranked no. 1 in the Illinois 10 poll.
Bombacino’s goal came with 33:26 left in the second half off a cross from junior Alison Dovalovsky.
“That was nice,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “It was a pretty goal.
“Obviously, she’s been doing good things for us. It’s not necessarily scoring a lot of goals but getting the ball, controlling it and distributing it.”
Bombacino, a four-year starter, wouldn’t admit to be frustrated over the lack of scoring opportunities, pointing out that the double-teams she faces are creating opportunities for players like Dovalovsky to show what they can do.
“Sometimes they will double mark me,” Bombacino said. “But that will just leave an opening for Ali or Leah (Senese) to get on the ball, so that has been helpful for us.”
It certainly was helpful on the decisive play. Dovalovsky attacked up the right side and the Redhawks lost track of Bombacino, who crashed the net and knocked in Dovalovsky’s serve.
“We practice those kinds of plays every day,” Bombacino said. “I kind of know that she’s able to get the cross off, so I make the run every time she has the ball.”
Dovalovsky made the most of one of the few opportunities either side had in the arctic conditions and was happy to assist Bombacino.
“I was dribbling up the line,” Dovalovsky said. “I just knew there would be people running in, we’ve been working on getting into the box and making runs and I could see (there was no one) around her.
“It is really nice to see her score just because we work on finding the combination between the two of us.”
Naperville Central coach Ed Watson wasn’t as thrilled to witness it.
“We lost their best player in the middle of the field and their best player isn’t going to miss,” Watson said. “That’s the difference in the game.
“They had the majority of the play. We defended most of the game but the girls we put out there battled their rear ends off.”
Indeed, the Redhawks (5-6-0, 1-2-0) hung in until the end despite being outshot 14-4. They did so despite missing a half-dozen starters and having to plug some reserves into their back line.
One of the players taking on increased responsibility was junior Caroline Giannone, who took the place of Grace Anderson at one of the center back slots. Giannone was facing the Wildcats for the first time since suffering a broken ankle against Neuqua a year ago.
“She was our best player on the field today,” Watson said. “As of February, she wasn’t sure whether she was ever going to play soccer again.
“Now, not only is she playing but she’s playing at a high level. She was fantastic today and that’s what high school soccer is about.
“That kid did everything she had to do. The most important hurdle was the fear factor.”
Giannone had two surgeries on her ankle, the first to insert rods and plates and the second to remove them in October. She was cleared to play a week before tryouts and hasn’t shied away from making tackles.
“Obviously, it would be a lot better to win but I told myself that getting through the game would be a victory because it’s a big mental block,” Giannone said. “Every other game has been hard but this is the game, even though we lost, it feels good to get that done.
“My legs are always sore but I’m working my way back.”
The Redhawks hope to get Anderson back from shin splints before the playoffs, but the defense, led by Northern Illinois recruit Sarah Avery, remains strong. Goalies Erin McHugh and Sophie Epelbaum made two and six saves, respectively, against the Wildcats. Epelbaum had the stop of the day, tipping Katelyn Nardulli’s 25-yard shot off the crossbar.
“Having some of our main players hurt, we’re just trying to work together and get everything situated,” Giannone said. “I think defensively we’re doing really well, it’s just attacking we need to create more goals. It’s frustrating.”
Both teams were frustrated by the frigid temperatures and gusting crosswind, which forced them to play balls on the ground. There were few scoring opportunities and each side missed one golden chance.
Neuqua’s Sydney Rushing missed an open shot that would have given the visitors a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes left and Naperville Central had a crack at the equalizer with 3:36 to go after a nice push that saw Maddie Feldott take the ball up the left wing and cross in front to Hannah Bradley-Leon, whose eight-yarder missed the left post.
“We don’t have enough firepower,” Watson said. “When we get our chance, we have to capitalize on it.
“We had a chance to tie the game and the girls were in the right spot. The ball got where it needed be and Hannah was where she needed to be. The ball just didn’t go in.”
But the ball seems to be bouncing the right way for the Wildcats (4-3, 3-0), who are in sole possession of the DVC lead after knocking off three local rivals. Wheaton Warrenville South (6-1, 1-0) is the only other team without a league loss.
“I think we’re pretty happy with how we’ve done so far,” Bombacino said. “We really wanted to win (against) Waubonsie and Metea.
“We did that and now Central. We checked all three of those off the list.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Kasey Gillespie
D Shannon Tagler
D Erin McCarthy
D Kailey Serna
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Danielle Hopkins
M Kayla Monis
F Sydney Rushing
F Leah Senese
F Alison Dovalovsky
Naperville Central
GK Erin McHugh
D Emma Irle
D Sarah Avery
D Caroline Giannone
D Abbey Hillman
M Savannah Smith
M Alyssa Lanzon
M Hannah Bradley-Leon
M Maddie Mills
F Liz Barker
F Caroline Ready
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Alyssa Bombacino, sr., M, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
2nd half
Neuqua Valley – Alyssa Bombacino (Alison Dovalovsky) 33:26
Neuqua Valley over Naperville Central
Senior’s 2nd goal of season lifts Neuqua to big 1-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Neuqua Valley midfielder Alyssa Bombacino hasn’t found the back of the net as much as she’d like to so far this spring.
A significant part of the reason is the renewed attention she draws from opposing defenses, which forces her to contribute in other useful ways, as is the tough competition the Wildcats play.
But the Marquette recruit remains as dangerous as ever, as she proved Saturday.
Bombacino scored her second goal of the season – and first game-winner – early in the second half as Neuqua Valley edged Naperville Central 1-0 on the road at Memorial Stadium.
The 10th-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 extended its winning streak to four games. The victories include conference scores against no. 6 Metea Valley, no. 11 Waubonsie Valley, and a nonconference win versus downstate Collinsville (then ranked no. 1 in the Illinois 10 poll.
Bombacino’s goal came with 33:26 left in the second half off a cross from junior Alison Dovalovsky.
“That was nice,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “It was a pretty goal.
“Obviously, she’s been doing good things for us. It’s not necessarily scoring a lot of goals but getting the ball, controlling it and distributing it.”
Bombacino, a four-year starter, wouldn’t admit to be frustrated over the lack of scoring opportunities, pointing out that the double-teams she faces are creating opportunities for players like Dovalovsky to show what they can do.
“Sometimes they will double mark me,” Bombacino said. “But that will just leave an opening for Ali or Leah (Senese) to get on the ball, so that has been helpful for us.”
It certainly was helpful on the decisive play. Dovalovsky attacked up the right side and the Redhawks lost track of Bombacino, who crashed the net and knocked in Dovalovsky’s serve.
“We practice those kinds of plays every day,” Bombacino said. “I kind of know that she’s able to get the cross off, so I make the run every time she has the ball.”
Dovalovsky made the most of one of the few opportunities either side had in the arctic conditions and was happy to assist Bombacino.
“I was dribbling up the line,” Dovalovsky said. “I just knew there would be people running in, we’ve been working on getting into the box and making runs and I could see (there was no one) around her.
“It is really nice to see her score just because we work on finding the combination between the two of us.”
Naperville Central coach Ed Watson wasn’t as thrilled to witness it.
“We lost their best player in the middle of the field and their best player isn’t going to miss,” Watson said. “That’s the difference in the game.
“They had the majority of the play. We defended most of the game but the girls we put out there battled their rear ends off.”
Indeed, the Redhawks (5-6-0, 1-2-0) hung in until the end despite being outshot 14-4. They did so despite missing a half-dozen starters and having to plug some reserves into their back line.
One of the players taking on increased responsibility was junior Caroline Giannone, who took the place of Grace Anderson at one of the center back slots. Giannone was facing the Wildcats for the first time since suffering a broken ankle against Neuqua a year ago.
“She was our best player on the field today,” Watson said. “As of February, she wasn’t sure whether she was ever going to play soccer again.
“Now, not only is she playing but she’s playing at a high level. She was fantastic today and that’s what high school soccer is about.
“That kid did everything she had to do. The most important hurdle was the fear factor.”
Giannone had two surgeries on her ankle, the first to insert rods and plates and the second to remove them in October. She was cleared to play a week before tryouts and hasn’t shied away from making tackles.
“Obviously, it would be a lot better to win but I told myself that getting through the game would be a victory because it’s a big mental block,” Giannone said. “Every other game has been hard but this is the game, even though we lost, it feels good to get that done.
“My legs are always sore but I’m working my way back.”
The Redhawks hope to get Anderson back from shin splints before the playoffs, but the defense, led by Northern Illinois recruit Sarah Avery, remains strong. Goalies Erin McHugh and Sophie Epelbaum made two and six saves, respectively, against the Wildcats. Epelbaum had the stop of the day, tipping Katelyn Nardulli’s 25-yard shot off the crossbar.
“Having some of our main players hurt, we’re just trying to work together and get everything situated,” Giannone said. “I think defensively we’re doing really well, it’s just attacking we need to create more goals. It’s frustrating.”
Both teams were frustrated by the frigid temperatures and gusting crosswind, which forced them to play balls on the ground. There were few scoring opportunities and each side missed one golden chance.
Neuqua’s Sydney Rushing missed an open shot that would have given the visitors a 2-0 lead with 23 minutes left and Naperville Central had a crack at the equalizer with 3:36 to go after a nice push that saw Maddie Feldott take the ball up the left wing and cross in front to Hannah Bradley-Leon, whose eight-yarder missed the left post.
“We don’t have enough firepower,” Watson said. “When we get our chance, we have to capitalize on it.
“We had a chance to tie the game and the girls were in the right spot. The ball got where it needed be and Hannah was where she needed to be. The ball just didn’t go in.”
But the ball seems to be bouncing the right way for the Wildcats (4-3, 3-0), who are in sole possession of the DVC lead after knocking off three local rivals. Wheaton Warrenville South (6-1, 1-0) is the only other team without a league loss.
“I think we’re pretty happy with how we’ve done so far,” Bombacino said. “We really wanted to win (against) Waubonsie and Metea.
“We did that and now Central. We checked all three of those off the list.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Kasey Gillespie
D Shannon Tagler
D Erin McCarthy
D Kailey Serna
M Alyssa Bombacino
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Danielle Hopkins
M Kayla Monis
F Sydney Rushing
F Leah Senese
F Alison Dovalovsky
Naperville Central
GK Erin McHugh
D Emma Irle
D Sarah Avery
D Caroline Giannone
D Abbey Hillman
M Savannah Smith
M Alyssa Lanzon
M Hannah Bradley-Leon
M Maddie Mills
F Liz Barker
F Caroline Ready
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Alyssa Bombacino, sr., M, Neuqua Valley
Scoring summary
2nd half
Neuqua Valley – Alyssa Bombacino (Alison Dovalovsky) 33:26