Prospect prospect Mekky takes out DGS
Knights freshman bags late brace in 2-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE -- Prospect forward Hannah Mekky felt a bit intimidated as she prepared to start her high school career.
That’s understandable considering she is a freshman playing on a veteran team that has 14 seniors.
But judging by early returns, it is Prospect opponents who should be intimidated.
Mekky scored her first prep goal in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Auburn and followed that with a much more impressive feat Monday.
Mekky came off the bench and scored both goals, including a brilliant volley off a corner kick, to lift the visiting Knights to a 2-0 win over Downers Grove South.
“At first I was a little nervous coming in because most of the team is seniors,” Mekky said. “But they’ve all made me feel welcome. It’s been a lot of fun, and I love playing with this level of competition.”
Mekky’s performance has helped Prospect up its level of play in the early going. The Knights are off to a 2-0-2 start, which includes a 1-1 draw with New Trier, a side that has played in the last five state championship games.
“She’s always energetic, always getting after the ball,” Prospect senior Ashley Welk said. “She’s putting pressure on the defense, and she has a great shot.”
Mekky proved that on both of her goals, which came late in the evenly-played match. On the first, Mekky found herself open with nothing but space in front of her and teed up a 25-yard shot on the run.
Downers South goalie Angel Biondo lunged to her left and got both hands on the ball, but no player was there to clear it and after several agonizing seconds it rolled inside the right post with 18:44 remaining.
But it was Mekky’s second strike that turned heads and put the game out of reach.
Senior Ella Marzolf fired a corner kick from the left side to the near post. Mekky met the ball about 10 yards from the net and volleyed it diagonally past Biondo and inside the far post with 4:17 to go.
“I just saw the ball coming in, and I knew that I had to attack it,” Mekky said. “The play was to run near post and to get in front of the play. So that’s all I did, and it ended up working.”
Prospect coach Tom Froats called the shot “an incredible touch” and Mekky’s teammates were equally impressed.
“I thought it was amazing,” Welk said. “I was so happy; two beautiful goals.”
Those proved to be the difference in a game that easily could have gone either way. Downers South (0-2-1) has played well so far but has yet to get the result it desires.
The Mustangs had a few near-misses in this one. The best chance came two minutes after Mekky’s opener. Senior midfielder Lauren Victorin ripped a 35-yard shot that hit the crossbar and came back to Prospect goalie Annie Ninness, who bobbled the ball but held on.
Ninness made three saves, including a stop on a 32-yard drive off the foot of Indiana State recruit Jordan Rose in the first half and a denial of Talia Davis’ attempt from 25 yards away.
Olivia Meyer and Nicole Fajardo also had shots that missed wide.
“It was frustrating,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “You can tell we’re still trying to click in the attack. It’s coming little by little.
“We were pleased with how we played in the first half. Second half it was a game of details, and the details got away from us a little bit.”
While the Knights had more of the possession in the second half, particularly in the final 20 minutes, the Mustangs outshot Prospect in both halves, finishing with a 10-6 advantage.
“We played really good,” Rose said. “I feel like we’re learning how to play better with each other and what works for us.
“When we get scored on, (we cannot) shut down. We need to finish the game to the end.”
Junior forward Maddie Raftery concurred and said the Knights had something to do with that.
“The other team was really good,” Raftery said. “I thought we played a great game.
“We didn’t finish our chances, and we’re still working some things out defensively. But I think we keep improving every game.”
So, too, are the Knights, whose blend of experience and talent have them dreaming big. Even when the Mustangs had the better of the run of play in the first half, Prospect defenders Madalyn Ladd, Helen Siavelis, Ashley Erikson and Ashley Behles stepped up and stopped each attack in its tracks.
“The backline was solid right from the start,” Froats said. “I think that’s one of our strengths.
“Offensively, when we push we can be creative, and I think the second half we opened it up a little bit. They certainly had their chances, and I think we were fortunate with the one that went off the crossbar and a couple that went wide. But sometimes luck being on your side isn’t a bad thing.”
Neither is versatility and the Knights are unusually gifted in that respect. They are comfortable playing either three in the back or four, switching between the two strategies as needed.
“We’ve been switching up our formation a lot,” Ladd said. “Against high-caliber teams we’ve been playing four in the back, which definitely helps supporting each other.
“Depending on the team, we switch up our formations and also having our midfield tuck in really helps.”
If the Knights keep playing the way they have, that could add up to double-digit victories.
“I think we’re going to have an amazing season,” Ladd said. “Having an older team really helps us because we have a lot of experience, and I think this is one of the fastest teams we’ve ever had at Prospect. So hopefully we will be able to outrun a lot of our opponents.”
That’s not the only key to success.
“We work together really well, and we’re all actually friends on and off the field so that helps,” Welk noted. “We have great players at every level of the field. I think we’re going to be really strong this year.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Annie Ninness
D Madalyn Ladd
D Helen Siavelis
D Ashley Erikson
D Ashley Behles
M Kristin Schneider
M Ella Marzolf
M Tina Suto
M Ashley Adams
F Ashley Welk
F Abbey Danciu
Downers Grove South
GK Angel Biondo
D Savannah Hanyzewski
D Taylor Petring
D Lauren Travis
D Brynn Davis
M Gabriella Galvez
M Jordan Rose
M Lauren Victorin
F Paige Reichert
F Nicole Fajardo
F Maddie Raftery
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hannah Mekky, fr., F, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Prospect – Hannah Mekky 18:37
Prospect – Mekky (Ella Marzolf) 4:17
Knights freshman bags late brace in 2-0 win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE -- Prospect forward Hannah Mekky felt a bit intimidated as she prepared to start her high school career.
That’s understandable considering she is a freshman playing on a veteran team that has 14 seniors.
But judging by early returns, it is Prospect opponents who should be intimidated.
Mekky scored her first prep goal in Saturday’s 8-0 win over Auburn and followed that with a much more impressive feat Monday.
Mekky came off the bench and scored both goals, including a brilliant volley off a corner kick, to lift the visiting Knights to a 2-0 win over Downers Grove South.
“At first I was a little nervous coming in because most of the team is seniors,” Mekky said. “But they’ve all made me feel welcome. It’s been a lot of fun, and I love playing with this level of competition.”
Mekky’s performance has helped Prospect up its level of play in the early going. The Knights are off to a 2-0-2 start, which includes a 1-1 draw with New Trier, a side that has played in the last five state championship games.
“She’s always energetic, always getting after the ball,” Prospect senior Ashley Welk said. “She’s putting pressure on the defense, and she has a great shot.”
Mekky proved that on both of her goals, which came late in the evenly-played match. On the first, Mekky found herself open with nothing but space in front of her and teed up a 25-yard shot on the run.
Downers South goalie Angel Biondo lunged to her left and got both hands on the ball, but no player was there to clear it and after several agonizing seconds it rolled inside the right post with 18:44 remaining.
But it was Mekky’s second strike that turned heads and put the game out of reach.
Senior Ella Marzolf fired a corner kick from the left side to the near post. Mekky met the ball about 10 yards from the net and volleyed it diagonally past Biondo and inside the far post with 4:17 to go.
“I just saw the ball coming in, and I knew that I had to attack it,” Mekky said. “The play was to run near post and to get in front of the play. So that’s all I did, and it ended up working.”
Prospect coach Tom Froats called the shot “an incredible touch” and Mekky’s teammates were equally impressed.
“I thought it was amazing,” Welk said. “I was so happy; two beautiful goals.”
Those proved to be the difference in a game that easily could have gone either way. Downers South (0-2-1) has played well so far but has yet to get the result it desires.
The Mustangs had a few near-misses in this one. The best chance came two minutes after Mekky’s opener. Senior midfielder Lauren Victorin ripped a 35-yard shot that hit the crossbar and came back to Prospect goalie Annie Ninness, who bobbled the ball but held on.
Ninness made three saves, including a stop on a 32-yard drive off the foot of Indiana State recruit Jordan Rose in the first half and a denial of Talia Davis’ attempt from 25 yards away.
Olivia Meyer and Nicole Fajardo also had shots that missed wide.
“It was frustrating,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “You can tell we’re still trying to click in the attack. It’s coming little by little.
“We were pleased with how we played in the first half. Second half it was a game of details, and the details got away from us a little bit.”
While the Knights had more of the possession in the second half, particularly in the final 20 minutes, the Mustangs outshot Prospect in both halves, finishing with a 10-6 advantage.
“We played really good,” Rose said. “I feel like we’re learning how to play better with each other and what works for us.
“When we get scored on, (we cannot) shut down. We need to finish the game to the end.”
Junior forward Maddie Raftery concurred and said the Knights had something to do with that.
“The other team was really good,” Raftery said. “I thought we played a great game.
“We didn’t finish our chances, and we’re still working some things out defensively. But I think we keep improving every game.”
So, too, are the Knights, whose blend of experience and talent have them dreaming big. Even when the Mustangs had the better of the run of play in the first half, Prospect defenders Madalyn Ladd, Helen Siavelis, Ashley Erikson and Ashley Behles stepped up and stopped each attack in its tracks.
“The backline was solid right from the start,” Froats said. “I think that’s one of our strengths.
“Offensively, when we push we can be creative, and I think the second half we opened it up a little bit. They certainly had their chances, and I think we were fortunate with the one that went off the crossbar and a couple that went wide. But sometimes luck being on your side isn’t a bad thing.”
Neither is versatility and the Knights are unusually gifted in that respect. They are comfortable playing either three in the back or four, switching between the two strategies as needed.
“We’ve been switching up our formation a lot,” Ladd said. “Against high-caliber teams we’ve been playing four in the back, which definitely helps supporting each other.
“Depending on the team, we switch up our formations and also having our midfield tuck in really helps.”
If the Knights keep playing the way they have, that could add up to double-digit victories.
“I think we’re going to have an amazing season,” Ladd said. “Having an older team really helps us because we have a lot of experience, and I think this is one of the fastest teams we’ve ever had at Prospect. So hopefully we will be able to outrun a lot of our opponents.”
That’s not the only key to success.
“We work together really well, and we’re all actually friends on and off the field so that helps,” Welk noted. “We have great players at every level of the field. I think we’re going to be really strong this year.”
Starting lineups
Prospect
GK Annie Ninness
D Madalyn Ladd
D Helen Siavelis
D Ashley Erikson
D Ashley Behles
M Kristin Schneider
M Ella Marzolf
M Tina Suto
M Ashley Adams
F Ashley Welk
F Abbey Danciu
Downers Grove South
GK Angel Biondo
D Savannah Hanyzewski
D Taylor Petring
D Lauren Travis
D Brynn Davis
M Gabriella Galvez
M Jordan Rose
M Lauren Victorin
F Paige Reichert
F Nicole Fajardo
F Maddie Raftery
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Hannah Mekky, fr., F, Prospect
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Prospect – Hannah Mekky 18:37
Prospect – Mekky (Ella Marzolf) 4:17