West Aurora loses lead, ties Aurora Central
Each goal scored with wind in 2-2 nonconference draw
By Jared Birchfield
AURORA – Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Aurora Central rallied in the second half goals to tie short-handed West Aurora 2-2 Saturday in a nonconference match at Bob Stewart Field.
Junior forward Kaelyn “KK” Nash scored both tallies for the host Crusaders.
The Blackhawks played without four starters including offensive threats Lizzy Kuhn and Krystal Diaz.
Both coaches agreed that a strong wind out of the south helped swing the momentum at halftime. West Aurora had the wind at its back in the first 40 minutes.
“It was a windy day and we struggled dealing with that in the first couple of minutes in second half,” said Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Briars. “In the second half we were kicking a little bit to counteract the wind and then we got into some running matches which is what we don't want to be doing.”
Plus, he had to deal with his depleted squad.
“We were missing Lizzie Kuhn and Krystal Diaz. Cristal Gutierrez and Xochitl Galvan are still out,” Briars said. “Lizzie had a band concert, and the other ones are all injuries.”
Head coach Laura Wagley missed the game to attend a wedding.
All four goals were scored with the wind in the teams’ sails.
“Definitely the wind. The wind was a big factor in the match,” agreed Aurora Central coach Enrique Anaya.
However, the Chargers manager felt his squad started the second half with a better attitude
“But at the same time, it was the momentum that we had coming into the half,” he said. “We were pushing forward and making sure we were pressing.”
Aurora Central was also able to pay back West Aurora for last year’s contest where the Blackhawks rallied in the second half to win.
“It was definitely different from last year when we had a 2-0 lead at halftime, and they came back to win 4-2,” noted Anaya.
Nash attributed the change in fortunes to Anaya’s words during intermission.
“I think the halftime talk really helped a lot,” she said. “It helped us get into the game mindset.”
The missing starters forced Briars to make changes to the top of West Aurora’s formation.
“We had a couple of girls who don't usually play forward, who played up there today. Baylee Geni played a lot of minutes up-top for us today, and she usually is an outside mid or an outside back for us,” Briars said.
“(Alphoncine) Tuyisenge always plays up-top. They did a really nice job with some combination plays in the first half. We were doing a good job of spacing the field out, finding each other and moving forward as a unit.”
The changes paid off quickly.
West Aurora (5-6-1) scored in the first minute of play. Bella Vargas’ shot from just outside the goal box found a gap between Chargers’ goalkeeper Jada Urbealis’ extended arm and the crossbar to hit the back of the net.
Tuyisenge scored from 10 yards at the 23:50 mark of the first half put West Aurora up 2-0.
“I was getting in position, because I know our coach tells us to expect the ball. Trust your players, and they’re going to get the ball to you,” said the West Aurora senior. “Emma (Mathis) got the ball to me. I did a move and took a shot, and it went in.”
Nash’s first second half goal completed a 30-yard free kick from the far sideline by teammate Alyssa Lozano in the 41st minute. Teammate Amanda Bush corralled the kick and passed it to Nash.
The junior finished the brace with 16 minutes left to play in the contest. She connected on a shot from just outside the goal.
“The ball was in the air, and I took it from there,” she said. “I shoved a few people who were on me. and I got a shot to the left post in the back.”
Nash just missed a hat-trick. Between her goals, the striker had a point-blank shot blocked by Urbealis.
Anaya felt Nash, Bush and Riley Russelberg’s play was also a catalyst in his team’s improved second half. Bush had to leave the game at the 19:52 mark of last period after colliding with a West Aurora player.
“KK and Amanda definitely helped. KK gave the defense chaos. She was pressing down and be able to push and when Amanda was on the field and playing defensive center mid, it helped.” said the Chargers coach. “Riley helped out a lot as a center tacking mid and helped KK make her runs.”
For her offensive effort, Nash was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
The defense for Aurora Central (4-6-2) also clicked in the second half according to its coach.
“In the beginning we lost track of who we are marking, but we stepped that up in the second half. Number 9 (Vargas) on their team definitely had a big force in their offense and being able to close her out was one of the biggest things,” Anaya said.
He also lauded the play of freshman midfielder Sofia Rufa.
“Having her play defensive center mid and talking helped a lot,” Anaya said. “She was able to control instead of just kicking.”
Overall, Briars was pleased with West Aurora’s effort.
“The defense in the first half was great. We could have done a little better with our communication. Other than that they played pretty well,” he said. “Arely Lares has played really well as sweeper in the last couple of games, and Abi Dietlin (seven saves) had a good game in goal.”
The Blackhawks midfield also did well in the first 40 minutes.
“There were a lot of 50/50 balls in the first half, and we did a good job of winning those and getting the ball forward quickly,” Briars said. “We struggled a little bit winning many of those 50/50s in the middle of the field (in the second half). Overall, I thought they played a good game.”
West Aurora has six regular-season games left, all against Southwest Prairie Conference rivals. Briars believes his squad will rise in the standings.
The Blackhawks are currently 2-2-0 in league play
“We want to finish on a high note,” he said. “At the beginning of this season, we had some ups and downs. We're kind of on an upward trend playing well these last couple of games.
“We'll try to get back to winning and end up in the top half of the standings.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK – Abi Dietlin
D – Arely Lares
D – Anahi Carlos
D – MJ Ceron
D – Gisselle Guerrero
MF – Arely Soto
MF – Emma Mathis
MF – Brenda Juarez
F – Baylee Geni
F – Bella Vargas
F – Alphoncine Tuyisenge
Aurora Central
GK – Jada Urbealis
D – Alyssa Lozano
D – Gabby Morales
D – Katie McDonnell
D – Ashley Ugalde
M- Alexa Munguia
M – Sofia Rufa
M – Mary Bush
F – KK Nash
F – Riley Russelburg
F – Melanie Nash
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: KK Bush, jr, F, Aurora Central
Scoring summary
First half
WA – Bella Vargas 1st minute
WA – Alphoncine Tuyisenge (Emma Mathis) 17th minute
Second half
AC – KK Nash (Amanda Bush) 50th minute
AC – KK Nash 71st minute
Each goal scored with wind in 2-2 nonconference draw
By Jared Birchfield
AURORA – Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Aurora Central rallied in the second half goals to tie short-handed West Aurora 2-2 Saturday in a nonconference match at Bob Stewart Field.
Junior forward Kaelyn “KK” Nash scored both tallies for the host Crusaders.
The Blackhawks played without four starters including offensive threats Lizzy Kuhn and Krystal Diaz.
Both coaches agreed that a strong wind out of the south helped swing the momentum at halftime. West Aurora had the wind at its back in the first 40 minutes.
“It was a windy day and we struggled dealing with that in the first couple of minutes in second half,” said Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Briars. “In the second half we were kicking a little bit to counteract the wind and then we got into some running matches which is what we don't want to be doing.”
Plus, he had to deal with his depleted squad.
“We were missing Lizzie Kuhn and Krystal Diaz. Cristal Gutierrez and Xochitl Galvan are still out,” Briars said. “Lizzie had a band concert, and the other ones are all injuries.”
Head coach Laura Wagley missed the game to attend a wedding.
All four goals were scored with the wind in the teams’ sails.
“Definitely the wind. The wind was a big factor in the match,” agreed Aurora Central coach Enrique Anaya.
However, the Chargers manager felt his squad started the second half with a better attitude
“But at the same time, it was the momentum that we had coming into the half,” he said. “We were pushing forward and making sure we were pressing.”
Aurora Central was also able to pay back West Aurora for last year’s contest where the Blackhawks rallied in the second half to win.
“It was definitely different from last year when we had a 2-0 lead at halftime, and they came back to win 4-2,” noted Anaya.
Nash attributed the change in fortunes to Anaya’s words during intermission.
“I think the halftime talk really helped a lot,” she said. “It helped us get into the game mindset.”
The missing starters forced Briars to make changes to the top of West Aurora’s formation.
“We had a couple of girls who don't usually play forward, who played up there today. Baylee Geni played a lot of minutes up-top for us today, and she usually is an outside mid or an outside back for us,” Briars said.
“(Alphoncine) Tuyisenge always plays up-top. They did a really nice job with some combination plays in the first half. We were doing a good job of spacing the field out, finding each other and moving forward as a unit.”
The changes paid off quickly.
West Aurora (5-6-1) scored in the first minute of play. Bella Vargas’ shot from just outside the goal box found a gap between Chargers’ goalkeeper Jada Urbealis’ extended arm and the crossbar to hit the back of the net.
Tuyisenge scored from 10 yards at the 23:50 mark of the first half put West Aurora up 2-0.
“I was getting in position, because I know our coach tells us to expect the ball. Trust your players, and they’re going to get the ball to you,” said the West Aurora senior. “Emma (Mathis) got the ball to me. I did a move and took a shot, and it went in.”
Nash’s first second half goal completed a 30-yard free kick from the far sideline by teammate Alyssa Lozano in the 41st minute. Teammate Amanda Bush corralled the kick and passed it to Nash.
The junior finished the brace with 16 minutes left to play in the contest. She connected on a shot from just outside the goal.
“The ball was in the air, and I took it from there,” she said. “I shoved a few people who were on me. and I got a shot to the left post in the back.”
Nash just missed a hat-trick. Between her goals, the striker had a point-blank shot blocked by Urbealis.
Anaya felt Nash, Bush and Riley Russelberg’s play was also a catalyst in his team’s improved second half. Bush had to leave the game at the 19:52 mark of last period after colliding with a West Aurora player.
“KK and Amanda definitely helped. KK gave the defense chaos. She was pressing down and be able to push and when Amanda was on the field and playing defensive center mid, it helped.” said the Chargers coach. “Riley helped out a lot as a center tacking mid and helped KK make her runs.”
For her offensive effort, Nash was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
The defense for Aurora Central (4-6-2) also clicked in the second half according to its coach.
“In the beginning we lost track of who we are marking, but we stepped that up in the second half. Number 9 (Vargas) on their team definitely had a big force in their offense and being able to close her out was one of the biggest things,” Anaya said.
He also lauded the play of freshman midfielder Sofia Rufa.
“Having her play defensive center mid and talking helped a lot,” Anaya said. “She was able to control instead of just kicking.”
Overall, Briars was pleased with West Aurora’s effort.
“The defense in the first half was great. We could have done a little better with our communication. Other than that they played pretty well,” he said. “Arely Lares has played really well as sweeper in the last couple of games, and Abi Dietlin (seven saves) had a good game in goal.”
The Blackhawks midfield also did well in the first 40 minutes.
“There were a lot of 50/50 balls in the first half, and we did a good job of winning those and getting the ball forward quickly,” Briars said. “We struggled a little bit winning many of those 50/50s in the middle of the field (in the second half). Overall, I thought they played a good game.”
West Aurora has six regular-season games left, all against Southwest Prairie Conference rivals. Briars believes his squad will rise in the standings.
The Blackhawks are currently 2-2-0 in league play
“We want to finish on a high note,” he said. “At the beginning of this season, we had some ups and downs. We're kind of on an upward trend playing well these last couple of games.
“We'll try to get back to winning and end up in the top half of the standings.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK – Abi Dietlin
D – Arely Lares
D – Anahi Carlos
D – MJ Ceron
D – Gisselle Guerrero
MF – Arely Soto
MF – Emma Mathis
MF – Brenda Juarez
F – Baylee Geni
F – Bella Vargas
F – Alphoncine Tuyisenge
Aurora Central
GK – Jada Urbealis
D – Alyssa Lozano
D – Gabby Morales
D – Katie McDonnell
D – Ashley Ugalde
M- Alexa Munguia
M – Sofia Rufa
M – Mary Bush
F – KK Nash
F – Riley Russelburg
F – Melanie Nash
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: KK Bush, jr, F, Aurora Central
Scoring summary
First half
WA – Bella Vargas 1st minute
WA – Alphoncine Tuyisenge (Emma Mathis) 17th minute
Second half
AC – KK Nash (Amanda Bush) 50th minute
AC – KK Nash 71st minute