Salvato leads Bartlett past West Chicago
Solo tally holds up after storm halts play midway through 2nd half
By Ken Keenan
BARTLETT -- Bartlett snapped a four-game losing skid with a 1-0 win over visiting West Chicago in a weather-shortened Upstate Eight Conference contest Monday afternoon.
Due to lightning in the area and an ensuing thunderstorm, the match was stopped with 22:18 remaining in the second half.
The Hawks (5-7-2 overall, 3-1-0 conference) tasted victory for the first time since posting a 2-0 win over Larkin on April 11. They also found the back of the net for the first time since that day.
Ultra-dangerous Bartlett sophomore forward Serena Salvato, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, ended the goal-less streak with a tap-in on the doorstep with 21:41 to go in the first half.
After a multi-touch passing sequence, Hawks junior midfielder Maddie Donnelly fed the ball to Salvato, who deked left before finishing past West Chicago (6-8-3, 1-5-1) senior goalkeeper Haley Rich.
"I made the run and Maddie gave me the ball -- and I was not gonna give up," said Salvato, who had numerous other scoring opportunities throughout the abbreviated affair. "It definitely boosted our spirits. If we would have had more time in the second half, I think we would have put some more in the net.
"We had a lot of chances, but we didn't finish as many as we'd like. But we were able to get shots. Right from the start, our passing was really on point."
It took less than 30 seconds for Salvato to take her first shot of the match, a close-in drive from the right side that Rich stopped at the near post. Two minutes later, Salvato concluded a long run down the right side with a 20-yard shot that was nabbed by Rich.
In the 10th minute, Rich made a nice save on a short strike by Salvato. With 26:40 to go in the opening session, tenacious Bartlett senior mid Mikalya Brown and Salvato teamed up for a rush that ended with a bending shot by shifty junior mid Christina Mondelli that missed wide-right.
Salvato then tallied in the 19th minute to end her team's scoreless drought.
"We've had a tough time lately putting in goals, and today was no different," said Hawks head coach Vince Revak. "Finally, Serena's goal broke our mental block.
"The fact of the matter, we're not figuring a way to connect in the opponents' third. The good news, we were able to possess (vs. West Chicago), and we were finding wide players. We just have to find a way to reward ourselves more often."
Mother Nature didn't allow the Wildcats enough time to possibly erase the deficit, adding another blow to a squad suffering from the absence of injured junior forward Giselle Navejas (nine goals, 11 assists). Key senior mid Evelyn Hernandez also was out of the lineup with an injury.
On top of that, West Chicago was playing for the fifth time in an eight-day stretch.
"We've been playing shorthanded -- one or no subs the last five games," said Wildcats skipper J. Cesar Gomez. "It's frustrating, but no excuses. I thought Bartlett brought the game to us. They were aggressive and took advantage of what they had.
"We tried to put something together, but it's more difficult being shorthanded. Right now, the personnel is not there. With a full roster, we're a pretty good team."
Wildcats senior mid Barbie Castellanos, who leads the team in goals (15) this season, did her best to keep West Chicago within striking range.
In the 9th minute, Castellanos skipped a 40-yard strike wide-right, and she was stopped by Bartlett senior keeper Jessica Hill on a low, 35-yard try with 19:50 to go before the break.
Four minutes into the second half, Castellanos secured a pass from sophomore mid Emily Ayala and sent a 25-yard missile that was snuffed by Bartlett freshman keeper Caitlin Yurkovich, who replaced Hill to start the second half.
"Barbie (Castellanos) is our best player," Gomez said. "When she has a supporting cast around her, most of the time she gets on the board. She had a few chances (on Monday), but Bartlett marked her pretty good."
The Hawks had several chances to increase the margin after Salvato scored, including a left-footed, 20-yard shot on the run by senior midfielder Rachel Helgesen in the 24th minute; a 15-yard try from the right side by Salvato in the 30th minute that Rich saved; a sizzling, 15-yard strike by senior mid Morgan Myers stopped by Rich in the 35th minute; a quick shot by freshman forward Tessa Evans in the 37th minute saved in juggling fashion by Rich; and a 30-yard boot by Myers -- set up on a nice dish from Salvato -- nabbed by the busy Rich in the 38th minute.
Salvato then banged a blast off the left post from 20 yards with only 30 seconds left before halftime.
Before the storm hit, Brown passed to Evans for a wide-angle try from the left side that Rich stopped in the 41st minute. Brown also stole a ball in the 48th minute, resulting in a 20-yard strike by Evans that sailed wide-right.
"Serena (Salvato) has the speed and an eye for the goal," Revak said. "Mikayla (Brown), she's our firecracker. Her distribution was excellent -- possessing, looking for the passes."
Added Salvato: "Mikayla is a beast on the field. We work well together. We help each other, and we're really good communicating with each other."
As the skies began to darken, the Hawks kept attacking. With 29:40 showing, Myers launched a laser off the crossbar, and Salvato narrowly missed wide-left on the doorstep 20 seconds later.
Myers also missed the target in the 53rd and 54th minutes. Soon after, flashes of lightning targeted an early conclusion.
"It felt really good to win," Salvato said. "It gave us some confidence back. We really stepped up and played good today. The losing streak got in our heads a bit, but now we're more confident for the rest of the season."
Meanwhile, West Chicago will get some well-earned rest -- and a chance to regroup. The Wildcats are off until a match at Streamwood on May 1.
"Mentally, we're OK," Gomez said. "I told the girls, 'It's a difficult situation (with the injuries and recent hectic slate), but you have to face it.' But we should be OK. We have a week off coming up. Hopefully, we'll come back strong."
Starting lineups
West Chicago
G: Haley Rich
D: Luciana Balzer
D: Irene Dino
D: Odalis Martinez
M: Jimena Padilla
M: Barbie Castellanos
M: Dulce Reyes
M: Melissa Pani
M: Emily Ayala
F: Britney Mendoza
F: Ruby Lebo
Bartlett
G: Jessica Hill
D: Sabrina Fowler
D: Kaley Kowal
D: Paige Bednarke
D: Madison Neer
M: Christina Mondelli
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Mikalya Brown
M: Morgan Myers
F: Tessa Evans
F: Serena Salvato
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Serena Salvato, so., F, Bartlett
Officials: Kevin O'Connor, Doug Neufeldt, Curt Wegner
Scoring summary
First half
Bartlett: Serena Salvato (assisted by Maddie Donnelly) in 19th minute
Second half
No scoring
Solo tally holds up after storm halts play midway through 2nd half
By Ken Keenan
BARTLETT -- Bartlett snapped a four-game losing skid with a 1-0 win over visiting West Chicago in a weather-shortened Upstate Eight Conference contest Monday afternoon.
Due to lightning in the area and an ensuing thunderstorm, the match was stopped with 22:18 remaining in the second half.
The Hawks (5-7-2 overall, 3-1-0 conference) tasted victory for the first time since posting a 2-0 win over Larkin on April 11. They also found the back of the net for the first time since that day.
Ultra-dangerous Bartlett sophomore forward Serena Salvato, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, ended the goal-less streak with a tap-in on the doorstep with 21:41 to go in the first half.
After a multi-touch passing sequence, Hawks junior midfielder Maddie Donnelly fed the ball to Salvato, who deked left before finishing past West Chicago (6-8-3, 1-5-1) senior goalkeeper Haley Rich.
"I made the run and Maddie gave me the ball -- and I was not gonna give up," said Salvato, who had numerous other scoring opportunities throughout the abbreviated affair. "It definitely boosted our spirits. If we would have had more time in the second half, I think we would have put some more in the net.
"We had a lot of chances, but we didn't finish as many as we'd like. But we were able to get shots. Right from the start, our passing was really on point."
It took less than 30 seconds for Salvato to take her first shot of the match, a close-in drive from the right side that Rich stopped at the near post. Two minutes later, Salvato concluded a long run down the right side with a 20-yard shot that was nabbed by Rich.
In the 10th minute, Rich made a nice save on a short strike by Salvato. With 26:40 to go in the opening session, tenacious Bartlett senior mid Mikalya Brown and Salvato teamed up for a rush that ended with a bending shot by shifty junior mid Christina Mondelli that missed wide-right.
Salvato then tallied in the 19th minute to end her team's scoreless drought.
"We've had a tough time lately putting in goals, and today was no different," said Hawks head coach Vince Revak. "Finally, Serena's goal broke our mental block.
"The fact of the matter, we're not figuring a way to connect in the opponents' third. The good news, we were able to possess (vs. West Chicago), and we were finding wide players. We just have to find a way to reward ourselves more often."
Mother Nature didn't allow the Wildcats enough time to possibly erase the deficit, adding another blow to a squad suffering from the absence of injured junior forward Giselle Navejas (nine goals, 11 assists). Key senior mid Evelyn Hernandez also was out of the lineup with an injury.
On top of that, West Chicago was playing for the fifth time in an eight-day stretch.
"We've been playing shorthanded -- one or no subs the last five games," said Wildcats skipper J. Cesar Gomez. "It's frustrating, but no excuses. I thought Bartlett brought the game to us. They were aggressive and took advantage of what they had.
"We tried to put something together, but it's more difficult being shorthanded. Right now, the personnel is not there. With a full roster, we're a pretty good team."
Wildcats senior mid Barbie Castellanos, who leads the team in goals (15) this season, did her best to keep West Chicago within striking range.
In the 9th minute, Castellanos skipped a 40-yard strike wide-right, and she was stopped by Bartlett senior keeper Jessica Hill on a low, 35-yard try with 19:50 to go before the break.
Four minutes into the second half, Castellanos secured a pass from sophomore mid Emily Ayala and sent a 25-yard missile that was snuffed by Bartlett freshman keeper Caitlin Yurkovich, who replaced Hill to start the second half.
"Barbie (Castellanos) is our best player," Gomez said. "When she has a supporting cast around her, most of the time she gets on the board. She had a few chances (on Monday), but Bartlett marked her pretty good."
The Hawks had several chances to increase the margin after Salvato scored, including a left-footed, 20-yard shot on the run by senior midfielder Rachel Helgesen in the 24th minute; a 15-yard try from the right side by Salvato in the 30th minute that Rich saved; a sizzling, 15-yard strike by senior mid Morgan Myers stopped by Rich in the 35th minute; a quick shot by freshman forward Tessa Evans in the 37th minute saved in juggling fashion by Rich; and a 30-yard boot by Myers -- set up on a nice dish from Salvato -- nabbed by the busy Rich in the 38th minute.
Salvato then banged a blast off the left post from 20 yards with only 30 seconds left before halftime.
Before the storm hit, Brown passed to Evans for a wide-angle try from the left side that Rich stopped in the 41st minute. Brown also stole a ball in the 48th minute, resulting in a 20-yard strike by Evans that sailed wide-right.
"Serena (Salvato) has the speed and an eye for the goal," Revak said. "Mikayla (Brown), she's our firecracker. Her distribution was excellent -- possessing, looking for the passes."
Added Salvato: "Mikayla is a beast on the field. We work well together. We help each other, and we're really good communicating with each other."
As the skies began to darken, the Hawks kept attacking. With 29:40 showing, Myers launched a laser off the crossbar, and Salvato narrowly missed wide-left on the doorstep 20 seconds later.
Myers also missed the target in the 53rd and 54th minutes. Soon after, flashes of lightning targeted an early conclusion.
"It felt really good to win," Salvato said. "It gave us some confidence back. We really stepped up and played good today. The losing streak got in our heads a bit, but now we're more confident for the rest of the season."
Meanwhile, West Chicago will get some well-earned rest -- and a chance to regroup. The Wildcats are off until a match at Streamwood on May 1.
"Mentally, we're OK," Gomez said. "I told the girls, 'It's a difficult situation (with the injuries and recent hectic slate), but you have to face it.' But we should be OK. We have a week off coming up. Hopefully, we'll come back strong."
Starting lineups
West Chicago
G: Haley Rich
D: Luciana Balzer
D: Irene Dino
D: Odalis Martinez
M: Jimena Padilla
M: Barbie Castellanos
M: Dulce Reyes
M: Melissa Pani
M: Emily Ayala
F: Britney Mendoza
F: Ruby Lebo
Bartlett
G: Jessica Hill
D: Sabrina Fowler
D: Kaley Kowal
D: Paige Bednarke
D: Madison Neer
M: Christina Mondelli
M: Maddie Donnelly
M: Mikalya Brown
M: Morgan Myers
F: Tessa Evans
F: Serena Salvato
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Serena Salvato, so., F, Bartlett
Officials: Kevin O'Connor, Doug Neufeldt, Curt Wegner
Scoring summary
First half
Bartlett: Serena Salvato (assisted by Maddie Donnelly) in 19th minute
Second half
No scoring