Glenbard E. nullifies W. Aurora’s early strike
Upstate 8 Valley Division marquee clash ends in spirited 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LOMBARD -- In a high-stakes contest, psychology pervades everything. Every play has two meanings, the immediate and the consequence.
In a crucial game between two of the best teams in the Valley Division of the Upstate Eight Conference, West Aurora and host Glenbard East each were eager to establish a rhythm and produce a satisfying result.
The Blackhawks struck first with a nervy and beautiful goal in the fifth minute that had significant repercussions and elicited questions of how the Rams would respond, and how West Aurora would play off its early advantage.
Early goals are always magnified in importance. Glenbard East made sure it was just one narrative and not the entire story.
“Once they scored we knew we had to keep it together and bring it hard,” Glenbard East forward Mimi Camacho said.
What started out with the makings of a shootout evolved into a tactical and hard-fought game as Camacho recorded the first half equalizer that completed the scoring as the Blackhawks and Rams played out the remaining 63 minutes to a 1-1 draw Thursday night.
The game was played in harsly cold weather with the field pounded by snow and sleet. It was not conducive to offensive fluency. West Aurora had not played in more of two weeks with its spring break and a scheduled league game with South Elgin postponed Tuesday. Glenbard East was coming off a grueling scoreless draw between 2017 conference co-champs with Bartlett.
“We have been playing in the cold for the whole season so far,” Camacho said. “I would not say that we’re used to it, but we know how to play in it. We just try our best in this weather and hope for the best.”
Despite its lengthy inactivity, West Aurora was very sharp at the start. The Blackhawks have two foundational talents in senior forward Riley O’Brien and sophomore forward Audrey Stephens. O’Brien has a powerful leg, excellent vision, balance and explosion in space. Stephens is a revelatory talent, a virtuoso when she is able to make a run.
In the second minute, O’Brien drove a ball down the right edge and slotted a pass to Stephens inside the top of the box. Stephens made a quick stutter step to create some space and smashed a left-footed shot that required Rams’ elite keeper Faith Davies to make a spectacular diving stop. West Aurora’s early pressure created some heightened opportunities.
O’Brien broke through in the fifth minute. She served a beautiful looping corner that junior midfielder Lexi Juarez drilled a half volley inside the near post for the Blackhawks’ goal. It was the first goal of the season for Juarez.
“It was just kind of this thing,” Juarez said. “I saw the ball coming, and I just got up there and was able to go to it. I think mentally our team just picked it up after that. We had that extra courage. We had been struggling here and there with our finishing, but I think that really helped us with our courage and gave us the momentum. We needed it to keep on pushing, and also just to continue to communicate.”
Playing on the road, West Aurora showed a kind of nervous intensity. Working out the loose ends and getting their legs back, the Blackhawks demonstrated both toughness and superb early activity.
“We definitely knew we wanted to come out strong against Glenbard East,” West Aurora coach Laura Wagley said. “We tied them last year 0-0. We knew it was going to be a huge game, and we wanted to come out strong.
“I think that worked.”
West Aurora (1-3-2, 0-0-1) is still shaping its identity. The Blackhawks produced the greatest season in program history last year with 18 wins and their first regional title. Wagley scheduled a monster early slate with games against no. 10 Wheaton Academy, no. 17 St. Charles East and previously ranked Naperville Central and Plainfield South.
“I wanted a tough schedule to get everybody ready, because we are in one of the toughest sectionals in the state,” Wagley said. “I don’t care about our record. I want to play good teams, and we want to have the same (competition) that we have been having.”
O’Brien set the tone with her superb play.
“In the beginning, like the first 10, I’d say we started off really well,” she said. “It kind of got rough, because they started to pick it up. It turned into a real battle, and luckily we held on.”
Davies, the UIC-bound keeper, kept the Rams together against the early Blackhawks’ onslaught.
“Obviously coming into the game we knew they had a whole bunch of offensive talent with both no. 5 (O’Brien) and no. 13 (Stephens),” Glenbard East defender Mattie Pusateri said. “We were ready, and we just worked together. They got through a couple of times, but our goalie, Faith Davies, we have no doubt in our mind that anything that gets through she will clean it up.”
It is a measure of the Rams’ own pride and purpose that they handled the stunning early West Aurora goal in the appropriate way. They never panicked, and quickly began to combine out of the back and develop some exceptional offensive play of their own.
Katie Hansen, a superb two-way talent, twice blasted shots that West Aurora sophomore keeper Samara Martinez made significant stops of. Midfielder Ali Liljestrand lofted a tough and accurate ball that required Martinez to make a dramatic leap.
Glenbard East was cooking in the middle passages of the first half, hitting paydirt in the 17th minute as defender Elaine Wesling slotted a ball on the left edge that Camacho controlled in space and hammered an against the grain left-footer from about 12 yards that curled inside the far post.
Glenbard East (6-1-2, 0-0-2) seemed elated and maintained their focus and monopolized possession through the remainder of the first half.
“We got (our) first goal, but we did not get the chance for the second one,” Camacho said. “It’s a learning process for everybody. You take away from what you did wrong, and then you just try to fix it and hope for the best result.”
Camacho, and West Aurora's O'brien, shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
The Rams were unlucky, and West Aurora recorded some superb defensive stops. Glenbard East forward Lindsey Novak nailed a curving howitzer that smashed off the post. Camacho had a nearly identical scoring chance from the left edge that pulled Martinez out of the net. West Aurora defender Sofia Papoutsis made a game-saving clearance.
In the second half, Hansen had two free kicks that hit the post and bar, respectively. An apparent Rams’ goal in the 70th minute was disallowed by an offsides call. West Aurora keeper Martinez had nine saves. Davies had eight for the Rams. Her alert reaction nullified a prime Blackhawks scoring chance from midfielder Tsion White.
“I thought it was a little unfortunate in the final 30 minutes of the first half we did not get another one,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “We played well. We came out a little flat. We had a tough 80 minutes of game on Tuesday against Bartlett. You have to be able to turnaround very quickly. We weren’t able. They came out ready and got on the end of one right away.
“I thought for the most part we did a great job after that.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK: Samara Martinez
D: Isela Chavez
D: Laeticia Mbende
D: Sofia Papoutsis
D: Mackenzie Thompson
MF: Lexi Juarez
MF: Itzel Ochoa
MF: Kiara McPherson
MF: Olivia McPherson
F: Riley O’Brien
F: Audrey Stephens
Glenbard East
GK: Faith Davies
D: Sam Johnson
D: Katie Hansen
D: Mattie Pusateri
MF: Ali Liljestrand
MF: Alyse Donato
MF: Maddie Weltin
MF: Elizabeth Toledo
MF: Maddie Weltin
F: Mimi Camacho
F: Lindsey Novak
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Riley O’Brien, sr., F, West Aurora
Mimi Camacho, sr., F, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
West Aurora—Lexi Juarez (Riley O’Brien), 5th minute
Glenbard East—Mimi Camacho (Elaine Wesling), 17th minute
Upstate 8 Valley Division marquee clash ends in spirited 1-1 draw
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LOMBARD -- In a high-stakes contest, psychology pervades everything. Every play has two meanings, the immediate and the consequence.
In a crucial game between two of the best teams in the Valley Division of the Upstate Eight Conference, West Aurora and host Glenbard East each were eager to establish a rhythm and produce a satisfying result.
The Blackhawks struck first with a nervy and beautiful goal in the fifth minute that had significant repercussions and elicited questions of how the Rams would respond, and how West Aurora would play off its early advantage.
Early goals are always magnified in importance. Glenbard East made sure it was just one narrative and not the entire story.
“Once they scored we knew we had to keep it together and bring it hard,” Glenbard East forward Mimi Camacho said.
What started out with the makings of a shootout evolved into a tactical and hard-fought game as Camacho recorded the first half equalizer that completed the scoring as the Blackhawks and Rams played out the remaining 63 minutes to a 1-1 draw Thursday night.
The game was played in harsly cold weather with the field pounded by snow and sleet. It was not conducive to offensive fluency. West Aurora had not played in more of two weeks with its spring break and a scheduled league game with South Elgin postponed Tuesday. Glenbard East was coming off a grueling scoreless draw between 2017 conference co-champs with Bartlett.
“We have been playing in the cold for the whole season so far,” Camacho said. “I would not say that we’re used to it, but we know how to play in it. We just try our best in this weather and hope for the best.”
Despite its lengthy inactivity, West Aurora was very sharp at the start. The Blackhawks have two foundational talents in senior forward Riley O’Brien and sophomore forward Audrey Stephens. O’Brien has a powerful leg, excellent vision, balance and explosion in space. Stephens is a revelatory talent, a virtuoso when she is able to make a run.
In the second minute, O’Brien drove a ball down the right edge and slotted a pass to Stephens inside the top of the box. Stephens made a quick stutter step to create some space and smashed a left-footed shot that required Rams’ elite keeper Faith Davies to make a spectacular diving stop. West Aurora’s early pressure created some heightened opportunities.
O’Brien broke through in the fifth minute. She served a beautiful looping corner that junior midfielder Lexi Juarez drilled a half volley inside the near post for the Blackhawks’ goal. It was the first goal of the season for Juarez.
“It was just kind of this thing,” Juarez said. “I saw the ball coming, and I just got up there and was able to go to it. I think mentally our team just picked it up after that. We had that extra courage. We had been struggling here and there with our finishing, but I think that really helped us with our courage and gave us the momentum. We needed it to keep on pushing, and also just to continue to communicate.”
Playing on the road, West Aurora showed a kind of nervous intensity. Working out the loose ends and getting their legs back, the Blackhawks demonstrated both toughness and superb early activity.
“We definitely knew we wanted to come out strong against Glenbard East,” West Aurora coach Laura Wagley said. “We tied them last year 0-0. We knew it was going to be a huge game, and we wanted to come out strong.
“I think that worked.”
West Aurora (1-3-2, 0-0-1) is still shaping its identity. The Blackhawks produced the greatest season in program history last year with 18 wins and their first regional title. Wagley scheduled a monster early slate with games against no. 10 Wheaton Academy, no. 17 St. Charles East and previously ranked Naperville Central and Plainfield South.
“I wanted a tough schedule to get everybody ready, because we are in one of the toughest sectionals in the state,” Wagley said. “I don’t care about our record. I want to play good teams, and we want to have the same (competition) that we have been having.”
O’Brien set the tone with her superb play.
“In the beginning, like the first 10, I’d say we started off really well,” she said. “It kind of got rough, because they started to pick it up. It turned into a real battle, and luckily we held on.”
Davies, the UIC-bound keeper, kept the Rams together against the early Blackhawks’ onslaught.
“Obviously coming into the game we knew they had a whole bunch of offensive talent with both no. 5 (O’Brien) and no. 13 (Stephens),” Glenbard East defender Mattie Pusateri said. “We were ready, and we just worked together. They got through a couple of times, but our goalie, Faith Davies, we have no doubt in our mind that anything that gets through she will clean it up.”
It is a measure of the Rams’ own pride and purpose that they handled the stunning early West Aurora goal in the appropriate way. They never panicked, and quickly began to combine out of the back and develop some exceptional offensive play of their own.
Katie Hansen, a superb two-way talent, twice blasted shots that West Aurora sophomore keeper Samara Martinez made significant stops of. Midfielder Ali Liljestrand lofted a tough and accurate ball that required Martinez to make a dramatic leap.
Glenbard East was cooking in the middle passages of the first half, hitting paydirt in the 17th minute as defender Elaine Wesling slotted a ball on the left edge that Camacho controlled in space and hammered an against the grain left-footer from about 12 yards that curled inside the far post.
Glenbard East (6-1-2, 0-0-2) seemed elated and maintained their focus and monopolized possession through the remainder of the first half.
“We got (our) first goal, but we did not get the chance for the second one,” Camacho said. “It’s a learning process for everybody. You take away from what you did wrong, and then you just try to fix it and hope for the best result.”
Camacho, and West Aurora's O'brien, shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
The Rams were unlucky, and West Aurora recorded some superb defensive stops. Glenbard East forward Lindsey Novak nailed a curving howitzer that smashed off the post. Camacho had a nearly identical scoring chance from the left edge that pulled Martinez out of the net. West Aurora defender Sofia Papoutsis made a game-saving clearance.
In the second half, Hansen had two free kicks that hit the post and bar, respectively. An apparent Rams’ goal in the 70th minute was disallowed by an offsides call. West Aurora keeper Martinez had nine saves. Davies had eight for the Rams. Her alert reaction nullified a prime Blackhawks scoring chance from midfielder Tsion White.
“I thought it was a little unfortunate in the final 30 minutes of the first half we did not get another one,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “We played well. We came out a little flat. We had a tough 80 minutes of game on Tuesday against Bartlett. You have to be able to turnaround very quickly. We weren’t able. They came out ready and got on the end of one right away.
“I thought for the most part we did a great job after that.”
Starting lineups
West Aurora
GK: Samara Martinez
D: Isela Chavez
D: Laeticia Mbende
D: Sofia Papoutsis
D: Mackenzie Thompson
MF: Lexi Juarez
MF: Itzel Ochoa
MF: Kiara McPherson
MF: Olivia McPherson
F: Riley O’Brien
F: Audrey Stephens
Glenbard East
GK: Faith Davies
D: Sam Johnson
D: Katie Hansen
D: Mattie Pusateri
MF: Ali Liljestrand
MF: Alyse Donato
MF: Maddie Weltin
MF: Elizabeth Toledo
MF: Maddie Weltin
F: Mimi Camacho
F: Lindsey Novak
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Riley O’Brien, sr., F, West Aurora
Mimi Camacho, sr., F, Glenbard East
Scoring summary
First half
West Aurora—Lexi Juarez (Riley O’Brien), 5th minute
Glenbard East—Mimi Camacho (Elaine Wesling), 17th minute