Notebook: Metea Valley-Barrington
By Curt Herron
Historic season for Metea Valley
Metea Valley's 2021-22 sports season definitely started and ended with a bang.
In the fall, the Mustangs captured the school’s first state championship in any sport when the girls volleyball team claimed a three-set win over Mother McAuley in the Class 4A title match.
Coach Dave MacDonald's team finished 40-2 after denying the Mighty Macs of their 16th state title by rallying following a first-set defeat and pulling off the upset in their first state appearance
On Saturday, it was deja vu all over again as coach Chris Whaley's 22-2-1 Mustangs won a dramatic nine-round shootout 6-5 after 100 scoreless minutes to down perennial power Barrington in the Class 3A finals at North Central College in Naperville.
It was the longest penalty settlement of a title match and the first time in an IHSA title match that each side either both made or missed attempts in the same round prior to the final attempt.
Undefeated in Illinois
Metea Valley is the second Class 3A team to win a state championship while losing to no Illinois squads.
The only other team to accomplish the feat was Naperville North in 2013, which had a 22-0-2 record against Illinois schools for coach Steve Goletz to capture its second state title and first since the initial IHSA championship in the sport in 1988 under Alan Harris.
Meta Valley went 22-2-1 overall, and 22-0-1 against Illinois teams. The Mustangs two losses came against Missouri schools Lafayette (Wildwood) and Nerinx Hall (Webster Groves).
The lone Illinois squad that didn't fall Metea Valley was Plainfield North. The pair played to a 2-2 result in the round-robin Wheaton North Kickoff Classic on March 22 in Aurora in the Mustangs' fourth match of their historic season.
Unsung heroes of penalties
Usually when a state championship is determined by penalties, one might expect that top scorers are the ones lining up for the critical attempts.
But on a night where each side needed a title match-record nine attempts to decide the outcome, and both squads duplicated the others' result throughout each of the rounds prior to the finale. Another first in a state championship match came when several players who had no goals or rarely scored this season stepped up in a big way.
Unsung stars for Metea Valley, which made six successful attempts, were three midfielders, senior Abbey Ondrus, junior Riley Strcic and freshman Olivia Hernandez. Ondrus, who scored the eventual winner in the ninth round, didn't score a goal this season and hadn’t played in the game. Strcic (third round) had one goal, and Hernandez (seventh round) scored two goals this season.
Barrington also received one of its goals in the penalties from a player who did not score a goal during the season. Junior defender Ellie Sanchez scored in the sixth round.
Barrington has been involved in four of the eight championship matches decided by penalties. The Fillies beat New Trier in both 2017 and 2018 to capture their two state titles and fell to Naperville North in the 2019 finals. It also was the fifth Class 3A state title match that was scoreless heading into penalties.
The Fillies used a 3-0 advantage to win their first state title and then a year later, Barrington prevailed by a 3-2 margin.
In 2019, Naperville North did not take a shot in the game before it recorded a 3-1 edge in conversions to capture the championship.
School district history
Indian Prairie School District 204 is now the only multi-school district that has had all of its schools win IHSA titles in girls soccer.
In the old two-class system, Neuqua Valley captured a Class AA title in 2005 under coach Dawn Fehring, and Waubonsie Valley won Class AA titles in 2007 and 2008. The Warriors took the big-school title in the second year of the three-class system in 2010. Each title came under the direction of coach Julie Bergstrom.
Straub's big effort in goal
Metea Valley's Julia Straub came up with two big blocks during penalties of Saturday's Class 3A championship match.
Straub recorded nine saves in regulation play and overtime, finishing one shy of the Class 3A record, which was 10 that was set by St. Charles East's Kendra Sheehan in the Fighting Saints 2014 title match loss to New Trier by a 1-0 score.
The large-school record for most saves was established in the initial one-division IHSA championship in 1988 when Maine South's Melissa Muck stopped 13 shots against champion Naperville North. Lincoln-Way's Emily Nikonchuk equaled that accomplishment in 1999 in her team's title loss to St. Charles.
Barrington, Stengren accomplishments
The Fillies became the third program to capture five trophies in consecutive IHSA tournaments, winning titles in 2017 and 2018, placing second in 2019 and 2022 and finishing fourth last season.
St. Charles (1992-2000) has the most consecutive state trophies won with nine. New Trier (2014-2019) ranks second with six.
New Trier owns the most trophies with 12. St. Charles East has won 11. Naperville North has captured 10 trophies, and Barrington ranks fourth with nine.
Barrington coach Ryan Stengren is now tied with St. Charles and Neuqua Valley's Joe Moreau for fourth place for the most trophies won by a head coach with seven. Stengren’s teams also finished third in 2013 and 2015.
New Trier's Jim Burnside has won the most trophies with 12. Glenwood's Jay Lipe and Notre Dame (Quincy) coach Mark Longo rank second with eight state trophies won.
First time's the charm
Metea Valley became the ninth program to win an IHSA championship in its first finals appearance. Other than two of the first three title winners, Naperville North (1988) and St. Charles (1990), the only large-school program to pull off that feat was 2022 fourth place finisher Evanston (2002).
Wheaton Academy (2004), Latin (2006) and Manteno (2009) have accomplished the feat in the Class A tournament. St. Francis (2012) and Lake Forest (2014) both won titles in their state debuts while competing in Class AA.
By Curt Herron
Historic season for Metea Valley
Metea Valley's 2021-22 sports season definitely started and ended with a bang.
In the fall, the Mustangs captured the school’s first state championship in any sport when the girls volleyball team claimed a three-set win over Mother McAuley in the Class 4A title match.
Coach Dave MacDonald's team finished 40-2 after denying the Mighty Macs of their 16th state title by rallying following a first-set defeat and pulling off the upset in their first state appearance
On Saturday, it was deja vu all over again as coach Chris Whaley's 22-2-1 Mustangs won a dramatic nine-round shootout 6-5 after 100 scoreless minutes to down perennial power Barrington in the Class 3A finals at North Central College in Naperville.
It was the longest penalty settlement of a title match and the first time in an IHSA title match that each side either both made or missed attempts in the same round prior to the final attempt.
Undefeated in Illinois
Metea Valley is the second Class 3A team to win a state championship while losing to no Illinois squads.
The only other team to accomplish the feat was Naperville North in 2013, which had a 22-0-2 record against Illinois schools for coach Steve Goletz to capture its second state title and first since the initial IHSA championship in the sport in 1988 under Alan Harris.
Meta Valley went 22-2-1 overall, and 22-0-1 against Illinois teams. The Mustangs two losses came against Missouri schools Lafayette (Wildwood) and Nerinx Hall (Webster Groves).
The lone Illinois squad that didn't fall Metea Valley was Plainfield North. The pair played to a 2-2 result in the round-robin Wheaton North Kickoff Classic on March 22 in Aurora in the Mustangs' fourth match of their historic season.
Unsung heroes of penalties
Usually when a state championship is determined by penalties, one might expect that top scorers are the ones lining up for the critical attempts.
But on a night where each side needed a title match-record nine attempts to decide the outcome, and both squads duplicated the others' result throughout each of the rounds prior to the finale. Another first in a state championship match came when several players who had no goals or rarely scored this season stepped up in a big way.
Unsung stars for Metea Valley, which made six successful attempts, were three midfielders, senior Abbey Ondrus, junior Riley Strcic and freshman Olivia Hernandez. Ondrus, who scored the eventual winner in the ninth round, didn't score a goal this season and hadn’t played in the game. Strcic (third round) had one goal, and Hernandez (seventh round) scored two goals this season.
Barrington also received one of its goals in the penalties from a player who did not score a goal during the season. Junior defender Ellie Sanchez scored in the sixth round.
Barrington has been involved in four of the eight championship matches decided by penalties. The Fillies beat New Trier in both 2017 and 2018 to capture their two state titles and fell to Naperville North in the 2019 finals. It also was the fifth Class 3A state title match that was scoreless heading into penalties.
The Fillies used a 3-0 advantage to win their first state title and then a year later, Barrington prevailed by a 3-2 margin.
In 2019, Naperville North did not take a shot in the game before it recorded a 3-1 edge in conversions to capture the championship.
School district history
Indian Prairie School District 204 is now the only multi-school district that has had all of its schools win IHSA titles in girls soccer.
In the old two-class system, Neuqua Valley captured a Class AA title in 2005 under coach Dawn Fehring, and Waubonsie Valley won Class AA titles in 2007 and 2008. The Warriors took the big-school title in the second year of the three-class system in 2010. Each title came under the direction of coach Julie Bergstrom.
Straub's big effort in goal
Metea Valley's Julia Straub came up with two big blocks during penalties of Saturday's Class 3A championship match.
Straub recorded nine saves in regulation play and overtime, finishing one shy of the Class 3A record, which was 10 that was set by St. Charles East's Kendra Sheehan in the Fighting Saints 2014 title match loss to New Trier by a 1-0 score.
The large-school record for most saves was established in the initial one-division IHSA championship in 1988 when Maine South's Melissa Muck stopped 13 shots against champion Naperville North. Lincoln-Way's Emily Nikonchuk equaled that accomplishment in 1999 in her team's title loss to St. Charles.
Barrington, Stengren accomplishments
The Fillies became the third program to capture five trophies in consecutive IHSA tournaments, winning titles in 2017 and 2018, placing second in 2019 and 2022 and finishing fourth last season.
St. Charles (1992-2000) has the most consecutive state trophies won with nine. New Trier (2014-2019) ranks second with six.
New Trier owns the most trophies with 12. St. Charles East has won 11. Naperville North has captured 10 trophies, and Barrington ranks fourth with nine.
Barrington coach Ryan Stengren is now tied with St. Charles and Neuqua Valley's Joe Moreau for fourth place for the most trophies won by a head coach with seven. Stengren’s teams also finished third in 2013 and 2015.
New Trier's Jim Burnside has won the most trophies with 12. Glenwood's Jay Lipe and Notre Dame (Quincy) coach Mark Longo rank second with eight state trophies won.
First time's the charm
Metea Valley became the ninth program to win an IHSA championship in its first finals appearance. Other than two of the first three title winners, Naperville North (1988) and St. Charles (1990), the only large-school program to pull off that feat was 2022 fourth place finisher Evanston (2002).
Wheaton Academy (2004), Latin (2006) and Manteno (2009) have accomplished the feat in the Class A tournament. St. Francis (2012) and Lake Forest (2014) both won titles in their state debuts while competing in Class AA.