Morton seeks to continue
WSC Gold rush vs. Leyden
By Dave Owen
The 1960s hit song “Where The Boys Are” didn’t refer to high school soccer, but is certainly appropriate for the Morton girls program.
The Mustangs’ quest to reside where the Morton boys have in the standings – dominating the West Suburban Conference Gold Division year in and year out – has started to come to fruition the last few years.
Undefeated league champions in 2019, Morton (14-4-0, 4-0-0) enters its 6:30 p.m. Thursday home match with Leyden (7-7-2, 2-2-0) on track toward another possible taste of conference perfection.
This time the unblemished run means not only an undefeated league mark with two league games left, but also comes with more clean-sheets than a laundromat: Morton is unscored upon by conference foes in 2022, with an overwhelming 23-0 scoring edge in its four wins.
“Our defense has been pretty solid this season,” said Morton coach Jim Bageanis, whose team has 12 shutouts overall this spring. “Leslie Jimenez anchors the backline, while Briana Avalos is a strong defender in the middle.
“We are communicating well in the back, and the girls have been very good marking at the speed of play.”
The offensive spark for Morton has been provided largely by sophomores Carisma Rosales and Aaliyah Leanos with senior Esmerelda Bautista. The trio tops the Mustangs scoring charts.
Senior Andrea Aguirre has also been a catalyst.
“She controls the middle and is an assist person,” Bageanis said.
Leyden enters the Morton match on a season-high three-game winning streak and most recently topped Proviso East 5-1 Tuesday. But the Mustangs will present the most formidable test in a while for the Eagles.
Morton's smallest victory margin in the WSC Gold was a 4-0 victory over Hinsdale South. That same Hornets’ team edged Leyden 3-2 on April 26.
“Morton is a very strong team,” Leyden coach Jim Rossetti said, “with multiple players that can score and create havoc.
“We will need to be organized defensively and limit their chances. For us to be successful, we will need to keep things compact defensively and make the most of our opportunities. We will need to make any goals that we score stand up.”
Morton won two games from the Eagles last season, 6-0 and 2-0. But Leyden freshman forward Tereza Cerna couldn't play in high school then.
“Tereza Cerna has been on a tear all year,” Rossetti said. “She has 10 goals and 10 assists.
“We recently put Jacky Jacinto at center forward, and the position change has really benefited both of them. When they are able to play off one another, they are very difficult to mark.”
The duo was very tough Monday in a 3-2 win over Wheeling. Jacinto scored two goals, and Cerna had two assists.
Leyden has limited 10 opponents this year to two goals or less, with a total of just three goals allowed in the last three games.
“I think one of our strengths has been our defending,” Rossetti said. “We put a lot of bodies in a tight spot. It is not always pretty, but it has been effective for us.
“One area we need to work on is our counter attack. Defending the way we do allows us to transition quickly and to get some very favorable attacking matchups.
“We need to be able to see the alleys out of the back and connect to our forwards’ feet in order to quickly move from defense to offense.”
Morton is 7-1-0 overall in its last eight games, and beat Addison Trail 7-0 on Tuesday. The Mustangs still have a pivotal trip to Downers Grove South (also 4-0-0 in the Gold) in the May 10 league finale.
But first things first, and the Mustangs aren’t looking past a rising Leyden team.
“Leyden is always a good game,” Bageanis said. “We need to take advantage of our chances and finish so we can take pressure off our defense. If we get chances, we should be able to control the game to play at our style.”
WSC Gold rush vs. Leyden
By Dave Owen
The 1960s hit song “Where The Boys Are” didn’t refer to high school soccer, but is certainly appropriate for the Morton girls program.
The Mustangs’ quest to reside where the Morton boys have in the standings – dominating the West Suburban Conference Gold Division year in and year out – has started to come to fruition the last few years.
Undefeated league champions in 2019, Morton (14-4-0, 4-0-0) enters its 6:30 p.m. Thursday home match with Leyden (7-7-2, 2-2-0) on track toward another possible taste of conference perfection.
This time the unblemished run means not only an undefeated league mark with two league games left, but also comes with more clean-sheets than a laundromat: Morton is unscored upon by conference foes in 2022, with an overwhelming 23-0 scoring edge in its four wins.
“Our defense has been pretty solid this season,” said Morton coach Jim Bageanis, whose team has 12 shutouts overall this spring. “Leslie Jimenez anchors the backline, while Briana Avalos is a strong defender in the middle.
“We are communicating well in the back, and the girls have been very good marking at the speed of play.”
The offensive spark for Morton has been provided largely by sophomores Carisma Rosales and Aaliyah Leanos with senior Esmerelda Bautista. The trio tops the Mustangs scoring charts.
Senior Andrea Aguirre has also been a catalyst.
“She controls the middle and is an assist person,” Bageanis said.
Leyden enters the Morton match on a season-high three-game winning streak and most recently topped Proviso East 5-1 Tuesday. But the Mustangs will present the most formidable test in a while for the Eagles.
Morton's smallest victory margin in the WSC Gold was a 4-0 victory over Hinsdale South. That same Hornets’ team edged Leyden 3-2 on April 26.
“Morton is a very strong team,” Leyden coach Jim Rossetti said, “with multiple players that can score and create havoc.
“We will need to be organized defensively and limit their chances. For us to be successful, we will need to keep things compact defensively and make the most of our opportunities. We will need to make any goals that we score stand up.”
Morton won two games from the Eagles last season, 6-0 and 2-0. But Leyden freshman forward Tereza Cerna couldn't play in high school then.
“Tereza Cerna has been on a tear all year,” Rossetti said. “She has 10 goals and 10 assists.
“We recently put Jacky Jacinto at center forward, and the position change has really benefited both of them. When they are able to play off one another, they are very difficult to mark.”
The duo was very tough Monday in a 3-2 win over Wheeling. Jacinto scored two goals, and Cerna had two assists.
Leyden has limited 10 opponents this year to two goals or less, with a total of just three goals allowed in the last three games.
“I think one of our strengths has been our defending,” Rossetti said. “We put a lot of bodies in a tight spot. It is not always pretty, but it has been effective for us.
“One area we need to work on is our counter attack. Defending the way we do allows us to transition quickly and to get some very favorable attacking matchups.
“We need to be able to see the alleys out of the back and connect to our forwards’ feet in order to quickly move from defense to offense.”
Morton is 7-1-0 overall in its last eight games, and beat Addison Trail 7-0 on Tuesday. The Mustangs still have a pivotal trip to Downers Grove South (also 4-0-0 in the Gold) in the May 10 league finale.
But first things first, and the Mustangs aren’t looking past a rising Leyden team.
“Leyden is always a good game,” Bageanis said. “We need to take advantage of our chances and finish so we can take pressure off our defense. If we get chances, we should be able to control the game to play at our style.”