Weary St. Francis, Metea Valley
meet in regional warmup
By Dave Owen
The second week of May meetings between St. Francis and Metea Valley have traditionally been great tuneups for the postseason.
The latest showdown between the Mustangs (11-7-2) and the Spartans (11-4-2) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Wheaton may have a different feel.
“They played last night (Metea Valley’s 1-0 loss to West Aurora), and we played last night,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “We played rough and tumble with Loyola (a 2-0 conference loss to the Ramblers that determined the conference championship). I thought we played a decent first half and a very good second half (vs. Loyola), but we ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard.”
From that pressure cooker conference game, it’s on to another strong foe in Metea Valley, but a more low-key theme on Senior Night.
“The last couple of years we’ve played good games with them (Metea Valley) getting ready for the state playoffs,” Winslow said. “But to be frank, this year some of the luster is off because last night was such an emotional game for our kids. We’ll probably see everyone play tonight, and it’ll be more like an early-season game than a late-season game.”
Coach Chris Whaley’s Metea Valley squad will be playing its third match in four days Tuesday. The Mustangs also tied Wheaton North 1-1 on Saturday.
“Chris’ season has been like ours was last year,” Winslow said, “kind of up and down with some good wins and some tough games where they could have had a better outcome.
“Tonight it’s a matter of playing a lot of people, and I’m sure Chris would say the same thing. We don’t want to get a kid dinged- or nicked-up before the playoffs.”
One player set to return for St. Francis is senior Kaitlyn Joniak, who has been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
“She hasn’t played in a week,” Winslow said. “She does a lot of the dirty work (at midfield) for us. We’ll hopefully get Kaitlyn some minutes, and as a senior she’ll definitely start.”
Regardless of the stakes, recent Spartans-Mustangs games have been quality shows.
“The last two years have been similar games,” Winslow said. “For about 25 minutes last year they were great; they scored three goals for a 3-0 final. And two years ago at our place, we went on a tear for 20-25 minutes, scored three goals and won.”
Regardless of the tiring two games in two days scenario that was forced by spring rainouts, both teams will want to bounce back from Monday losses and close the regular season with a quality win.
“Last night we had our chances,” Winslow said of the Loyola match. “On one shot their keeper I think got a piece of it, it went off the post. It goes the other way, and they get a PK. And later, their keeper made a save on a PK. The second half we had it like we want it, the first half they did.”
meet in regional warmup
By Dave Owen
The second week of May meetings between St. Francis and Metea Valley have traditionally been great tuneups for the postseason.
The latest showdown between the Mustangs (11-7-2) and the Spartans (11-4-2) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Wheaton may have a different feel.
“They played last night (Metea Valley’s 1-0 loss to West Aurora), and we played last night,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “We played rough and tumble with Loyola (a 2-0 conference loss to the Ramblers that determined the conference championship). I thought we played a decent first half and a very good second half (vs. Loyola), but we ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard.”
From that pressure cooker conference game, it’s on to another strong foe in Metea Valley, but a more low-key theme on Senior Night.
“The last couple of years we’ve played good games with them (Metea Valley) getting ready for the state playoffs,” Winslow said. “But to be frank, this year some of the luster is off because last night was such an emotional game for our kids. We’ll probably see everyone play tonight, and it’ll be more like an early-season game than a late-season game.”
Coach Chris Whaley’s Metea Valley squad will be playing its third match in four days Tuesday. The Mustangs also tied Wheaton North 1-1 on Saturday.
“Chris’ season has been like ours was last year,” Winslow said, “kind of up and down with some good wins and some tough games where they could have had a better outcome.
“Tonight it’s a matter of playing a lot of people, and I’m sure Chris would say the same thing. We don’t want to get a kid dinged- or nicked-up before the playoffs.”
One player set to return for St. Francis is senior Kaitlyn Joniak, who has been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
“She hasn’t played in a week,” Winslow said. “She does a lot of the dirty work (at midfield) for us. We’ll hopefully get Kaitlyn some minutes, and as a senior she’ll definitely start.”
Regardless of the stakes, recent Spartans-Mustangs games have been quality shows.
“The last two years have been similar games,” Winslow said. “For about 25 minutes last year they were great; they scored three goals for a 3-0 final. And two years ago at our place, we went on a tear for 20-25 minutes, scored three goals and won.”
Regardless of the tiring two games in two days scenario that was forced by spring rainouts, both teams will want to bounce back from Monday losses and close the regular season with a quality win.
“Last night we had our chances,” Winslow said of the Loyola match. “On one shot their keeper I think got a piece of it, it went off the post. It goes the other way, and they get a PK. And later, their keeper made a save on a PK. The second half we had it like we want it, the first half they did.”