Neuqua hopes for breakout
against Metea in battle of valleys
By Matt Le Cren
Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau touts his team’s strength of schedule.
The Wildcats have played Naperville Central, Naperville North, Barrington and St. Charles North, all of which are currently ranked among the top nine teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and have a combined record of 33-3-1, which includes several games against each other.
Neuqua Valley lost all four of those games, three in its first matches of the season, and has also tied ranked Batavia.
Therein lies the rub. For all the talk about how strength of schedule matters, and it does, at some point the Wildcats will have to beat some ranked opponents in order to be considered among the area’s best teams.
They will get another chance Tuesday when they travel to Aurora to face no. 12 Metea Valley in a DuPage Valley Conference match. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
“They’re a very good offensive team,” Moreau said. “I know they had a rough weekend in St. Louis, but they played two very good teams down there.”
Indeed, Metea Valley (8-2-1, 1-0-0) suffered its first two losses of the season at the Parkway Classic, losing to Lafayette 2-1 on Friday and Nerinx Hall 4-2 on Saturday. Both sides are quality Missouri programs.
Conversely, Neuqua Valley (1-4-2, 0-2-0) finally got a win on Saturday when they knocked off previously unbeaten Richmond-Burton 6-2. Freshman striker Selma Larbi scored twice while Northwestern recruit Brooke Miller added her third goal of the season. Both now share the team lead.
Richmond-Burton (10-1-1) was a Class A supersectional qualifier last season and came in averaging over six goals a game.
“Selma scored two goals and she probably could have had four,” Moreau said. “It was nice to put some goals on the scoreboard.”
That had been a problem for the Wildcats, who tallied only four in their first six games. They will probably need several if they are to beat the Mustangs, who have a dynamic offense led by junior forwards Jordan Lange and Tyra King.
“They’ve got a ton of speed,” Moreau said. “You can’t coach speed. They have a number of kids in the midfield and up-top who are very fast.”
The Wildcats might have caught a break because the game will not be played at Metea Valley’s stadium because of a scheduling conflict with another sport. Instead, it will be played on the school’s grass practice field.
Given the recent poor weather, that might slow the Mustang’s attack, though there are no guarantees. Moreau’s strategy will be simple.
“We’ve got to possess the ball,” Moreau said. “We’ve got to make quality passes and say behind the ball defensively.”
Miller, who usually draws double teams, will have a lot of responsibility on her shoulders again, as will senior defender Kassie Salvioli and sophomore midfielders Grace Petrina and Lauren Milani.
“They’re the ones who are more defensive players,” Moreau said. “The key for them is quality passes.”
against Metea in battle of valleys
By Matt Le Cren
Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau touts his team’s strength of schedule.
The Wildcats have played Naperville Central, Naperville North, Barrington and St. Charles North, all of which are currently ranked among the top nine teams in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and have a combined record of 33-3-1, which includes several games against each other.
Neuqua Valley lost all four of those games, three in its first matches of the season, and has also tied ranked Batavia.
Therein lies the rub. For all the talk about how strength of schedule matters, and it does, at some point the Wildcats will have to beat some ranked opponents in order to be considered among the area’s best teams.
They will get another chance Tuesday when they travel to Aurora to face no. 12 Metea Valley in a DuPage Valley Conference match. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
“They’re a very good offensive team,” Moreau said. “I know they had a rough weekend in St. Louis, but they played two very good teams down there.”
Indeed, Metea Valley (8-2-1, 1-0-0) suffered its first two losses of the season at the Parkway Classic, losing to Lafayette 2-1 on Friday and Nerinx Hall 4-2 on Saturday. Both sides are quality Missouri programs.
Conversely, Neuqua Valley (1-4-2, 0-2-0) finally got a win on Saturday when they knocked off previously unbeaten Richmond-Burton 6-2. Freshman striker Selma Larbi scored twice while Northwestern recruit Brooke Miller added her third goal of the season. Both now share the team lead.
Richmond-Burton (10-1-1) was a Class A supersectional qualifier last season and came in averaging over six goals a game.
“Selma scored two goals and she probably could have had four,” Moreau said. “It was nice to put some goals on the scoreboard.”
That had been a problem for the Wildcats, who tallied only four in their first six games. They will probably need several if they are to beat the Mustangs, who have a dynamic offense led by junior forwards Jordan Lange and Tyra King.
“They’ve got a ton of speed,” Moreau said. “You can’t coach speed. They have a number of kids in the midfield and up-top who are very fast.”
The Wildcats might have caught a break because the game will not be played at Metea Valley’s stadium because of a scheduling conflict with another sport. Instead, it will be played on the school’s grass practice field.
Given the recent poor weather, that might slow the Mustang’s attack, though there are no guarantees. Moreau’s strategy will be simple.
“We’ve got to possess the ball,” Moreau said. “We’ve got to make quality passes and say behind the ball defensively.”
Miller, who usually draws double teams, will have a lot of responsibility on her shoulders again, as will senior defender Kassie Salvioli and sophomore midfielders Grace Petrina and Lauren Milani.
“They’re the ones who are more defensive players,” Moreau said. “The key for them is quality passes.”