A lot of things in life depend on timing, and that includes women's soccer.
Morton lost standout senior center midfielder Charisma Rosales to an ankle injury before the start of the season. When Rosales finally returned for the team's Game 6, senior forward Aliyah Leanos went down with a stress fracture.
ah. Hmm.
“I mean, we haven't had that one-two punch yet,” Morton coach Jim Bagianis said. “She (Leanos) is probably going to be back this week. She's going to Orto this week, but I'm not holding my breath. She's been running but not at full speed yet, so she's coming back a little bit. Masu.”
Morton (7-6) isn't on the same pace he was a year ago when he posted a 17-6 record, but the Mustangs are building on an impressive three-game winning streak heading into Tuesday's conference game against Addison Trail. .
“This is a big game,” Bagianis said. “We want to go 3-0 (against West Suburban Gold) and then go into the Iowa tournament and then come back for three conference games.”
Usually covered by multiple players because of how dangerous she is, Rosales carries a huge burden as a senior leader on a young team while trying to overcome an injury that affected her final season of high school. is carrying on his back.
“She's getting a little bit better every game,” Bagianis said. “Our young players are trying to grow. It's been a process. I think we still have the potential to do well and do better in the conference. Their big goals It’s about winning the conference.”
Junior defensive midfielder Stephanie Salmeron and sophomore Katina Estrada are two players who have really stepped up for the Mustangs.
“We've had (Estrada) play as a centre-back on the back line and as a forward under the top,” Bagianis said. “She had to move around wherever we needed her to be, but she was very coachable and accepted any role we gave her.”
Salmeron is in his third year with the Mustangs.
“She kept the defensive midfield intact for us,” Bagianis said. “She's fine. We hope we can help her keep the ball. We've been possessed.”
Records aren't everything
St. Francis (2-5-2) was scheduled to host Mother McCauley in a Girls Catholic Athletic Conference game Tuesday night.
The Spartans certainly already share the field with some big schools and perennial powerhouses, with losses to Evanston, Fenwick, Libertyville, Naperville Central and Naperville North.
They lost all three games in Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic.
“We played St. Ignatius before that game and tied 1-1 (April 4),” Spartans coach Jim Winslow said. “We played very well. We outplayed them, but we just couldn't take our chances and we lost to Naperville North in the last minute and a half.”
A stomach bug has invaded St. Francis, making it even more difficult to play.
“Ironically, one of my kids left practice on Friday (April 5th) because he wasn’t feeling well, and my son went there (St. Francis Church) and came home. , I said I had a stomach bug and everyone was going to get it.'' This is it,'' Winslow said. “Saturday (against Naperville North) there were a couple of kids that didn’t have it.”
Ideally, the Spartans would have wanted to finish 1-1-1 with Malnati's.
“Being 0-3 is a little hard to swallow,” Winslow said. “But eventually we'll see if the schedule works out. And all of those games except Libertyville were away.”
The situation is not so easy when traveling to an opponent, especially if the destination is in Chicago.
“Since the pandemic, we have struggled with bus service,” Winslow said. “It's better than it was a year ago, but city schools like DePaul (College Prep) and De La Salle aren't what they used to be. It's easier to go to Fenwick or St. Ignatius. Never in a million years could I have imagined that.”
Beneto, Hinsdale Central and Lions compete for title.
Hinsdale Central and the Lions hope to advance to their respective quarterfinals at the Ed Watson Naperville Invitational on Thursday.
But first, the West Suburban Silver rivals meet Tuesday in Western Springs in a key conference battle.
“We wouldn't want it any other way,” Red Devils coach Tony Madonia said. “Like a lot of teams, the way our schedule is designed, we intentionally have these types of games against top-level opponents. is.”
The Red Devils shut out Sandburg 4-0 and Neuqua Valley 2-0 in group play in last week's invitational game, improving their record to 11-2.
“We have a lot of faith in our group,” Madonia said. “They are great athletes, but they are also great students, community members and young women who have had so much fun this season together. They have made an impression on assistant coach Mike Gross and me on and off the field. They keep giving. I can't wait to see what they do this week.”
Hinsdale Central heads to Barrington on Thursday. The Phillies won the tournament last year and we are the state runner-up in Class 3A. Barrington remains undefeated (10-0-2) and has allowed just three goals this spring, so he's just greedy. It will definitely be a big challenge for the Red Devils.
“The girls are calm and have been competing most of the season,” Madonia said. “After a week of good results against a quality opponent, we feel like we can still get better. That's always a good thing when you're sitting at 11-2. The girls feel that way.”
The Lions (10-1-2) suffered their only loss of the season on April 11, in a 2-1 game against Evanston in the semifinals of the Malnati's Deep Dish Classic Tournament hosted by New Trier.
After the Red Devils, the Lions will turn their attention to Beneto. The teams will play at Naperville North on Thursday at 5 p.m.
“We have a quality team at the Ed Watson Naperville Invitational,” Lions coach Bill Lanspiary said. “This is another chance for us to really test ourselves this season and compete against the best teams in the state. Veneto has been very good in recent years, so we're excited for this to be another big challenge for our team. We know it's going to be exciting, exciting and the type of games and tournaments that our players will really enjoy playing.”
After a 1-1 tie, the Lions beat Fenwick 4-3 in a shootout and also beat Fremd 1-0 in pool play last week.Beneto defeated Naperville Central 2-1 and Oswego 1-0 to advance to the semifinals.
There were a number of big rivalry games this week, but Veneto have a big game scheduled against Sainte-Viator (10-1) on Tuesday, meaning any attention to Lyon will have to wait. are doing.
“Essentially Tuesday is conference in every sense of the word,” Red Wings coach Gerald O'Connor said. “We've played most of the toughest (conference) schedules, but if we win on Tuesday we'll at least secure a share. We've got it circled on the calendar.”
An early goal ignited the Red Wings.
“I think timely scoring is really important, especially early goals and being able to defend as a team,” O'Connor said. “We showed last weekend that we can somehow break through close games. We were able to really get through things, but sometimes you have to come out with a little ugly win.”
Last season, the Lions defeated Benet 2-1 in the losers bracket at the Naperville Invitational, but prior to that, the Lions ended Benet's season with a 1-0 victory in the 2021 sectional final.
“Last year we led 1-0 and right after that they scored two goals,” O'Connor said. “I have a lot of respect for the Lions. The way they run the program and everything they do is solid. They have very few weaknesses throughout the lineup. They respond well and are well-coached. It's hard to break through against a team like that, but they certainly played well. We expect a good game.”
