Warriors win 7th straight vs. Bartlett
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By Paul La Tour
Coming off a week in which it played six games, it’s no wonder Waubonsie Valley looked a little sluggish to start its regular-season home finale against Bartlett on Tuesday in Aurora.
The record 90-degree heat didn’t help either.
Funny how all that can change in the matter of minutes.
The Warriors scored a goal with 8 seconds left in the first half and added another less than 3 minutes into the second to take a 2-0 victory in the Upstate Eight Conference match. Waubonsie (14-5, 6-1 UEC) won its seventh consecutive game and 11th in its past 12 while earning its ninth shutout.
Just as it appeared the teams would play to a scoreless first half, the Warriors struck almost out of nowhere following a Bartlett foul at midfield.
Jenna Romano sent a long free kick from the Waubonsie side of the midfield line that carried all the way into the penalty area. Megan Green caught up to it near the far post and headed it into the goal.
“I know where Jenna plays the ball, so I just anticipated where it was going to be,” Green said. “That gave us some safety, but we had to come out harder in the second half. We didn’t come out with as much energy as we would have wanted (to start the game).”
The lead jumped to 2-0 early in the second half on a play started with a Green corner kick. Romano headed the ball in a crowd to start a scramble that drew keeper Natalia Grodzki from her line. The ball eventually found Mackenzie Fuller, who booted it into the open net with 37:35 left in the game.
“It wasn’t the hardest shot, but I was able to place it,” Fuller said. “I saw a little of (Grodzki) but I was more worried about putting it in the corner so she didn’t have a chance.”
Waubonsie had the better of play throughout the match. But most of their chances were either snatched away by Grodzki (nine saves) or the shots missed the mark. The Warriors finished with a 16-7 advantage in shot attempts, and 11-3 in shots on goal.
The Warriors also had a goal disallowed on an offside play in the 13th minute. And Kristen Brots hit the crossbar in the 52nd minute.
The Hawks (11-6-3, 2-4-1), who had their five-game winning streak snapped, didn’t have many scoring chances but played better as the game went due to more aggressive play.
“We had some nice opportunities here and there,” Hawks midfielder Trisha Donlon said. “We still need to pass to feet better. That’s one of our problems.”
Bartlett coach Heather Thomas said Donlon was among her best players in the match. She also was pleased with the performances of Nicole Gabbo, Brittany Van Ness and Kendra Videckis.
Grodzki came up big several times in each half. Her best save came in the 62nd minute after Green dribbled her way into the penalty area. Grodzki stood her ground to stop the left-footed shot from Green, who tried to beat the goalie to the short side.
Grodzki thwarted several chances by grabbing high centering passes with Waubonsie players swarming around her.
Despite that, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ goals.
“We did OK,” Bartlett coach Heather Thomas said. “Giving up a goal with 8 seconds left in the first half had us hanging our heads a little bit. And then to give up a goal less than three minutes into the second half … we had about 3½ minutes of lazy soccer.”
The Hawks had a chance to ruin the shutout in the 76th minute, but Videckis’ free kick from 20 yards out sailed high. That came several minutes after Van Ness couldn’t get clean possession of the ball with Waubonsie goalie Jordan Myers down in the penalty area.
Myers was one of seven Warriors seniors playing their final regular season game on Waubonsie’s field. The Warriors can return to defend their home turf by winning the Bolingbrook Regional.
“It was definitely exciting to get the win in our last game here,” said defender Mary Wright, another of the seniors. “But I think all of us are ready to go into the playoffs. We’re ready for it. It’s a different atmosphere in the playoffs.”
