Warriors' post strong 2nd half in loss to West Chicago
By Anthony Zilis

The last few weeks had been rough for West Chicago.

The Wildcats had possessed the ball well during five games in April, but they lost four and tied one because they weren't quite strong enough in front of goal.

That stretch of poor finishing finally changed in Friday's 2-1 win over Wheaton Academy, at least for the most part. West Chicago (6-6-2) controlled play throughout the first half, when goals from Andie Lazzerini and Stephanie Mata gave the Wildcats a two-goal cushion, before Wheaton Academy (6-4-1) fought back in the second half after receiving a red card.

“A win is a win at this point,” West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez said. “We lost our possession in the second half. We play kick and chase even though that's not our style. Even though they had one less person we couldn't take advantage of that. But the result is good.”

The Wildcats controlled possession for most of the first half, putting pressure on the Wheaton Academy defense throughout. But for the first 30 minutes, goalkeeper Julia McKee and the young Wheaton Academy back line kept West Chicago at bay.

Nine minutes into the game, West Chicago forward Katie Becker hammered a shot from 30 yards out off of a free kick, but McKee was able to save the hard shot. Twelve minutes later, Lazzerini took a shot from just outside the box and McKee was once again equal.

McKee came up again and again early on, keeping the score tied, but the Wildcats finally broke through with just over nine minutes remaining in the half, when Mata deflected Becker's corner kick into the back of the net. Five minutes later, Lazzerini blocked an attempted clearance, dribbled the ball into the box and placed a shot into the lower corner to double the lead.

“That final push, that final oomph, we didn't have it [in previous games],” Gomez said. “I think today it came.”

Ten minutes into the second, half, the game looked all but over for the Warriors when a defender was red-carded after taking down Becker, who was in on goal, just outside the penalty area.

But with 10 players, Wheaton Academy came alive.

The Warriors' defense held strong, snuffing out any West Chicago chances before they started. With 24 minutes left, Wheaton Academy defender Gabrielle LaMantia cleared a West Chicago through ball that looked destined to find an attacker in on goal.

With 11 minutes remaining, Wheaton Academy senior Meredith Matson nodded home a corner kick from freshman Julia DellaTorre and all of a sudden, the Warriors were back in the game.

“I think we came back very well in the second half,” Wheaton Academy midfielder Sela McClelland said. “We came back and fought like the team that we know that we are. The first half we came out and weren't as strong as we wanted to be, but we kept them off a player down.”

They weren't able to complete the comeback, but a young Wheaton Academy squad showed plenty of promise during a hard-fought second half.

Things haven't always been easy for the young Warriors, but McClelland has seen her young teammates improve leaps and bounds this year.

“We came out not knowing what to do and our freshmen were a little timid, but we've settled in and they know how to play and where to go,” she said. “I would say that everybody has embraced it really well and has embraced it well together. Our captains are leading us really well this season. We've bonded together.”

The Wildcats, meanwhile, put their season back on track. Despite some shaky moments, Gomez and his players were relieved to finally win a game in April.

“Today, we were effective in the first half and we scored two goals,” Gomez said. “Everyone knows a two-goal lead is a dangerous one. We gave up a corner kick and they're big and they're aggressive. But a win is a win is a win.”

West Chicago plays Batavia on Saturday. With sectional seeding coming up, Gomez knows it's crucial to notch every win his team can.

“We needed this one,” he said. “It would be pretty awesome for this young, young group of kids to get a good seed for the tournament coming up.”