Mustangs stay unbeaten in WSG with win over Hornets
By Gary Larsen

Each team scored on a head shot off a corner kick, so Tuesday’s game between Hinsdale South and host Downers Grove South boiled down to a goal created purely on the hustle of a freshman.

Although at this point, the Mustangs’ Autumn Rasmussen is hardly a freshman anymore.

“She’s been up with us for about four weeks,” Downers coach Abby Anderson said. “She’s just a hard worker. It’s awesome for a kid to get a goal just from working hard like that. She started with us at our quad so she played against St. Charles North and Neuqua. She doesn’t play like a freshman.”

Rasmussen took a ball up the left flank and turned the corner at the endline, then took a touch to the near post and stretched the back netting with a first-half shot that ultimately stood as the game-winner in a 2-1 win for the Mustangs.

Downers Grove South (9-5-1, 3-0 in West Suburban Gold play) struck first when Kelly Stapleton deposited an Ava Porlier corner kick into net, in the game’s 10th minute.

Up to that point, Hinsdale South (4-6-0, 2-2) was battling.

“We need to score early,” Hornets coach Pat Wolf said. “We had chances early in this game but that’s been our Achilles heel. And then they come down on their first chance and they score. It was the same thing for us against (Lyons Township). We played a great game and they won 1-0.  We’re right there but can’t seem to get one in.”

The field tilted back-and-forth for much of the first half as the teams took turns winning midfield battles and sending balls ahead. But while the Hornets couldn’t solve Mustangs keeper Jamie Furio, Rasmussen made it 2-0 before the break with her goal at 34 minutes.

The Hornets – who will play in the Class 2A state tournament this year – continued fighting after the break. The Mustangs’ second-half keeper, Katelyn Laraia, handled a shot from distance taken by Hinsdale’s Colleen McPherson at 42 minutes, the Hornets earned a corner kick at 46 minutes, and Maggie Nicosia nearly got on the end of a ball served to the front of the goalmouth at 52 minutes.

Laraia left her line and beat the Hornets’ Kelly Flemm to a through-ball at 59 minutes and the Hornets earned another corner kick at 62 minutes.

The Mustangs’ Emily Wauer took a ball to the endline on the left side at 69 minutes, but teammate Stephanie Hall came up just short with a sliding attempt to reach Wauer’s far-post serve.

The Hornets’ Jess Mutters got her head on a Jess Koziol corner at 70 minutes but a Mustangs defender stopped the shot attempt, and Wauer tracked back hard to redirect a through-ball headed for the feet of the Hornets’ Cassie Jensen at 72 minutes.

The Hornets finally broke the ice at 73 minutes when Alissa Lokanc went up and after a Koziol corner sent a head shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

“We’ve had really good crosses lately and I knew a good one was coming,” Lokanc said. “I just got in position and decided I wasn’t going to let it go over my head. I wanted that one. Coach said that you’ve got to want to get up and get it, and I just decided to get that one.”

Rasmussen twice took a ball up the right side in the box, at 74 and 76 minutes, but her first shot went wide and Hornets keeper Vanessa Niestrom saved Rasmussen’s second offering at the near post, and the Mustangs’ 2-1 lead held to the final buzzer.

“Conditions being what they are I think we did the best we could,” Anderson said. “It took us a little while to settle in and kind of get into a game of possession and attack, but once we did … if we can find possession to feet on the ground, we’ve got the speed to be pretty dangerous. We’re just kind of struggling to find some consistency, game-to-game.”

Anderson applauded Porlier’s play in the middle on Tuesday, “and Laurie Niehaus is playing center back and she just cleaned everything up and played with composure, and tried to play feet,” Anderson said. “Autumn and Emily Wauer were really active up top tonight and Kelly Stapleton played really focused. She was calming down, playing the ball to feet, and trying to find our forwards.”

Wolf was pleased with the effort his side gave throughout the contest.

“Vanessa (Niestrom) is doing a good job in the goal, Jess Mutters is sweeping for us now and she’s just a competitor, and (Elisabetta) Bifero sweeped at the end and she just plays smart,” Wolf said.

The Mustangs return to Naperville Invitational play Thursday with a game against Fremd, while the Hornets host York Thursday and Addison Trail on Tuesday of next week.