Wildcats get back on track with win over Bulldogs

By Curt Herron

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Two squads who are still seeking their identities met up on Wednesday for what otherwise might be regarded as just another match.

But with the season midway through its fourth week already, the clock is ticking for teams to determine what they can accomplish.

Neuqua Valley was coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss at Crystal Lake South on Saturday, which followed a two-match winning streak.

And Batavia was hoping to build on last week's 4-2 win over Elgin, its first of the season, as it prepared for a weekend trip to Morton.

In the end, it was the Wildcats who were able to walk away with some positives from the crossover between Upstate Eight Conference teams.

Neuqua used two early goals to establish control and then relied on its defense to keep Batavia at bay to claim a 3-0 win in Naperville.

Jake Loncar, Ryan Ross and Munashe Nyamunduru all scored for the Wildcats while Reed Kurtenbach and Ross both chipped in with assists.

The three-goal effort ties the squad's best-previous output this year, which came in a 3-1 victory over Waubonsie Valley last Thursday.

However, goal scoring has been a problem for Neuqua, which has been shut out four times and scored one goal on three other occasions.

And after allowing 12 goals in their first five matches, it has yielded just two scores in the last four outings, posting two shutouts.

Zach Goldstein and late sub Ryan Hassett recorded Wednesday's shutout in goal, with help from Paarth Joshi and Jimmy Kotowski on defense.

Others in the back who helped secure a third shutout were Lucas Schaller, Nick Castelvecchi, Tyler Hartsock, Jack Stelter and Kurtenbach.

"This was a good day for us both offensively and defensively," said Neuqua coach Skip Begley. "We got to the endline and tried to put some balls in front of the goal and we actually had some people stay in front of the goal. We've had trouble getting the ball in front of the goal and no one being there.

"And defensively, it's about finding that shape in the back and communicating so that when one goes up the other one drops and we're still working through that. We've been up and down this season and now we have to find the consistency which comes with being comfortable with each other.

"I'm pleased with our effort today but I wasn't pleased with our effort as a team on Saturday when Crystal Lake South outworked us and it deserved the victory. But tonight I thought that we deserved the win since we played a solid game all the way around and a lot of people contributed.

"And it's got to be that way since even though we have some quality players, I don't think there's anyone you look to as our go-to guy. We have to share the responsibility and the work and have them trust their teammates to work like they do. If we get that, we'll be an effective side."

Batavia, which got shut out for the second time, had its fair share of attempts, but many came from some distance and weren't on goal.

Another issue that bothered coach Mark Gianfrancesco were the two goals in the initial quarter hour which both came from close range.

The Bulldogs have allowed three or more goals in all of their defeats and have now yielded a total of 18 scores so far this season.

While both squads are inexperienced at the varsity level, Batavia started just two seniors Wednesday and has only six on its roster.

"It's stuff that we know about and stuff we know that we can fix," Gianfrancesco said. "One thing is we're lacking in getting penetrating balls through and being creative in the offensive third and getting shots on goal.

"And in the back, we have to stop giving up bad goals, which are inside the six-yard box, which we've been struggling with all year. We need to make other teams work harder for their goals. Those two things are fixable.

"If we can get those two things handled, we'll be looking pretty good. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so after not playing in a week, this was just another test for us and we'll have a couple of more tests this weekend.

"I thought Andrew Barrowman played well in the middle and Zac Grahovec up top was a great target player and we hit his feet quite a bit and he did a nice job of dropping it to the inside mids. Those two guys were solid."

Batavia (1-5) had a pair of early opportunities but Andrew Barrowman sent a shot over the net and Zac Grahovec had a try deflected.

Neuqua (4-5) made the most of its first good chance when Ross sent a pass to Loncar, who put in a short attempt in the 10th minute.

A short time later, Ross lined an effort to keeper Michael Rueffer and Wildcat Jake Fritz had a try cleared away by Brendan Allen.

The Wildcats grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute when a punt was headed backwards, giving Ross a clear path toward a short shot.

"To start off with a couple of quick goals is really key in a game like this," Ross said. "Because if we start off strong then we're going to play strong the rest of the game. In a couple of our games, we've waited for the other team scored on us before we picked up our intensity.

"On the first goal, I dribbled through a few defenders and looked up and saw Jake at the far post and put it there and knew that he'd put it away. And I think that was my third goal of the year.

"We're still rebuilding and today we had some new kids who were playing in new positions and it worked out well for us. We all want to win and we hate losing so that's a good thing for us."

Batavia tried to answer following the half's midpoint but Chase Correll was stopped by Goldstein and Nick Samperi sent a try wide.

Neuqua had a couple of other chances shortly before the break but Kurtenbach and Stelter were both thwarted by the Bulldog keeper.

In the second half, Barrowman was denied by Goldstein before Kevin Collins sent a shot to the Wildcat keeper and one over the net.

A bit later, Ross got free in front but new keeper Nick Foster came out for the stop and then he punched away a Matt Lyon corner.

Following the half's midway mark, Xavier Ortiz sent a liner to the Bulldog keeper and Loncar had a shot cleared by Ryan Milligan.

Soon after Foster snuffed a try by Kevin Anderson, Kurtenbach sent a cross to Nyamunduru, who put in a header in the 69th minute.

Hassett stepped for the final 10 minutes but Neuqua's defense kept Batavia from getting any late attempts to preserve the shutout.

"The back four did a good job of holding our line today and staying connected, which we haven't done in the past," Joshi said. "We've had to do some shifting around in the back and it's been tough on us but we did a good job keeping it together with Jimmy and me communicating well.

"We didn't give them too many chances in front of our goalkeeper and we really helped out Zach and he usually has to do a lot more back there. Usually we've had our backs to the wall first so getting those goals was a huge difference. We wanted to get off to a good start and we did.

"Practices have been great the last couple of weeks. After a slow start, our intensity and team chemistry are growing and our ability to possess the ball and get a shot in the final third is improving. We are a good team and once we get it all together we have a chance to do well."

The Wildcats play a nonconference match at Conant on Saturday while the Bulldogs meet Edwardsville in the Morton Invite on Friday.