Wildcats surge in second half to break open first match with Mustangs
CLICK HERE FOR NEUQUA VALLEY'S TEAM PAGE
By Steve Nemeth
For Metea Valley, the good news at halftime of Tuesday's Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division match at Neuqua Valley was that the first-year varsity program was down only 1-0 against the state's No. 1-ranked Class 3A team.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs, that was also the bad news. Because when the Wildcats got to the second half, they elevated their level of play and goal production, some how managing to rise to an even higher plateau than the weekend's two notable triumphs at the Parkwaywestsoccer.com College Showcase Tournament.
In dispatching two perennial Missouri powerhouses --- 7-1 over Pattonville and 6-1 against Parkway South --- the Wildcats quietly helped coach Joe Moreau and assistant Sue Soderberg reach the 100-win plateau at Neuqua.
But Tuesday's 5-0 blanking of Metea now has the Wildcats (9-0-0 overall, 2-0-0 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division) on the verge of a more notable historic milestone, one that has the Neuqua Nation planning a celebration for the April 18 home date.
Should Neuqua post a victory this Thursday at Larkin, it will be the 300th career triumph for coaches Moreau and assistant Soderberg.
The first 198 came during their tenure together at St. Charles. The current 101-22-9 mark at Neuqua is part of an overall 14-year ledger of 299-33-29 (an .868 winning percentage).
After compiling an 18-1 advantage for overall attempts in the opening half, the Wildcat offense took their efficiency to a new level.
For the entire match, Neuqua owned a 25-3 advantage in total shots, a 16-1 edge for on-frame attempts, plus a 7-0 tally for corner kicks.
Although Alexa Wilde's unassisted 12-yard blast from left of center 12 minutes into the match gave Neuqua a 1-0 lead, the Mustang defense and keeper Megan Geldernick continually rose to the challenge through the first half to keep that score from growing.
There was one stretch in which Geldernick rejected a point-blank shot by Zoey Goralski only to have to block the rebound which led the Wildcat sophomore to volley a third consecutive shot on frame only to have a defender clear the ball.
Whether it was rushing out to beat a Neuqua player to a ball, smothering a feed, or punching a cross out of the air, Geldernick had five saves and twice as many defensive clears during the first half.
"We hung in there at first, but in the second half we got a little intimidated after they scored so quickly," Metea assistant coach Tim Credille admitted.
Just 1:23 into the second half, Goralski fed Gianna Dal Pozzo for a 9-yarder from right of center that opened the floodgates.
Goralski then took a Meghan Kelley pass and dribbled around Geldernick for a 4-yard tap-in to make it 3-0 after 45:45.
Four minutes later, Goralski got her team-high eighth goal with an unassisted 10-yarder from right of center to carom in off the left post. Suddenly it was 4-0 and the second half wasn't quite 10 minutes old.
"I always take goals and assists as a good sign of working with my teammates," Goralski said. "The key for us as a team is to keep working hard and never take our foot off the pedal.
"As much as we know we're a strong team, we know there's always ways to be even more efficient."
Picking up the offense was a highlight in Moreau's view.
"It was good to see us hitting shots all match long, their keeper made some nice saves, but we kept our composure and pecked away at them," Moreau noted.
"We could've panicked at not being able to finish in the first half; instead we adjusted to their packing the middle, got the ball out wide and scored. Three of our goals came from the outside."
Wilde, a senior captain, echoed her coach's assessment regarding the Wildcats' poise.
"Last year, it got to us when we got scored on or struggled to finish. This year, we actually settle down more and just work harder on going to goal," Wilde explained. "And it often seems like one goal is the gateway to more goals."
With Neuqua clogging the midfield, the Mustangs failed to register an on-frame attempt for the final 40 minutes, although two overall shots were dangerous with one nearly nicking the right post, another sailing over the crossbar and a third requiring a stretch save by back-up Madison Thielsen.
Thielsen's final 20 minutes combined with starter Courtney Keefer's whitewash efforts gave Neuqua its fifth clean sheet of the season.
Hannah Nelmark's textbook cross was headed in by Morgan Mulcahy with 16:16 left to play to account for the final score.
"We certainly played well in St. Louis against two quality teams and we wanted to continue that level today," Moreau continued. "If we come ready to play, we're a tough team to play for everybody."
Despite dipping to 8-4-1 on the season and 0-2-0 for the UEC Valley, Geldernick revealed the Mustangs' resolve: "It's one game and we have to keep our heads up and as the coach told us, just get back to basics," Geldernick said.
"I definitely don't feel the final score reflects what type of team we are. Sometimes we try to do too much and forget to play simple and smart."
Credille followed that theme by saying, "We've got to work harder on holding our defensive shape. There was too much distance between our back line and the midfield. With Lake Forest coming up in the Pepsi Showdown, we have to regroup quickly."
