Mustangs' strike before halftime holds up vs. Lane Tech

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By Casey Callanan

The good news: with just more than 40 seconds left in the first half, Metea Valley scored off a perfectly timed corner kick. The bad news: momentum pretty much ended there for the Mustangs as the young team spent the rest of the game clinging to the tiny lead.

The last 40 minutes of play at Metea Valley (7-3-1) on Thursday evening turned into an old-fashioned dog fight as the Mustangs managed to hold off Lane Tech at home with a 1-0 victory.

The Mustangs’ goal came as the final seconds of the first half ticked down and junior Kristina Tomaras put the corner kick in play.

Freshmen midfielder Megan Buchanan, one of the tallest players on the team, controlled the corner and blasted the ball through.

“Our target on corners is in the middle of the six-yard-box. (Buchanan) is bigger and tough in the box,” Tomaras said. “It’s very beneficial to have that kind of adrenalin on corner kicks.”

The score came at a crucial time when things seemed destined to stay deadlocked until the second half. The ball first hit off Buchanan’s shoulder, and she was able to control things and score.

Neither team dominated the possession battle in the first half and strong goaltending alongside tough defense became the constant theme.

Junior defender Hannah Thayer came up huge early in the game to help breakup Lane Tech scoring opportunities. Thayer helped ease the workload for goalie Megan Geldernick who had another stellar day between the pipes.

The shutout would not have been possible without the defensive efforts of junior Alexis McKay as well. “McKay played a great game,” said Metea coach Pat Feulner. “She’s been our anchor in the backfield all season.”

With 18 minutes left to play in the first half, freshmen sensation Jenna Kentgen crushed a shot on goal that was denied by Lane Tech goalie Ana Hernandez.

Kentgen’s motor never stopped on Thursday as she sped her way throughout the field to help create scoring chances. “(Kentgen) is just all over the field. She’s up and down the field as much as anyone,” Feulner said.

Kentgen is part of a host of young Mustangs that are making significant contributions to the red hot start of the season for Metea. “She plays like a senior. She’s a horse, but she’s the exception rather than the rule,” Feulner said.

Metea went into Thursday’s game on the heels of consecutive losses to rival Waubonsie Valley and then Mundelein in a Pepsi Showdown opener. According to Feulner the Mustangs have been showing signs of their youth in recent games, and the second half of Thursday’s win over Lane Tech was a perfect example.

Rather then looking deflated and discouraged after surrendering such a late goal, Lane Tech came out fired up in the second half and the Mustangs struggled to match that fire.

“We weren’t as intense in the second half,” Buchanan said.

Despite not matching up with Lane Tech’s energy in the final forty minutes Metea’s defensive talent proved strong enough to earn the 1-0 victory.

Alyssa Fox nearly missed giving the Mustangs a 2-0 advantage midway through the second half. Despite Fox’s near misses in the second half, Lane Tech had better scoring chances overall in the half.

Fighting complacency after gaining the lead will be a challenge for the Mustangs to work on all season. “We went through spurts where we got too relaxed and complacent,” Tomaras said.

With just five minutes left in regulation a Lane Tech shot caromed off the crossbar as the tense second-half moments piled up for Metea.

“We weren’t connecting on any balls. They picked up the pace and had us on our heels in the entire second half,” Feulner said. “We weren’t finding people. We’re mainly freshmen and sophomores and sometimes when we get in a game like this we’re going to panic.”