Green's late free kick gets Warriors a win at Barrington

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By Gary Larsen

The goalkeepers could have reclined in hammocks hung from post to post through the first 40 minutes of soccer between Waubonsie Valley and Barrington on Saturday. The energy on the field was there but neither team could seem to find a shot before halftime.

That changed in the second half, towards an eventual 2-1 win for the Warriors in Barrington.

“We were playing hard in the first half and we were happy with the intensity we had, especially coming off the Neuqua game (a 2-1 loss),” Waubonsie senior Megan Green said. “The only thing we had to do was get more shots and do more work in the final third – give-and-go’s, moving off the ball, and shooting.”

The game’s first legitimate save came from Waubonsie keeper Jordan Myers, on a hard-hit ball sent at her from Barrington’s Sara Condon in the game’s 48th minute. Green sent a decent chance just high of net a minute later.

Waubonsie (3-2) finally broke the ice at 50 minutes on a goal set up by a Green free kick. Waubonsie’s Jenna Romano had a slight premonition that helped set up the goal.

“I think I kind of knew it was coming because I told Megan to stop the play and wait for me to get up there,” Romano said. “She’s so good at placing the ball. She just kind of floated it in and I was able to put it in.”

Romano’s head shot from 8 yards out punctuated a solid day’s work put in at midfield from her and Green. Romano is a natural defender but she showed throughout that she’s more than capable of contributing in the attack.

“I guess I’m used to controlling the team from the back so it’s a lot different in the middle because you don’t always see what’s behind you,” Romano said. “But I like getting into the attack. It’s fun.”

The Warriors’ lead lasted roughly 10 minutes. Barrington’s Kathryn Avedon sent a ball wide to Emily Hyde, who busted up the right side and buried a shot from a tough angle. It was the only goal that Waubonsie’s Mary Wright-led back line would give up.

Barrington (5-2) keeper Kelly Pedersen fielded a Green free kick at 65 minutes, and then another at the 70-minute mark. Three minutes later Green and Shannon Donelson created a little something in close on a nice 1-2 combination that Barrington defender Mia Calamari read well, blocking a Donelson shot in the area.

Green’s right leg would be prominent again on the Warriors’ winning goal.

A Barrington foul deep on its own end set Green up for a free kick on the edge of the penalty area on the left side, six yards off the end line. Green’s kick hit the carpet at the goalmouth and found its way into net off a Fillies’ defender.

"I just don't know when we're going to learn to defend (those) types of situations,” Barrington coach Ryan Stengren said. “If we cannot figure it out soon we're going to give up a set-piece goal when it really counts, which could very well end our season much sooner than all of us would like."

The Warriors hung on for their third win of the season, to go with a 1-0 win over Naperville Central and a 3-1 win over Metea Valley. A program that has won three state titles in the last four years continues to work with a whole new roster in hand for coach Julie Bergstrom.

“We have a lot of talent but nobody really knew about it, and we have a good work ethic,” Green said. “We’re all finding a new competition level in ourselves. After the loss to Neuqua we had to pick up our intensity because we didn’t come out with any energy in that game.”

With only 15 players present for action on Saturday for various reasons, the Warriors showed that they intend to again be a team to be reckoned with once the postseason arrives. The return of senior Hannah Klancic should only add punch in the final third, as a roster that includes five sophomores and six freshmen continues to gel.

 “We have a really new team and it will just take some time to get used to each other,” Romano said. “But we’ve been going really hard at practice and that has helped us a lot. We played with a lot of intensity today and in the second half we knew we needed to step it up.”

The Warriors travel to St. Charles North on Wednesday for an Upstate Eight Conference game, and host Naperville North on Friday. Barrington squares off against two big dogs in the Mid Suburban League, at Hersey on Monday before hosting Fremd on Wednesday.

Heading into the week, the Fillies remain tied with Conant at the top of the MSL table, each with 9 points, and 6 points clear of Fremd, Schaumburg and Palatine.

Calamari shined throughout Saturday’s contest and knows it will take her side’s best efforts to earn wins against Hersey and Fremd.

"I know I was disappointed to see us give up those two goals off of set-piece plays today, but we played pretty well as a unit, and we just have to get back to working a little harder on defending when we get back to training this week," Calamari said.

Both Stengren and Bergstrom are negotiating player injuries a month into the season.

The Fillies have slowly welcomed the likes of Emmelie Hirdes, Catie Curran and Molly Pfeiffer, among others, back into the rotation. But after a demanding 1-0 win against MSL West rival Palatine on Thursday, Stengren chose to hold out both Hirdes and Curran, while spotting his sophomore striker Pfeifffer and there to help give his people up top some additional rest.

"I thought the Palatine match, which we were able to win in OT, really took a lot out of the girls," Stengren said.