Hawks throw scare into Wildcats before suffering 2-1 loss

By Eddie Burns

When Neuqua Valley's Zoey Goralski scored in the fourth minute it looked like Bartlett was going to be on the receiving end of another lopsided defeat at the hands of the defending Upstate Eight Conference champion Wildcats.

However, the Hawks showed some grit and quickly responded in the 12th minute when sophomore Nicole Gobbo netted the equalizer to give Bartlett its first goal against Neuqua in four seasons.

Gobbo's goal set the tone for the remainder of the match because it served notice that Bartlett was not going to be easily pushed around.

The Wildcats eventually pulled out a 2-1 victory but the Hawks certainly made Neuqua work for its second UEC victory on Thursday evening in Naperville.

"I could tell Neuqua was mad when we scored," said Bartlett goalie Erin Zaideman, who had 13 saves. "I think how we played, in general, was just amazing.

"It was by far the best we've played all year and I have to hand it to all of the young players and veterans here – we did great."

It was Zaideman who received the assist on Gobbo's goal. Bartlett's scoring play began innocently as Zaideman sent a booming kick out of the penalty area toward midfield.

But a few Neuqua players misjudged the ball as it bounced off the grass which allowed Gobbo to sneak behind the defense and gain possession.

From there, Gobbo had a clear path to the Neuqua net where she flipped a shot past Neuqua goalie Alexa Wilde.

"Gobbo is deceivingly fast and that is something we've talked with her about – using her speed," Bartlett coach Heather Thomas said.

"I would not look at her and think she would be able to beat me in a race but she is quick and has these little spurts and she just goes with it."

The remainder of the first half featured scoring chances on both sides but the match remained tied at halftime.

Neuqua came out in the second half and played much more aggressively. The Wildcats had the better of the play, partially thanks to a slight wind at their backs.

Gobbo and teammate Lisa Palmer created a scoring chance but the play took too long to develop and that allowed the Neuqua defense to recover.

Gobbo and Lyndsay Bruzzini also put together a potential scoring run but it was denied by the Wildcats.

For the most part, all of the action in the second half occurred on Bartlett's side of the field.

The Wildcats (5-0-1, 2-0 UEC) were relentless in their pursuit of the go-ahead goal and they finally scored it in the closing moments.

In the 78th minute, Neuqua's Courtney Ksiazek pounced on a loose ball in the Hawks' penalty area and slammed it into the back of the net to give Neuqua its one-goal victory.

Neuqua's Tori Dunn put the winning play in motion when she sent a cross toward the Bartlett penalty area.

Bartlett goalie Erin Zaideman charged to gain possession, but Neuqua's Gianna Dal Pozzo managed to get a piece of the ball and it ended up at Ksiazek's feet.

"It was my mistake to come out," Zaideman said. "If I would have held back, I probably would have had a better opportunity to get it.

"I just went with what my gut and I felt it was the best decision to come out, but in the end, I guess it wasn't."

Thomas said it appeared that the Hawks (7-3, 1-1) ran out energy.

"The last two minutes we made some silly mistakes and stupid plays, but I'm proud of the girls," Thomas said. "We made those errors at the end because I think we were a little bit tired.

"We just had a mental breakdown on defense and you can't blame them because we played a tough game and played a lot of defense and it was bound to happen."

Freshman midfielder Nicki Noreen said the Hawks did not get tired.

"We weren't really tired," she said. "They just made a good play. We were just trying to mark them as best as we could and they were able to make something happen."

Thomas certainly did not blame Zaideman, who had allowed two goals through Bartlett's first nine matches.

"She did enough other things to keep us in the match," Thomas said. "You can't blame one person because Neuqua dribbled right through our entire defense before they scored."

Zaideman said this performance should help the Hawks as they move forward in conference play.

"This will build confidence for us," Zaideman said. "The funny thing I've noticed in my time here is that we're the fifth tier in the Upstate Eight Conference.

"There are four top schools – Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley, St. Charles North and St. Charles East and we're always the fifth.

"But this effort shows us that we can play with the best of them if come in with mentality that we can get to the ball, play with our hearts and don't give up."