Wildcats score late to capture 2-1 win over Hawks

By Eddie Burns

A tie with Bartlett was not something the Neuqua Valley coaches, players and supporters were interested in when the teams got together on a chilly, raw Thursday afternoon in Naperville.

Thanks to the late heroics of Courtney Ksiazek, the Wildcats avoided disaster and pulled out a narrow 2-1 win to remain unbeaten.

"It was clear (Bartlett) would have been happy with a tie, but that was not something we wanted to settle for," said Ksiazek, who now has two goals this season.

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

"I knew something good was going to result from the play because that is what happens when you crash the net," Ksiazek said.

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.

"The ball came in on a cross and I just felt that it was an opportunity for me to go out and I guess I didn't come out fast enough," said Zaideman, who had allowed two goals all season entering the match.

"Suddenly a few players collided into me and the ball got through and unfortunately they were able to get the ball and put it in the net."

Ksiazek said opportunities can't be missed when they happen so close to the opposition's goal.

"You have to capitalize on a mistake like that when it occurs and we did," she said.

The Wildcats (5-0-1, 2-0 UEC) took an early lead when freshman Zoe Goralski converted on a cross from Ksiazek in the fourth minute.

"Courtney sent the ball over and I tried to trap the ball as best as I could and then I shot it without thinking about it," said Goralski, who has two goals for the season.

Bartlett (7-3, 1-1) came back and tallied its first goal in four seasons against the Wildcats when sophomore Nicole Gobbo scored in the 12th minute.

The Hawks' response did jolt the Wildcats.

"We were a little bit surprised when they pulled even, but we didn't panic," Ksiazek said.

"We had to stay calm and keep our mind on the game because if you start panicking, then you get your mind out of the game and you can't focus on what you need to do, but we knew what had to be done. We just had to execute and we did a good job."

Each team had its share of chances to break the tie before halftime but the score remained knotted at 1-1 at intermission.

The second half was a different story because Neuqua pretty much dominated play as almost the entire second half was played in Bartlett's half of the field.

However, for the longest time it looked the Wildcats would be unable to push across the winning goal.

"It was really frustrating because we were down in their end of the field so much and we just couldn't get the ball in the goal," Goralski said.

"We were dominating so much and each time we tried to shoot we'd just miss, but when we finally got that goal it just felt so relieving and awesome."

Ksiazek agreed that the Wildcats had the better of the play but they needed a break to put the match away.

"It was clear that we dominated," Ksiazek said. "I know the score might look a little closer than it really was but they did a good job of pressuring us, but once we broke through we got that chance to seal the win."

The Wildcats will spend the weekend competing in showcase in St. Louis. Neuqua will face one of Missouri's best squads in Nernix Hall, which was a quarterfinalist in Missouri's largest class a season ago.