Wildcats edge Redhawks to claim tenth straight victory

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By Eddie Burns

Neuqua Valley's winning streak is at 10 and counting.

The Wildcats used their big weapon in Megan Oyster to collect the lone goal, which help them score a fairly impressive 1-0 victory against visiting Naperville Central on Saturday afternoon.

"It is always good to beat a rival," Oyster said.

Oyster didn't actually score the winning goal but she helped make it possible when she sent a restart from approximately 40 yards out directly on frame.

The ball, which was aided by a gusty wind, banged against the crossbar and bounced back out in the field of play where teammate Allie McBride was waiting for the rebound as she ripped a shot past Central goalie Jill D’Amico in the 18th minute.

"I know Megan is usually right on target," McBride said. "I just tapped (the ball). If she missed, I was thinking, 'Put (the ball) in the back of the net, put it in the back of the net.'

"So when I saw it hit the crossbar, I was just like I got to get a body on it and finish it."

Oyster makes it a point to be precise when it comes to her direct kicks.

“That ball was placed right where I usually try to kick the ball and it worked out,” Oyster said.

“I always try to go far post. We knew we didn’t have the wind in the second half, so to get a goal with the wind was awesome.”

Neuqua coach Joe Moreau saw a lot of positives on the scoring play.

“Megan has a cannon when she strikes it well, and it was a good shot,” Moreau said. “Allie was there and the ball kind of popped up on her and it was a great finish.”

The wind was a factor in the game as it provided a challenge for both teams. Neuqua played with the wind at its back in the first half.

“The wind was really hard and really fast, so you couldn’t really clear the ball,” Oyster said.

Central’s Alex Coon agreed.

“It was really hard (going against the wind) in the first half because every time we kicked the ball in the air, it just flew right back in our faces, so it was hard to connect our passes,” Coon said.

“I thought we could have done a better job in the second half of trying to connect passes as well, but we didn’t do that.”

The Wildcats (10-0-1) continued to pressure D’Amico throughout the duration of the first half, but the score remained 1-0 at intermission. Neuqua had 11 shots, six of which were on net, in the first half.

“We wanted to get more than one, but we weren't able to,” Oyster said.

The most surprising development in the second half was how Neuqua was able to sustain pressure on Central and D’Amico while going into the wind. Meanwhile, Central (6-1-4) struggled to mount a consistent attack.

“We worked hard to create opportunities because the coaches reminded us that if we didn’t pressure them, they were going to clear the ball and hit it back in our face,” Oyster said.

Moreau said the Wildcats were effective at moving the ball all over the field.

“Central swarms to the ball really well and we were trying to switch the fields because they were swarming so well to the ball and it was tough with the wind,” said Moreau about the Wildcats’ philosophy.

“We didn’t play the prettiest game we’ve played all year, but it certainly was effective game.”

Moreau was also proud of the defensive effort his squad put forth in the second half.

“We minimized their chances, especially in the second half,” Moreau said. “They had a couple of shots from a distance, but for the most part, I thought we did a pretty good job defensively.”

The Wildcats have little time to enjoy this victory as a trip to Waubonsie Valley on Monday awaits.

Neuqua’s game with Central marked the first of seven games in 11 days. Some of the opponents the Wildcats will see are Conant, Andrew, St. Charles North to go along with Central and Waubonsie.

“It will be challenging, but I think our girls will be up for it,” Moreau said.

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