Spartans seek consistency following 3-0 victory over ACC

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By Darryl Mellema

St. Francis possessed the ball during much of the 80 minutes in its match with Aurora Central Catholic on Tuesday.

And while they made things more difficult for themselves at times, the Spartans eventually claimed a 3-0 victory over the Chargers in Wheaton.

"I don't think we played as well as we could have but we definitely put all of our effort in," St. Francis senior Molly Coyle said.

"We're still learning from our mistakes and it's early in the season. But we're getting there."

Goal scoring was the main issue for the Spartans on Tuesday. Early in the match, the hosts sent wave after wave toward the Chargers' net and shots missed wide, were saved and went over the bar.

It took until the 21st minute of the match for Sarah Rahman to put the Spartans (3-3) ahead for good. The freshman converted a Sydney Fox right wing cross for the goal.

"When I got that, I was really happy because we really needed that goal," Rahman said.

While Spartans coach Meghan Boler would have liked to see a better performance, she as pleased to see her squad get the shutout win.

"I'm always looking at the fact that we could have done more, when the bottom line is we won, we had a shutout and a lot of good things came out of this match," Boler said.

St. Francis' domination in possession continued. Through the match, probably 90 percent of the possession fell the Spartans' way and much of that time with the ball was in the Chargers' defensive end.

"They possessed well, but when you do that, you want to do the last thing, and that's to get a goal," Boler said. "That's obviously what the game is about."

With a quarter hour to play in the first half, Ally Mastrioanni started the move that led to her team's second goal.

Mastrioanni sent a long through ball that Taylor Bucaro reached just as Aurora Central's goalkeeper fumbled the ball. Bucaro controlled the ball and went the rest of the way to score a tap-in goal.

The pattern established in the first half never changed. St. Francis possessed, Aurora Central defended and most shots were weak, wide or saved.

"We kept going and even though our shots didn't go in, we tried our hardest, and that was good," Rahman said.

Molly Coyle finished the scoring with 14 minutes to play when she knocked the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble.

St. Francis' possession time was a combination of its own prowess in keeping the ball and Aurora Central's inability to close down defenders and to tackle away the ball.

"We've been working really hard in practice and it's good to see it paying off in a game,” Coyle said.

Tuesday's match was the first for St. Francis since its stirring 4-3 victory over Libertyville in the Pepsi Showdown.

That match was played on the synthetic surface at Schaumburg's Olympic Park. By contrast, St. Francis' field is bumpy.

"It's hard to control the ball and shoot it," Rahman said. "It's hard to get your touch."

Boler mentioned to her team the need to adjust to the field conditions and to ensure a solid touch before playing the ball.

"Obviously we've been playing on turf the last couple of games, and that's much different than what we played on here," Boler said.

"We have to be able to play wherever we play, and our girls have the skill level to do that. So obviously I expect them to do that."

There was also the issue of the Spartans not playing to the same level as they had on Saturday, when they beat Libertyville – a much larger school with a massive reputation in Illinois girls soccer.

"It's hard to keep the same intensity but we had a good warm-up and our captains are really good at keeping us focused," Coyle said.

But regardless of the opponent, Boler told her team that she expects a solid performance.

"We should play all these teams the same," Rahman said. "We shouldn't develop bad habits, even if we're not playing higher opponents like we played in the Pepsi Showdown."

The Spartans coach is looking for more consistency from her squad, regardless of who the opponent happens to be.

"Whenever we step onto the field, whoever we're playing, we should play the same," Boler said. "You will come against teams in the season who are at higher levels.

"And if you don't come out and play your best, it won't come out as you expected. That was not the same team, to me, as it was on the field (against Libertyville.)"

Boler said she was pleased with the play of senior Yasmeen Mahmud, who she moved to forward during the game.

"There was something about her up top that provided a spark," Boler said. "I wish I had done that a little earlier.

"That's one of those things were, as a coach, you see a player working her butt off and she's not up top, you have to change things up."

St. Francis returns to Pepsi Showdown action on Saturday against an opponent that has yet to be named. Pairings will be announced after Thursday’s quarterfinals are completed.

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