Potent pair add to Downers Grove South's incredible West Suburban Gold legacy
Rasmussen, Dimovski lead Mustangs to 92nd-straight league win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South senior forwards Autumn Rasmussen and Lexi Dimovski took the field Tuesday night fully expecting their team would rout Addison Trail.
Eventually the Mustangs did just that but not as easily as they would have liked.
Rasmussen and Dimovski combined to score five goals as the Mustangs knocked off the visiting Blazers 5-1 to win the West Suburban Conference Gold Division title outright.
But the game was in doubt until the final 17 minutes, even though Rasmussen and Dimovski scored 29 seconds apart in the first half.
“We kind of had a slow start, which wasn’t what we anticipated, but it’s what happened,” said Rasmussen, who recorded a hat trick. “I just think we kind of settled a little bit, and then after their goal we realized that we’re better than that and picked it up.”
Addison Trail’s goal was definitely a wake-up call for Downers Grove South, which has a history of shutting out the Blazers.
The Mustangs (14-6-0, 6-0-0) grabbed a 2-0 lead when Rasmussen made a steal and scored with 25:44 remaining in the first half, then set up the first of Dimovski’s two goals.
Addison Trail got on the board when Maria Koulogergas ripped an open 25-yard shot from the left wing into the upper 90 at the 11:10 mark to cut the lead to 2-1.
“It was disappointing to see that we let that in,” Rasmussen said. “That’s definitely something we did not plan for or want to happen.”
Despite Downers Grove South’s dominance, the score stayed 2-1 for another 34 minutes. The Mustangs had their fans rising to their feet when a Dimovski-to-Rasmussen-to-Lauren Travis combination led to an open shot for Travis, but the freshman’s bullet from 16 yards hit the right post with such velocity that it went whizzing by the head of the onrushing Rasmussen with 1:45 to go in the opening half.
Shortly after that, sophomore Kailee O’Connor made a long diagonal pass from the right wing over the top of the Blazers’ defense to Dimovski inside the box, but Dimovski fired high.
The Mustangs were late taking the field for the second half and there was a good reason.
“I kind of read them the riot act a little bit,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “We talked about traditions and standards and culture.
“We can’t just walk on to the field and expect to just turn it on. You have to get it right between the ears before you even think about coming over to the bench.
“Today, we didn’t do that, so for the second half I had to kind of remind them what it means to be a part of this program, and you could see the difference in the second half. I don’t think (Addison Trail) had a shot, which they shouldn’t have.”
Hernandez thought the Blazers should not have had any shots in the entire game and was especially displeased that the Mustangs gave up Koulogergas’ goal.
“We kind of let her carry the ball about 15 yards in our half,” Hernandez said. “That should not happen.”
But after that, nothing happened for the Blazers, who wound up being outshot 23-2 and spent much of the game chasing the ball.
Rasmussen said the Mustangs needed to get everyone involved in the attack and that strategy finally paid off when Dimovski sprung Rasmussen into the box for a short breakaway and a 3-1 lead.
Addison Trail goalkeeper Nicole Pudlo did her best to keep the score close, making 11 of her 14 saves in the second half, but the Mustangs broke through twice in the final five minutes.
Dimovski bagged her second goal of the game and team-leading 22nd of the season with a 20-yard shot to the top shelf with 4:11 to go, and then Rasmussen, who now has 14 goals and 14 assists, took a pass from junior Vivian Pierropoulos, weaved through two defenders and scored on a six-yard shot to complete her hat trick at the 2:37 mark.
Ultimately, the twin threats of Rasmussen and Dimovski proved too much to handle.
“I think a lot of it is they can play wide, they can play through the middle, take players on and pass with each other,” said Downers Grove South senior midfielder Natalia Pinto of her team's potent combination. “But it also makes it easy for me, because I can find them in different spots.”
Rasmussen said she and Dimovski couldn’t get the job done without help.
“The balls are coming from the midfield and coming from our backline,” Rasmussen said. “So we might be able to take people on, but we don’t get those balls without our teammates.”
Pinto is one of those teammates, a defensive midfielder who acts as a conduit between the defenders and forwards.
“I think one big thing she has is communication,” Rasmussen said. “She’s always looking to push people and keep working.
“And she is always one we can count on to play us those balls, even though she’s a defensive-minded player this season. She’s still there to play balls and to pass back to.”
But Pinto notes that she is only one cog in the engine. O’Connor and Pierropoulos also were solid in the midfield and defenders Hannah Rossi and Sydney Clements pushed forward as well, as did freshman midfielder Paige Reichert when she came off the bench.
“I think all of the seniors, we kind of played together for one goal,” Pinto said. “We were building up from the defense all the way through the mids to the forwards.
“Once we set our mind to it, which was more in the second half, we were able to finish the game.”
Thus did the Mustangs finish off another perfect season in the Gold. They have won 15-consecutive conference championships and 92-straight league games.
“Since we’ve had such a long streak, 15 years now, it’s just something that’s really important to us, so we just play our best, especially at home,” Pinto said. “We never want to lose.
“I think we all kind of have the same mindset of what we want to do. Almost all of the seniors are playing in college so we’re very competitive with each other and obviously the other teams that we play, too.”
The Mustangs, who wrap up the regular season Thursday with a Senior Night performance against visiting York, want to go far in the playoffs, which they begin next week.
They know they need to be more efficient than they were against the Blazers.
“We couldn’t find the back of the net,” Hernandez said. “The referee even made a comment afterward. He goes, ‘You were a little unlucky today.’
“We’re creating chances; we’re just not finishing them. For us, we have to put those away, especially with what’s coming around the corner next week.”
Starting line-ups
Addison Trail
GK Nicole Pudlo
D Petra Kyriakupoulos
D Carolina Herrera
D Rebecca Flores
M Maria Koulogergas
M Miriam Sota
M Michelle Diaz
M Lizette Gallegos
M Anna Bajorok
M Evelyn Dominguez
F Marisela Casas
Downers Grove South
GK Paige Patera
D Sara Foernssler
D Hannah Rossi
D Marcela Calderon
D Sydney Clements
M Sarah Casey
M Kailee O’Connor
M Natalia Pinto
F Lauren Travis
F Lexi Dimovski
F Autumn Rasmussen
MVP of the Match: Autumn Rasmussen, F, Downers Grove South
Rasmussen, Dimovski lead Mustangs to 92nd-straight league win
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Downers Grove South senior forwards Autumn Rasmussen and Lexi Dimovski took the field Tuesday night fully expecting their team would rout Addison Trail.
Eventually the Mustangs did just that but not as easily as they would have liked.
Rasmussen and Dimovski combined to score five goals as the Mustangs knocked off the visiting Blazers 5-1 to win the West Suburban Conference Gold Division title outright.
But the game was in doubt until the final 17 minutes, even though Rasmussen and Dimovski scored 29 seconds apart in the first half.
“We kind of had a slow start, which wasn’t what we anticipated, but it’s what happened,” said Rasmussen, who recorded a hat trick. “I just think we kind of settled a little bit, and then after their goal we realized that we’re better than that and picked it up.”
Addison Trail’s goal was definitely a wake-up call for Downers Grove South, which has a history of shutting out the Blazers.
The Mustangs (14-6-0, 6-0-0) grabbed a 2-0 lead when Rasmussen made a steal and scored with 25:44 remaining in the first half, then set up the first of Dimovski’s two goals.
Addison Trail got on the board when Maria Koulogergas ripped an open 25-yard shot from the left wing into the upper 90 at the 11:10 mark to cut the lead to 2-1.
“It was disappointing to see that we let that in,” Rasmussen said. “That’s definitely something we did not plan for or want to happen.”
Despite Downers Grove South’s dominance, the score stayed 2-1 for another 34 minutes. The Mustangs had their fans rising to their feet when a Dimovski-to-Rasmussen-to-Lauren Travis combination led to an open shot for Travis, but the freshman’s bullet from 16 yards hit the right post with such velocity that it went whizzing by the head of the onrushing Rasmussen with 1:45 to go in the opening half.
Shortly after that, sophomore Kailee O’Connor made a long diagonal pass from the right wing over the top of the Blazers’ defense to Dimovski inside the box, but Dimovski fired high.
The Mustangs were late taking the field for the second half and there was a good reason.
“I kind of read them the riot act a little bit,” Downers Grove South coach Chris Hernandez said. “We talked about traditions and standards and culture.
“We can’t just walk on to the field and expect to just turn it on. You have to get it right between the ears before you even think about coming over to the bench.
“Today, we didn’t do that, so for the second half I had to kind of remind them what it means to be a part of this program, and you could see the difference in the second half. I don’t think (Addison Trail) had a shot, which they shouldn’t have.”
Hernandez thought the Blazers should not have had any shots in the entire game and was especially displeased that the Mustangs gave up Koulogergas’ goal.
“We kind of let her carry the ball about 15 yards in our half,” Hernandez said. “That should not happen.”
But after that, nothing happened for the Blazers, who wound up being outshot 23-2 and spent much of the game chasing the ball.
Rasmussen said the Mustangs needed to get everyone involved in the attack and that strategy finally paid off when Dimovski sprung Rasmussen into the box for a short breakaway and a 3-1 lead.
Addison Trail goalkeeper Nicole Pudlo did her best to keep the score close, making 11 of her 14 saves in the second half, but the Mustangs broke through twice in the final five minutes.
Dimovski bagged her second goal of the game and team-leading 22nd of the season with a 20-yard shot to the top shelf with 4:11 to go, and then Rasmussen, who now has 14 goals and 14 assists, took a pass from junior Vivian Pierropoulos, weaved through two defenders and scored on a six-yard shot to complete her hat trick at the 2:37 mark.
Ultimately, the twin threats of Rasmussen and Dimovski proved too much to handle.
“I think a lot of it is they can play wide, they can play through the middle, take players on and pass with each other,” said Downers Grove South senior midfielder Natalia Pinto of her team's potent combination. “But it also makes it easy for me, because I can find them in different spots.”
Rasmussen said she and Dimovski couldn’t get the job done without help.
“The balls are coming from the midfield and coming from our backline,” Rasmussen said. “So we might be able to take people on, but we don’t get those balls without our teammates.”
Pinto is one of those teammates, a defensive midfielder who acts as a conduit between the defenders and forwards.
“I think one big thing she has is communication,” Rasmussen said. “She’s always looking to push people and keep working.
“And she is always one we can count on to play us those balls, even though she’s a defensive-minded player this season. She’s still there to play balls and to pass back to.”
But Pinto notes that she is only one cog in the engine. O’Connor and Pierropoulos also were solid in the midfield and defenders Hannah Rossi and Sydney Clements pushed forward as well, as did freshman midfielder Paige Reichert when she came off the bench.
“I think all of the seniors, we kind of played together for one goal,” Pinto said. “We were building up from the defense all the way through the mids to the forwards.
“Once we set our mind to it, which was more in the second half, we were able to finish the game.”
Thus did the Mustangs finish off another perfect season in the Gold. They have won 15-consecutive conference championships and 92-straight league games.
“Since we’ve had such a long streak, 15 years now, it’s just something that’s really important to us, so we just play our best, especially at home,” Pinto said. “We never want to lose.
“I think we all kind of have the same mindset of what we want to do. Almost all of the seniors are playing in college so we’re very competitive with each other and obviously the other teams that we play, too.”
The Mustangs, who wrap up the regular season Thursday with a Senior Night performance against visiting York, want to go far in the playoffs, which they begin next week.
They know they need to be more efficient than they were against the Blazers.
“We couldn’t find the back of the net,” Hernandez said. “The referee even made a comment afterward. He goes, ‘You were a little unlucky today.’
“We’re creating chances; we’re just not finishing them. For us, we have to put those away, especially with what’s coming around the corner next week.”
Starting line-ups
Addison Trail
GK Nicole Pudlo
D Petra Kyriakupoulos
D Carolina Herrera
D Rebecca Flores
M Maria Koulogergas
M Miriam Sota
M Michelle Diaz
M Lizette Gallegos
M Anna Bajorok
M Evelyn Dominguez
F Marisela Casas
Downers Grove South
GK Paige Patera
D Sara Foernssler
D Hannah Rossi
D Marcela Calderon
D Sydney Clements
M Sarah Casey
M Kailee O’Connor
M Natalia Pinto
F Lauren Travis
F Lexi Dimovski
F Autumn Rasmussen
MVP of the Match: Autumn Rasmussen, F, Downers Grove South
