Despite bump in road,
Metea Valley finds its way in Missouri
Breakdown on bus ride doesn't repeat on field in showcase tie
By Joe Harris
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Metea Valley’s annual trip to St. Louis offers a unique team bonding experience, but the Mustangs got a little more bonding than they anticipated on their latest trip.
Metea Valley’s bus broke down in Pontiac, Ill., on the way to St. Louis on Thursday, stranding the team at a Wendy’s for more than three hours.
“We goofed off, we relaxed,” Metea Valley goalkeeper Amy Ahern said. “You just got to deal with what life throws at you.”
Added Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley: “I don’t even know where we were. The bus broke down and luckily we didn’t play until (Friday).”
The bonding may have paid off as the Mustangs needed to communicate and play team defense against an aggressive Eureka team to earn a 0-0 tie Friday in the 15th Annual Parkway College Showcase at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex.
In a game filled with chances for both sides, Eureka saved its most dramatic tries for the game’s final minutes.
In the 77th minute, Eureka’s Kelsey Lanham drilled a shot from the top of the box off the crossbar.
“Shots get off and you play through it,” Ahern said. “Your crossbar can be your friend or your worst enemy, and today it helped a lot.”
In the game’s final minute, Eureka’s Hayley Jakovich put a free kick from midfield off the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Sarah Clubb, who put a header towards the net, but Ahern came off her line to make the save.
“The shot came in and in my head I thought maybe I could get a hand to it and quickly realized it was going to hit the crossbar. So immediately I reacted to what was going to happen on the field,” Ahern said. “So when I saw the girl head the ball, my immediate reaction was I can get to it, it was my ball, I called for it, my defense backed off, and I stayed strong in the air. It’s an instinctive thing as a goalkeeper.”
Jakovich thought it had a chance off her foot.
“When it hit the crossbar, it was kind of a letdown, but you’ve got to keep playing and keep going for it,” Jakovich said.
Eureka’s Blythe Beldner was a handful for the Metea Valley defense.
She had quality chances in the sixth, 17th, 28th, 29th and 38th minutes. Metea Valley defender Janay Robinson often drew the assignment marking Beldner.
“I got used to her aggression, her speed and patterns,” Robinson said. “I learned to play off of her and shut her down pretty much in essence and use my speed to decrease hers.”
Eureka starting getting quality chances from other sources in the second half.
Ahern stopped a Lanham 25-yard shot early in the second half, and Robinson cleared a dangerous corner off of Beldner’s foot.
“They were playing a different system than what we were used to,” Eureka coach Gary Schneider said. “We just had to figure out our marking and we pressured them a little more, and they didn’t handle the pressure as well.”
Metea Valley (1-2-3) tilted the field in its favor in the latter part of the second half.
Eureka goalkeeper Erin Roth made a diving save on Metea Valley’s Emily Lindblom. Abby Severson took a shot just inside the box that was blocked by Eureka’s Cammie Robinson, and Roth was able to corral the rebound shot from Kiley McKee.
“They definitely moved the ball quicker and switched the ball,” Jakovich said. “We had to work on marking up and communication was the key.”
Metea Valley tested the green back third of Eureka.
“Our defense is tough,” Schneider said. “They make our goalies look really really good. We’re young. Believe it or not there are two sophomores and a freshman back there. We’re going to make mistakes. But so far, the mistakes haven’t cost us, and we’re able to recover from them. With as young as we are, I couldn’t be more proud of our defense.”
The game also tested Metea Valley’s depth, especially on the defensive end.
Mustangs captain Megan Morris left the game due to injury in the 37th minute and MaKenna Schoolman and Miranda Williams were shaken up in the second half.
Morris and Schoolman were defenders and Williams was filling in at center back for the already injured Katherine Wieland. Plus Metea Valley played without its second scoring option in Sophia Majher.
“We preach competition since Day 1 and getting girls on the field in different positions and being ready to play different positions,” Whaley said. “Mentally, they were prepared for that. I can’t say how proud I am of their effort, their focus and their mental toughness that they brought to the game today.”
Of the injuries, the rolled ankle Morris suffered appeared to be the most serious, and Whaley didn’t expect her to play in Saturday’s game against Summit.
Schoolman simply had the wind knocked out of her, and Williams also suffered a rolled ankle, but Whaley didn’t think she would miss much time.
The injuries stretched the Mustangs defense.
“The big thing was communication and having trust in your teammates in covering each other,” Janay Robinson said. “It’s realistic that one of you will get beat so you have to cover one another.”
Eureka (4-1-1) was also tested by the Mustangs.
“The teams from Chicago definitely seem more intense and competitive, and it was good to play one of them just to see where we can be,” Jakovich said.
Aside from the unexpected trip to Wendy’s and the soccer, Metea Valley also took a trip to a state park where they took a walk and talked about working together as a team. The Mustangs used those lessons to overcome the adversity they faced against Eureka.
While Whaley isn’t quite ready to factor in a Wendy’s Frosty budget into his travel expenses, the hope is that unexpected opportunity will pay dividends especially once the Mustangs get healthy.
“This team, we’ve got some new faces, a new defensive line, some new people,” Ahern said. “This season has been about connecting and understanding how each payer works. So when you get stranded at a Wendy’s for three hours, you learn each other’s personalities and that’s how you keep it loose so when stuff gets intense on the field and you’re yelling at each other.
You know it’s not personal. You’re still there for each other on and off the field, so it just builds a better bond.”
Starting line-ups
Metea Valley
GK: Amy Ahern
D: Megan Morris
D: Janay Robinson
D: Kelly Crowe
D: MaKenna Schoolman
MF: Miranda Williams
MF: Sophia Senese
MF: Emily Lindblom
MF: Chesney Wargo
F: Jade Eriksen-Russo
F: Abby Severson
Eureka
GK: Erin Roth
D: Cammie Robinson
D: Reiley Hertlein
D: Sarah Clubb
D: Hayley Jakovich
MF: Kelsey Lanham
MF: Abby Deane
MF: Megan Moll
MF: Jessica Haller
F: Blythe Beldner
F: Morgan Hollenbeck
MVP of the Match: Janay Robinson, D, Metea Valley
Metea Valley finds its way in Missouri
Breakdown on bus ride doesn't repeat on field in showcase tie
By Joe Harris
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Metea Valley’s annual trip to St. Louis offers a unique team bonding experience, but the Mustangs got a little more bonding than they anticipated on their latest trip.
Metea Valley’s bus broke down in Pontiac, Ill., on the way to St. Louis on Thursday, stranding the team at a Wendy’s for more than three hours.
“We goofed off, we relaxed,” Metea Valley goalkeeper Amy Ahern said. “You just got to deal with what life throws at you.”
Added Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley: “I don’t even know where we were. The bus broke down and luckily we didn’t play until (Friday).”
The bonding may have paid off as the Mustangs needed to communicate and play team defense against an aggressive Eureka team to earn a 0-0 tie Friday in the 15th Annual Parkway College Showcase at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex.
In a game filled with chances for both sides, Eureka saved its most dramatic tries for the game’s final minutes.
In the 77th minute, Eureka’s Kelsey Lanham drilled a shot from the top of the box off the crossbar.
“Shots get off and you play through it,” Ahern said. “Your crossbar can be your friend or your worst enemy, and today it helped a lot.”
In the game’s final minute, Eureka’s Hayley Jakovich put a free kick from midfield off the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Sarah Clubb, who put a header towards the net, but Ahern came off her line to make the save.
“The shot came in and in my head I thought maybe I could get a hand to it and quickly realized it was going to hit the crossbar. So immediately I reacted to what was going to happen on the field,” Ahern said. “So when I saw the girl head the ball, my immediate reaction was I can get to it, it was my ball, I called for it, my defense backed off, and I stayed strong in the air. It’s an instinctive thing as a goalkeeper.”
Jakovich thought it had a chance off her foot.
“When it hit the crossbar, it was kind of a letdown, but you’ve got to keep playing and keep going for it,” Jakovich said.
Eureka’s Blythe Beldner was a handful for the Metea Valley defense.
She had quality chances in the sixth, 17th, 28th, 29th and 38th minutes. Metea Valley defender Janay Robinson often drew the assignment marking Beldner.
“I got used to her aggression, her speed and patterns,” Robinson said. “I learned to play off of her and shut her down pretty much in essence and use my speed to decrease hers.”
Eureka starting getting quality chances from other sources in the second half.
Ahern stopped a Lanham 25-yard shot early in the second half, and Robinson cleared a dangerous corner off of Beldner’s foot.
“They were playing a different system than what we were used to,” Eureka coach Gary Schneider said. “We just had to figure out our marking and we pressured them a little more, and they didn’t handle the pressure as well.”
Metea Valley (1-2-3) tilted the field in its favor in the latter part of the second half.
Eureka goalkeeper Erin Roth made a diving save on Metea Valley’s Emily Lindblom. Abby Severson took a shot just inside the box that was blocked by Eureka’s Cammie Robinson, and Roth was able to corral the rebound shot from Kiley McKee.
“They definitely moved the ball quicker and switched the ball,” Jakovich said. “We had to work on marking up and communication was the key.”
Metea Valley tested the green back third of Eureka.
“Our defense is tough,” Schneider said. “They make our goalies look really really good. We’re young. Believe it or not there are two sophomores and a freshman back there. We’re going to make mistakes. But so far, the mistakes haven’t cost us, and we’re able to recover from them. With as young as we are, I couldn’t be more proud of our defense.”
The game also tested Metea Valley’s depth, especially on the defensive end.
Mustangs captain Megan Morris left the game due to injury in the 37th minute and MaKenna Schoolman and Miranda Williams were shaken up in the second half.
Morris and Schoolman were defenders and Williams was filling in at center back for the already injured Katherine Wieland. Plus Metea Valley played without its second scoring option in Sophia Majher.
“We preach competition since Day 1 and getting girls on the field in different positions and being ready to play different positions,” Whaley said. “Mentally, they were prepared for that. I can’t say how proud I am of their effort, their focus and their mental toughness that they brought to the game today.”
Of the injuries, the rolled ankle Morris suffered appeared to be the most serious, and Whaley didn’t expect her to play in Saturday’s game against Summit.
Schoolman simply had the wind knocked out of her, and Williams also suffered a rolled ankle, but Whaley didn’t think she would miss much time.
The injuries stretched the Mustangs defense.
“The big thing was communication and having trust in your teammates in covering each other,” Janay Robinson said. “It’s realistic that one of you will get beat so you have to cover one another.”
Eureka (4-1-1) was also tested by the Mustangs.
“The teams from Chicago definitely seem more intense and competitive, and it was good to play one of them just to see where we can be,” Jakovich said.
Aside from the unexpected trip to Wendy’s and the soccer, Metea Valley also took a trip to a state park where they took a walk and talked about working together as a team. The Mustangs used those lessons to overcome the adversity they faced against Eureka.
While Whaley isn’t quite ready to factor in a Wendy’s Frosty budget into his travel expenses, the hope is that unexpected opportunity will pay dividends especially once the Mustangs get healthy.
“This team, we’ve got some new faces, a new defensive line, some new people,” Ahern said. “This season has been about connecting and understanding how each payer works. So when you get stranded at a Wendy’s for three hours, you learn each other’s personalities and that’s how you keep it loose so when stuff gets intense on the field and you’re yelling at each other.
You know it’s not personal. You’re still there for each other on and off the field, so it just builds a better bond.”
Starting line-ups
Metea Valley
GK: Amy Ahern
D: Megan Morris
D: Janay Robinson
D: Kelly Crowe
D: MaKenna Schoolman
MF: Miranda Williams
MF: Sophia Senese
MF: Emily Lindblom
MF: Chesney Wargo
F: Jade Eriksen-Russo
F: Abby Severson
Eureka
GK: Erin Roth
D: Cammie Robinson
D: Reiley Hertlein
D: Sarah Clubb
D: Hayley Jakovich
MF: Kelsey Lanham
MF: Abby Deane
MF: Megan Moll
MF: Jessica Haller
F: Blythe Beldner
F: Morgan Hollenbeck
MVP of the Match: Janay Robinson, D, Metea Valley
