Naperville Central finds its groove
in 5-1 win over Granite City
Redhawks go 1-0-1 on Downstate trip
By Joe Lyons
BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Naperville Central wrapped up "spring training" in style Saturday, easing past Granite City 5-1 at Belleville West High.
The Redhawks, ranked no. 15 by Chicagoland Soccer to start the season, played to a scoreless draw against Belleville West Friday night and finished the first week of the season at 2-1-1.
"It's sort of like spring training this week," said Central coach Ed Watson, whose team opens conference play at home on Monday against Metea Valley. "They matter. The games matter. You don't get to call it preseason, but I look at this week as a chance to give everybody a chance to play, to see what we really have and move some line-ups around.
"I'm pleased with where we're at right now."
The Redhawks, who played a bit sluggishly following Friday's four-hour bus ride, came out strong Saturday and controlled the game from the start. Just a few minutes in, junior Maggie Hillman sent a blast from about 15 yards just over the cross bar.
"I think we were ready to play last night, but yes, I think the long bus ride took a little out of us," said Central midfielder Kathleen Conforti, who led the Redhawks with a hat trick Saturday. "Today, we definitely wanted to come out strong and set a tone."
Less than eight minutes into the match, Conforti got her team going with a perfectly executed counterattack. After coming up with a loose ball near midfield, Conforti played it quickly to Hillman on the right wing. After getting the ball back at the right edge of the penalty area, Conforti found the far corner to make it 1-0.
Central nearly added to its lead in the 13th minute when Meridith Hannan came up with a steal and ripped a 15-yard shot off the near goal post.
Three or so minutes later, the Redhawks' lead went to 2-0. Wingback Amanda Murphy started the play by stepping up on defense to make a steal. After working a give-and-go with Kirsten Dorgan, Murphy laid off a pass for Hannan, who scored on a far-post shot past the outstretched hands of Granite City keeper Haley Davis.
Seven minutes later, Conforti picked up her second to to make it 3-0. A cross from right back Kayla Rowan found reserve Melyna Gizzi wide open in the box. Gizzi laid the ball off to Conforti, whose one-timer eluded Davis.
With just over a minute to play in the half, the Redhawks' lead moved to 4-0 with a goal off a corner kick. The corner from Julie Irle was flicked by Caitlin Reice to Dorgan, who scored from close range.
"In fairness, it was our fourth game and Granite City's first," Watson said. "If you'd seen our first game, we didn't look anything like we did today. But we've had a chance to look at some tape, move some people around, and it shows in our play. We were able to create chances and finish."
But with the wind in Granite City's favor in the second half, the Redhawks couldn't afford to be overconfident.
"We played well (in the first half), but at least some of that was wind-aided," Watson said. "As I told the girls at the break, the last thing we wanted to do is relax and allow them to get back in the game."
Granite City did play better after halftime. The Warriors' Lexi Grote tested Central junior keeper Caroline Brock with a low blast about 13 minutes into the second half. Brock, in her first varsity start, made the stop and somehow combined with a pair defenders to keep Megan Jones' rebound chance from getting to the net.
Four minutes later and just seconds after a turnover near midfield -- the Granite City bench argued for a foul but the referee saw the play differently -- the Redhawks made it 5-0 as Conforti finished off her hat trick. Central's Ryan Dudycha started the play with a pass out wide to Hillman, who picked up her second assist of the day with a cross to a wide-open Conforti, who calmly finished for the first three-goal game of her high school career.
"No, this isn't something that happens a lot," she said, laughing. "I see myself as more of a passer than a scorer, but I did a little more scoring for my club team last season. And I'm trying to look for the shot more here, too. My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball, and I just focused on staying calm and finishing the play."
Watson added: "Kathleen's one of a group of girls we have who know the game and know how to position themselves correctly. On all three goals, she made sure she was in the right spot -- sometimes that's half the battle -- and then basically passed the ball to the opening. So many kids try to overpower the ball into the net when all you need to do is find a way to get it past the goalie."
Granite City continued to come on and its efforts were rewarded with a late goal. With about 10 minutes to play, the Warriors' Grote tested Brock on a low free kick from about 25 yards out. Granite City kept up the pressure and eventually scored after back-to-back corners. On the second, the cross from the Warriors' Grace Neidhardt was cleared to the top of the box. Granite City freshman Payton Reeves got the ball and put it away to finish the scoring.
"Part of me is upset because we lost the shutout, but a 5-1 win is pretty good," said Brock, who didn't touch the ball in the first half. "With the wind, I knew they'd be stronger, but I didn't expect them to come at us as much as they did. At the same time, it was fun, getting a chance to see some action and make a few saves."
Grote, who led Granite City in scoring as a sophomore last year, was encouraged by her team's finish Saturday. So was Warriors coach Kenny Prazma.
"They jumped on us early, but once we settled down and figured out what they were doing against us, we were able to be a little more competitive," Grote said. "It's tough, starting the season against a team that's already played three games, especially as young as we are. But hopefully it's something we can build on."
Prazma added: "Starting four freshmen, we knew there would be some jitters early. But the girls kept working and managed to knock one in, which was good. We just need to get a few more games under our belts. We'll get better."
Naperville Central has 10 seniors back from a team that went 11-9-2 a year ago. Watson feels the key for the Redhawks is scoring.
"Last year, we were in a lot of games and struggled to score," he said. .”Today, we created some great chances and managed to put a few of them away. Every time we come out of a game with more than one goal, I'm pretty positive. When you create chances and you finish, all of a sudden, you're not pressing. We need to believe we can score; that's the mentality we need to have every time we take the field.."
Starting line-ups
Naperville Central
GK: Caroline Brock
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Isabel Reedy
D: Caitlin Reice
D: Sarah Avery
MF: Kathleen Conforti
MF: Kirsten Dorgan
MF: Kayla Rowan
MF: Maggie Hillman
F: Ryan Dudycha
F: Meridith Hannan
Granite City
GK: Haley Davis
D: Kendyl Pritchett
D: Maya Ware
D: Abigail Reeves
MF: Shelby Winn
MF: Emily Smith
MF: Mackenzzie Hawkins
MF: Rian Hutson
MF: Megan Jones
F: Lexi Grote
F: Grace Neidhardt
MVP of the Match: Kathleen Conforti, MF, Naperville Central
in 5-1 win over Granite City
Redhawks go 1-0-1 on Downstate trip
By Joe Lyons
BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- Naperville Central wrapped up "spring training" in style Saturday, easing past Granite City 5-1 at Belleville West High.
The Redhawks, ranked no. 15 by Chicagoland Soccer to start the season, played to a scoreless draw against Belleville West Friday night and finished the first week of the season at 2-1-1.
"It's sort of like spring training this week," said Central coach Ed Watson, whose team opens conference play at home on Monday against Metea Valley. "They matter. The games matter. You don't get to call it preseason, but I look at this week as a chance to give everybody a chance to play, to see what we really have and move some line-ups around.
"I'm pleased with where we're at right now."
The Redhawks, who played a bit sluggishly following Friday's four-hour bus ride, came out strong Saturday and controlled the game from the start. Just a few minutes in, junior Maggie Hillman sent a blast from about 15 yards just over the cross bar.
"I think we were ready to play last night, but yes, I think the long bus ride took a little out of us," said Central midfielder Kathleen Conforti, who led the Redhawks with a hat trick Saturday. "Today, we definitely wanted to come out strong and set a tone."
Less than eight minutes into the match, Conforti got her team going with a perfectly executed counterattack. After coming up with a loose ball near midfield, Conforti played it quickly to Hillman on the right wing. After getting the ball back at the right edge of the penalty area, Conforti found the far corner to make it 1-0.
Central nearly added to its lead in the 13th minute when Meridith Hannan came up with a steal and ripped a 15-yard shot off the near goal post.
Three or so minutes later, the Redhawks' lead went to 2-0. Wingback Amanda Murphy started the play by stepping up on defense to make a steal. After working a give-and-go with Kirsten Dorgan, Murphy laid off a pass for Hannan, who scored on a far-post shot past the outstretched hands of Granite City keeper Haley Davis.
Seven minutes later, Conforti picked up her second to to make it 3-0. A cross from right back Kayla Rowan found reserve Melyna Gizzi wide open in the box. Gizzi laid the ball off to Conforti, whose one-timer eluded Davis.
With just over a minute to play in the half, the Redhawks' lead moved to 4-0 with a goal off a corner kick. The corner from Julie Irle was flicked by Caitlin Reice to Dorgan, who scored from close range.
"In fairness, it was our fourth game and Granite City's first," Watson said. "If you'd seen our first game, we didn't look anything like we did today. But we've had a chance to look at some tape, move some people around, and it shows in our play. We were able to create chances and finish."
But with the wind in Granite City's favor in the second half, the Redhawks couldn't afford to be overconfident.
"We played well (in the first half), but at least some of that was wind-aided," Watson said. "As I told the girls at the break, the last thing we wanted to do is relax and allow them to get back in the game."
Granite City did play better after halftime. The Warriors' Lexi Grote tested Central junior keeper Caroline Brock with a low blast about 13 minutes into the second half. Brock, in her first varsity start, made the stop and somehow combined with a pair defenders to keep Megan Jones' rebound chance from getting to the net.
Four minutes later and just seconds after a turnover near midfield -- the Granite City bench argued for a foul but the referee saw the play differently -- the Redhawks made it 5-0 as Conforti finished off her hat trick. Central's Ryan Dudycha started the play with a pass out wide to Hillman, who picked up her second assist of the day with a cross to a wide-open Conforti, who calmly finished for the first three-goal game of her high school career.
"No, this isn't something that happens a lot," she said, laughing. "I see myself as more of a passer than a scorer, but I did a little more scoring for my club team last season. And I'm trying to look for the shot more here, too. My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball, and I just focused on staying calm and finishing the play."
Watson added: "Kathleen's one of a group of girls we have who know the game and know how to position themselves correctly. On all three goals, she made sure she was in the right spot -- sometimes that's half the battle -- and then basically passed the ball to the opening. So many kids try to overpower the ball into the net when all you need to do is find a way to get it past the goalie."
Granite City continued to come on and its efforts were rewarded with a late goal. With about 10 minutes to play, the Warriors' Grote tested Brock on a low free kick from about 25 yards out. Granite City kept up the pressure and eventually scored after back-to-back corners. On the second, the cross from the Warriors' Grace Neidhardt was cleared to the top of the box. Granite City freshman Payton Reeves got the ball and put it away to finish the scoring.
"Part of me is upset because we lost the shutout, but a 5-1 win is pretty good," said Brock, who didn't touch the ball in the first half. "With the wind, I knew they'd be stronger, but I didn't expect them to come at us as much as they did. At the same time, it was fun, getting a chance to see some action and make a few saves."
Grote, who led Granite City in scoring as a sophomore last year, was encouraged by her team's finish Saturday. So was Warriors coach Kenny Prazma.
"They jumped on us early, but once we settled down and figured out what they were doing against us, we were able to be a little more competitive," Grote said. "It's tough, starting the season against a team that's already played three games, especially as young as we are. But hopefully it's something we can build on."
Prazma added: "Starting four freshmen, we knew there would be some jitters early. But the girls kept working and managed to knock one in, which was good. We just need to get a few more games under our belts. We'll get better."
Naperville Central has 10 seniors back from a team that went 11-9-2 a year ago. Watson feels the key for the Redhawks is scoring.
"Last year, we were in a lot of games and struggled to score," he said. .”Today, we created some great chances and managed to put a few of them away. Every time we come out of a game with more than one goal, I'm pretty positive. When you create chances and you finish, all of a sudden, you're not pressing. We need to believe we can score; that's the mentality we need to have every time we take the field.."
Starting line-ups
Naperville Central
GK: Caroline Brock
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Isabel Reedy
D: Caitlin Reice
D: Sarah Avery
MF: Kathleen Conforti
MF: Kirsten Dorgan
MF: Kayla Rowan
MF: Maggie Hillman
F: Ryan Dudycha
F: Meridith Hannan
Granite City
GK: Haley Davis
D: Kendyl Pritchett
D: Maya Ware
D: Abigail Reeves
MF: Shelby Winn
MF: Emily Smith
MF: Mackenzzie Hawkins
MF: Rian Hutson
MF: Megan Jones
F: Lexi Grote
F: Grace Neidhardt
MVP of the Match: Kathleen Conforti, MF, Naperville Central