HINSDALE -- Hinsdale Central senior forward Cate McDonnell got a bit of surprise as she listened for her name in the starting lineup introduction prior to Monday’s game against visiting DeLaSalle.

“Number 3,” boomed the Public Address announcer from the press box, “Cate McDonnell, a freshman.”

Freshman?

That caught McDonnell off guard.

“That was quite a shock,” she said with a laugh, “but I was excited. That meant I had four more years to go here. Why not?”

The PA man quickly corrected himself. The error was certainly excusable -- it was the first game of the season, after all.

And though it gave the senior and her teammates a chuckle prior to their City-Suburb Connect Invitational match, it certainly had no effect on the pitch.

The Red Devils, who are ranked 19th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll, won 2-0 on McDonnell’s first half penalty kick and a second half goal from Peyton Rohn.

Junior goalkeeper Emeline McClenahan was outstanding for Hinsdale Central with seven saves for the clean-sheet. 

Sophomore Addisyn Krogstie led the way on defense and earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor fore her play. Last season, she was an integral part of a strong Red Devils team that made it all the way to the Class 3A Elite Eight.

“She played outside back for us on our run last year,” said Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia.

“Addie started almost every game as a freshman. She’s a smart, strong defender and is a pretty technical player. She had a great game tonight.”

For her part, Krogstie said that she was really looking forward to the opening match of the 2024 campaign.

“I’m excited to see how we can build off of last season’s success,” the sophomore said, “and carry it on to this year. “

No. 32 DeLaSalle got a great performance in goal from Ana Perez, who made six saves and kept her team in the game most of the way.

Meteors assistant coach Francisco Martinez indicated that it was a plus beginning the season with a tough game against a top team like Hinsdale Central.

DeLaSalle was no slouch itself last season. The Meteors rolled all the way to the Class AA Final Four and took home the fourth place state trophy.

“This is a great way to set the tone for us,” said Martinez, “and remind us of what our objective is in the long run.

“We came in knowing that they (Hinsdale Central) are a young group, and they were a young group last year. But they’re a team with experience, and that’s what we were looking for.

“We’re a young group too, but we also have a lot of experience.”

DeLaSalle was in attack mode from the opening kickoff and almost scored in the 10th minute.

Meteors sophomore Sara Murray outraced the Red Devils defense and found herself alone in front of keeper McClenahan.

But before Murray could settle and get a shot off, the junior keeper came off her line to corral the ball just in time.

Then Krogstie and her backline teammates locked things down. The sophomore had a takeaway that almost turned into a Red Devils goal in the 32nd minute.

Krogstie stole the ball from a Meteors attacker deep in her own territory, then sent a perfect pass to McDonnell on the wing.

McDonnell made a run and fired a pass to freshman teammate Emily DiTomasso, who then flicked the ball to teammate Chloe Anderson in front of the DeLaSalle goal. The senior forward’s shot sailed just over the net.

Hinsdale Central didn’t have to wait much longer before it collected its first goal of the season.

In the 38th minute, McDonnell was knocked down in the box. She dusted herself off, regained her composure and fired the penalty shot into the back of the net. The rocket just eluded a diving Perez.

“It hurt a little bit,” she said about the foul, “but more reward at the end of the day.”

“I just tried to stay calm, cool and collected, and place it (the kick) where I know. I’m glad I was able to execute.”

That gave the Red Devils an intermission lead. Krogstie said that she and her teammates talked about coming out and doing more of the same in the second half.

“We wanted to hold on to our own game,” she said, “and keep it going with our passing, not playing physical and not playing dirty. Just kind of keep playing our own style and protect the lead.

“They (DeLaSalle) are a really good team. They have a lot of offensive attackers that were really strong, so we just focused on our defense.

“We had talked a lot (in practice) about pressuring covers, making sure every person is covered. We kind of just stuck to our positioning, kept them out wide, and tried to not let them have any big attack.”

Rohn, a junior midfielder, gave the Red Devils their cushion in the 51st minute.

The ball bounced freely about 20 yards away from the Meteors goal where starting midfielder DiTomasso settled it and sent it a few feet forward through a scrum to an open Rohn.

Rohn took advantage and buried her shot into the back of the net.

“That goal definitely showed our teamwork,” said Rohn. “We’ve got some new, fun, young players on this team.

“I believe we have eight new players, and I think this game showed how much we can work together. Especially in the second half, we were figuring things out.

“I’ve been on (varsity) since I was a freshman, so I know what it’s like coming in as a new player.”

The Red Devils were able to keep DeLaSalle at bay for most of the second half, but the Meteors ramped up the pressure in the final 10 minutes.

First Murray had another great chance in the 71st minute but her drive was saved by McClenahan.

Then in the 77th minute DeLaSalle senior midfielder Lauren Torres, who played an inspired match, got a golden opportunity with a free kick from 20 yards, but her attempt sailed just wide.

Hinsdale Central was able to close out the contest and earn its first win of the season.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” said Madonia. " We really played a tough team.

“They tested us, and we had to make a lot of adjustments, which we’re not used to doing in the first game of the season. They’re really well coached by (head coach) Carlos (Nunez) and Frank (Martinez). I appreciate them coming out.”

Rohn admitted to feeling the season-opening pressure.

“I did have a few butterflies,” she said, “especially because our first game was against a tough team like DeLaSalle.”

McDonnell, after her quick reinstatement to the Class of 2024, is looking forward to the fall when she’ll enroll at Clemson as an engineering major.

But first, she’s hoping to design another successful season for the Red Devils.

"It was a beautiful day today," she said, "a great day to come out and play some soccer.

“DeLaSalle gave us a tough game,” she added, “a great game to get us in the groove and work out the kinks.”

Starting lineups

DeLaSalle
GK: Ana Perez
D: Imani Coleman
D: Tatiyana Davis
D: Lauren Lo
MF: Lauren Torres
MF: Julissa Zuniga
MF: Samantha Velasco
MF: Kennedi Carpenter
F: Sara Murray
F: Mia Ortega
F: Dixie Zamago

Hinsdale Central
GK: Emeline McClenahan
D: Addisyn Krogstie
D: Adriana Giannini
D: Julia Marinaccio
MF: Emily DiTomasso
MF: Peyton Rohn
MF: Piper Bingham
MF: Camila Leal
F: Chloe Anderson
F: Claire Snodgrass
F: Cate McDonnell

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Addisyn Krogstie, so., D, Hinsdale Central

Scoring summary

First Half
Hinsdale Central: McDonnell (penalty kick), 38’

Second Half
Hinsdale Central: Rohn (DiTomasso), 51’