Slowly, the Morton players and coaches walked off the field following their 2-0 victory against Argo on March 28.

The Mustangs managed to take care of business, but the excitement level toward the nonconference road victory was tepid at best.

Morton veteran coach Jim Bageanis pointed to Tuesday’s West Suburban Conference Gold Division opener at rival Willowbrook (1-3-0) as a good chance for his players to start April the right way.

The Mustangs (4-2-1) plan a better effort in Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. game. 

Morton defeated the Warriors 3-1 and 5-1 in two meetings last spring and have a three-match win streak in play. 

“Throw out the records, it doesn’t matter against Willowbrook,” Bageanis said. “They play hard. If we don’t match their intensity, we can be on the losing end very easily. They always play us tough at their place, and hopefully everyone and Carisma will be ready to go. We hope to get that one.”

Mustangs star senior forward Carisma Rosales, a Marquette recruit, played limited minutes against Argo in her second game back from a severe ankle sprain.  The two-time Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater is a force on the pitch; last season she scored 23 goals and netted 12 assists.

Morton sophomore midfielder Mayrin Sanchez said Rosales is a talented player who pushes her teammates with her competitiveness.

“Having Carisma back is really nice,” she said. “She’s still kind of getting into the process of playing every day, but she’s a great player. She applies so much pressure and helps the team so much.”

Morton junior captain Stephanie Salmeron, a defender, said Tuesday’s game is a good test for the team following spring break.

“(Willowbrook) is a really important and a huge game,” Salmeron said. “It’s a good team, so we are going to have to put in a lot of effort and make sure we are connecting and talking.”

Willowbrook is aiming for an early season statement match following back-to-back defeats to Mother McAuley and Hinsdale South. The Warriors have struggled scoring goals, getting outscored 12-2 in four games. Freshman Lillian Macias is the team’s only scorer.

Willowbrook coach Julio DelReal, in his eighth year, said Morton is a formidable conference foe.

“We have to play our best game in order to beat them,” DelReal said. “With a couple of injured players, those who are replacing them will have to step up and get the job done.”

The coach said he’s been encouraged by his team’s attitude and willingness to work despite some tough losses. The Warriors have 92 players in their program this spring, according to DelReal.

“Our team works very hard,” he said. “We keep on learning to play as a team. Once we recover our injured players, we will be able to compete with other teams.”