PLAINFIELD – Not even the warmest day of the spring could cure Morton’s ills Saturday morning.

The Mustangs came into their fourth and final game of the Plainfield Classic aiming to build some good vibes and momentum for Monday’s rescheduled West Suburban Conference Gold Division showdown at rival Willowbrook.

Morton played without its two top players, all-staters Carisma Rosales and Aaliyah Leanos. The loss of Rosales, a Marquette recruit who scored 23 goals and recorded 12 assists last season, was a significant and unexpected blow. She picked up a red card in Morton’s previous game, which forced her to sit out the contest. 

Leanos, a next-level talent who scored 20 goals and delivered 12 assists last season, remains sidelined while rehabbing from an injury.

Without those dynamos, the Mustangs lacked punch on the offensive end.

Glenbard East has had its own struggles and continued a season-long trend of fighting to score goals.

In the second half, the Rams made a breakthrough to post a 2-0 consolation pool victory at Plainfield North High School. Forwards Ciara Johnson and Maya Reinheimer both scored a goal in the victory. Each senior has two goals this season.

“We kept it close and then had a couple of breakdowns,” Morton coach Jim Bageanis said. “Obviously, right now, we’re looking for someone to step up and give us that scoring punch with Carisma out. Without her, it really hurts us. We’re looking for other players on step up and work with Carisma until we get Aaliyah back. It’s trial and error right now.”

Morton (4-6-0), which lost 4-1 to host Plainfield North on Wednesday, had a tough time finding quality shot attempts in the final third and played without a spark for most of the game. Glenbard East goalie Melanie Whitlock recorded both of her saves in the first half. Morton senior midfielder Brigitte Solano had a shot at the goal that Whitlock snared for a save in the 15th minute, then notched her next save on another shot with five minutes until halftime.

“We told them we did see some good things,” Bageanis said. “Our effort was better from some of our younger players, but we’re trying to play the right ball and a lot of them are still learning the game at the varsity level. It’s so much faster. They have to make those moves and decisions and be that much faster. Until they get used to that and it can be second nature, it’s a little bit of a process. Some of the girls are learning it, a lot of them play on different club teams, and it’s a learning process.

“I think they didn’t quit. I think we know we are limited offensively. We relied on two players, Karina Estrada and Stephanie Salmeron, and they tried to get us what they could, but they are more defensive players. They did their best. It was just a long day offensively.”

Morton sophomore keeper Yaritza Padilla recorded four saves in the game.

Salmeron, a defensive midfielder, said the Mustangs struggled to build any momentum.

“I think the weather might have been a factor in this game,” Salmeron said. “We haven’t played in hot weather like this, so I feel like the girls weren’t expecting it. Some of the girls had Under Armour (clothing) on. I know it’s hard having the weather switch up like that, especially during the game. But we just couldn’t finish.

“It’s frustrating. We have to step up for our next game, fix our mistakes and communicate more. I think we have to push each other. I know it’s hot, and we were tired. But we have to learn and keep going next time and keep our heads up. We’re bound to make mistakes, but if we push each other, that will help. It’s next game, next game now.”

Morton senior midfielder Brigette Solano, a two-year starter, said the Mustangs have to learn to play together.

“It’s definitely hard moving around everyone on the field and trying to fill those spots up,” Solano said. “I was moved around even today. We have to play hard. We have to communicate. I feel we have the ideas but need to talk more.”

Morton’s Estrada, a first-year varsity player, picked up a yellow card in the 28th minute following a tough spell for several minutes where both teams played physical on both ends of the field.

“It was very frustrating,” Estrada said. “I hold myself to a high standard, so I got a little into my head. That’s something I have to definitely work on.”

Estrada said the Mustangs have to make lemonade.

“I think with Carisma and Aaliyah out, we’ve all had to adapt a lot better,” Estrada said. “I usually play centerback, and now I’m playing forward. It’s definitely different, but we all can do it. It’s a matter of we all need to work together, play more forward, and we will get more shots on goal.”

The Mustangs will try to break out of a four-game losing streak against Willowbrook.

Glenbard East (1-2-3) came out on the other end of the spectrum following the final whistle. The Rams were all smiles after their first win of the season. They grabbed their medals and stayed a few extra minutes basking in the sun.

Glenbard East senior midfielder Hope McKenna played a big role in the first goal, delivering a well-played corner kick that found Johnson at the near post. The header gave the Rams a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.

“We talk a lot about how Hope delivers deep balls, so we try and pull back post. But we both recognized that there was no one defending the front post, and we read each other’s minds and went front post,” Johnson said. “I know her balls are always good, so I just read off that. We had a good buildup play to get to that point. We were pressing the entire half, so to finally win something big in that area was huge for us.

“We knew this was going to be a tough game, no matter who they had or didn’t have. We had to put the pressure on the ball and things would most likely go our way. We’ve struggled all year scoring goals, but we knew if we kept pressing we would eventually start scoring goals.”

“I saw Keira right in front of the post,” McKenna said. “I knew to hit a little bit of a light chip, so she could hit it in. It was really nice. 

“Brissa Sarabia, a defender for us, worked really hard dribbling the ball around the field. We connected well as a team. At first, we had a tough time getting forward, but started connecting a lot and making our plays forward.

“We just have to keep our pressure up on the ball for next week. Also, we need to make sure we are communicating and connecting as one. It was a great game.”

Reinheimer, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, had a few good attempts before finally notching a memorable goal in the 59th minute. While battling two defenders, she made an abrupt stop, which caused both Morton defenders to slide past her. Reinheimer calmly watched the space clear out and then converted from 13 yards for the final 2-0 advantage.

“I made a little run and chipped it,” Reinheimer said. “I was just right there and decided to hit it. I took a chance. We struggle creating opportunities, but when we do get them, it’s eye-opening. We have to keep pushing and working for each other.”

Glenbard East coach Athena Toliopoulos said she was proud of her team for hanging tough and coming through in the second half.

“We finally found the back of the net on two beautiful goals,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for a few games. This is probably our first game where all 11 players played for the win. It can get frustrating when you can’t find the back of the goal sometimes, but they stuck through it. They are a great bunch of kids. They have the skills. We got our first goal off a header this season. It was really nice to see them score. We have a young team this year.

“We have a very intense two weeks ahead of us. I’ve got a great group of seniors leading the charge. If we continue playing the way we played today, we definitely have a chance to win the (Upstate Eight) conference. Our next goal is to win a regional. The kids are playing physical. The way we played today is the way I expect us to compete the rest of the season.”

 
Starting lineups

Glenbard East
GK: Melanie Whitlock
D: Cleo Glenzinski
D: Jaime Quirk
D: Julia Bereta
D: Kaylee Ludwing
MF: Sam Anderson
MF: Teagan Murphy
MF: Kaylee Ludwing
MF: Sophia Sommesi
F: Maya Reinheimer
F: Ciara Johnson
 
Morton
GK: Yaritza Padilla
D: Michelle Chavez
D: Isabel Sanchez
D: Emily Orduna
D: Stephanie Salmeron
MF: Adamary Huitron
MF: Itzel Almaguer
MF: Brigette Solano
MF: Evelyn Hernandez
F: Karina Estrada
F: Crystal Ozuna
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maya Reinheimer, sr., F, Glenbard East

 
Scoring summary

First half
No scoring
 
Second half
Glenbard East:  Johnson (McKenna), 52’
Glenbard East: Reinheimer (Anderson), 59’