Thirteen days later, Morton will finally play its West Suburban Conference Gold Division game at rival Willowbrook.

The teams were originally set to play on April 2, but a spate of rain and lightning pushed the game back.

At the start of the month, both clubs looked at the conference opener as a chance to answer a few questions.

Now, after both teams have endured tough games in the interim, the answers are plain to see. Executing and improving is the next step.

The Mustangs (4-6-0, 0-0-0) want to string some wins together, starting at Willowbrook.

The Mustangs lost each of their four matches at the Plainfield Classic, including a 2-0 decision to Glenbard East in their finale Saturday, though that one deserves an asterisk.

Morton coach Jim Bageanis said star forward Carisma Rosales will play in Monday’s game after sitting out over the weekend due to a red card from Wednesday’s loss to eventual Classic champion Plainfield North.

“Hopefully, we can win (this) week because we’ve three winnable games,” he said. “Maybe we can have some success against these teams, get some goals, and show that this is how we play the ball and pass and do it at this rate and take some steps forward.

“When we play Willowbrook, I think it’s a going to be a throw-out-the-records game. They always play us tough, and they usually come out strong for us. It’s a game they want to win every year, a rivalry. We’ve been on the better end of it for the past few years, but they are going to play physical. We have to weather the storm and not give up silly goals.”

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

“They play hard,” Bageanis said of Willowbrook. “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.”

Rosales, a Marquette recruit, has been limited this season due to an early season ankle injury. Her return to possibly playing 80 minutes is a big boost for the Mustangs. 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, understands what’s at stake Monday in Villa Park.

“(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 (1-6-2, 0-1-0), which is stuck in a seven-match winless streak (0-5-2), hopes to make a statement following back-to-back losses to Downers Grove South and Niles West. The Warriors have struggled scoring goals with just five goals on the season; most of them came in a 3-3 tie with Zion-Benton.

Willowbrook coach Julio DelReal, in his eighth year at the helm, 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.”