BERWYN — In the 71st minute, Carisma Rosales made a characteristic deep run at the Leyden goal and appeared on the verge of her second goal.

Just feet away and with an advantage of angle and location, she blasted a ball that sailed high over the bar.

In the throes of frustration, she quickly pulled the front of her jersey over her face in mock disbelief.

That was about the only thing that went wrong.

“There was so much emotion going through tonight,” Rosales said. “We still have a couple of games left, but I’m really glad I was able to finish with these girls.

“We’ve been here for four years, and I’ve enjoyed this one the most. We put so much effort into this.”

On a night celebrating her standing as one of the best players in the state, Rosales performed her normal magic with the ball.

The two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-stater scored the crucial early goal. Fellow all-stater Aayliah Leanos added the final scores for a 3-0 victory in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play.

Morton (11-6-0, 4-0-0) won its seventh-straight game.

On Senior Night, the moment belonged to Rosales, Leanos, midfielders Brigitte Solano and Michelle Chavez, defender Linda Rojas and keeper Melany Zuniga.

Solano delivered bookend assists.

“There were a lot tears and emotion with those assists, and I’m going to remember everything about this night,” Solano said.

“We have a great bond, especially playing with great offensive talents like Carisma and Aaliyah. I know they have my back. On this team, everybody always looks for everyone. We’re a team, so we love being together.”

Zuniga played the first half and had three saves, giving way to junior Yaritza Padilla in the second half for the shared shutout.

Every senior had their own inspiration and narrative.

Rosales (Marquette) and Leanos (Roosevelt) are the four-year stars, who will continue playing the game beyond the prep level.

The play of Zuniga was especially gratifying, because she missed her entire junior year due to an injury.

Rojas was part of an effective and connected back with Romina Lopez and centerbacks Karina Estrada/Vargas and Emily Orduna that limited the opportunities of a dangerous Eagles’ offense.

“We all get along honestly,” Rojas said. “Some of us have been playing together for more than two years, almost since we were little.

“I had my family here, my teachers, my cousin. Everything felt really happy together.”

Both keepers did a great job of solving Leyden star junior Tereza Cerna, who entered the game with 24 goals and six assists for the Eagles (9-4-2, 2-2-0).

“We had a lot of confidence and understood what we had to do to shut her down every time she was about to shoot the ball,” Zuniga said.

“We tried to push her off the ball as much as possible, so she could not get comfortable getting off her shot.”

Cerna has spearheaded a standout season by the Eagles. 

Her size, shot-making and presence on the ball required constant attention from the Mustangs.

Morton also represented quite the challenge.

“We both put up a good fight,” Cerna said. “This team was our rival for a very long time. You could tell by the energy of the crowd.

“We were waiting for this game for a long time. We put up the effort coming up here. We just have to keep our heads up after this game. We still have two more conference games after this.”

Morton is playing at another level, primarily because the team is healthy, active and ready to go.

Rosales has recovered from a severe ankle sprain that hampered her at the start of the year. She is finding her timing and release.

“It was tough at the beginning, but our team put in a lot of hard work, especially at practice,” Rosales said.

“I think we’ve learned how to communicate. We’ve had a lot of talks with each other, and we really push each other. We keep in mind to always play our hardest, so we leave nothing left on the field.”

Leanos is back after a lower leg fracture. She has nine goals in just seven games.

“We had a lot of energy, and a lot of adrenaline with this being Senior Night,” Leanos said.

“Leyden is a rival, and we’ve had a long streak of beating them. Our hopes were really high, and we had a very strong mentality coming.”

In the 18th minute, Solano played a ball on the right edge that Rosales caught in perfect motion and hammered home from about 16 yards for a 1-0 lead.

“Brigitte played me a great ball. I was open, so I just took it,” Rosales said. “I think being able to score right away was one of the best things we could do, because it kept us mentally in the game.

“It kept our heads up, and we just kept going from there.”

Morton held the advantage, but the game was far from settled, especially with the dangerous Cerna always lurking around the action.

“You always have to keep your head up,” Cerna said. “They had a goal, but there’s always time to get back into the game.

“I train a lot, and this game is my passion. The girls’ efforts have been great this year. If one girl puts her energy, it travels through the whole team. It could be just one person, a starter, a bench player or a coach.”

Morton’s seniors have set the team’s tone this season, but oach Jim Bageanis has also been encouraged by the development of the younger talent.

“Our best players are seniors,” he said. “The younger girls are looking up and definitely making strides right now.

“They’re learning from those six seniors. As Carisma and Aaliyah go, we go. As long as they keep trying to connect and work with each other and our backline holds together, we’re going to be okay. We did a good job with the Cerna girl.”

Leanos put the game away in the second half with two textbook goals.

In the 49th minute, midfielder Adamary Huitron reversed the ball quickly from the left wing near the top of the box.

Leanos stepped up and drilled a left-footed slasher ball from 26 yards that cut perfectly inside the near post.

She punctuated the victory with a superb run off a ball from Solano and finished in front of the goal in the 76th minute.

For their outstanding play, Aaliyah Leanos and Brigitte Solano shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.

“I missed our first three conference games, so these were my first goals in conference,” Leanos said.

“I finally feel like I have my group back. I’d say the first few games I was rusty, and it was hard to get my head back into the game. Tonight was just the barrier that I broke.”

Chavez has been an important connective thread as a versatile two-way talent who has played in the back and middle.

She played higher up against Leyden. Her control and poise helped Morton take control.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Chavez said. “I feel like the seniors are all connected in a way. Carisma and Aaliyah really make a difference for our team. 

“They’re like the magical stars of the show, and they really deserve the attention. They are always going to make something out of a play, and that’s exactly what the team needs.”

Starting lineups

Leyden
GK: Priscila Perez
D: Diana Rivera-Romero 
D: Nataly Ulloa
D: Jasmine Ambroscio
D: Reyna Morales
MF: Kim Pazos
MF: Ximena Magana
MF: Nataly Salgado
MF Lizeth Montiel
MF: Lupita Garcia
F: Tereza Cerna

Morton
GK: Melany Zuniga
D: Romina Lopez
D: Karina Estrada/Vargas
D: Emily Orduna
D: Linda Rojas
MF: Brigitte Solano
MF: Adamary Huitron
MF: Michelle Chavez
MF Carisma Rosales
F: Stephanie Salmeron
F: Aaliyah Leanos

Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Brigitte Solano, sr., MF, Morton; Aaliyah Leanos, sr., F, Morton

Scoring summary

First half
Morton—Carisma Rosales (Brigitte Solano), 18’

Second half
Morton—Aaliyah Leanos (Adamary Huitron), 49’
Morton—Leanos (Solano), 72’