Metea Valley, Wheaton North
aim for win column in DVC opener
By Matt Le Cren
Peruse Metea Valley’s 2016 schedule and it is hard to pick more than one or two games that could be considered easy wins for the Mustangs.
That’s just the way Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley likes it.
“I did it on purpose,” Whaley said. “It just so happened that with our switch to the (DuPage Valley Conference) I was able to make some changes to the schedule that I wanted, and we added a lot of good teams.
“The goal is always to make sure that we’re ready to play in May against the best, and playing tough teams does that. That’s my philosophy and a lot of other coaches have that philosophy too.”
Count Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly among them.
“We pretty much have the same schedule as them,” McEvilly said. “We’re both in the PepsiCo Showdown, we’re both in the DVC, and we have strong nonconference games.
“We tell the kids there are no breaks. You’ve got to be prepared to play every night.”
Both teams will be looking for its first win of the season when they meet Saturday morning in the DVC opener at Rexilius Field in Wheaton.
Both have lost their first two games and will be looking to start the league slate off on a good note. It will be a historic occasion for Metea Valley, which makes its DVC debut after leaving the Upstate Eight Conference.
The Mustangs have yet to score a goal in losing to two ranked opponents -- no. 7 Plainfield North and no. 8 Hinsdale Central.
Hinsdale Central edged Metea Valley 1-0 on Tuesday while Plainfield North beat the Mustangs 3-0 on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s sectional semifinal won by the Mustangs.
“Against Hinsdale Central we didn’t have as many opportunities in the offensive third that I would have liked,” Whaley noted. “We had one breakdown on defense that led to a goal.”
Despite the loss to Plainfield North, Whaley thought the Mustangs showed improvement.
“I think we had 11 shots, 10 of which were on goal,” Whaley said. “Their keeper had a great game, making four or five quality saves.
“It’s hard to go down there and play on their grass field. It’s a small field, and they’re a quality team, but we did a good job of competing.”
The Mustangs are still working several new faces into the lineup, including juniors Emily Lindblom and Katherine Weiland.
Lindblom is a transfer from Moline who plays holding midfielder, while Weiland, who missed last season following ACL surgery, joins a backline led by experienced seniors Miranda Williams and Megan Morris. Whaley said both have been bright spots.
“It’s going to take a little while to get some of the new girls acclimated, and once we start to develop some chemistry we’ll be fine,” Whaley said. “We’ll be fine once we get that first one to go in the back of the net.”
Wheaton North found the back of the net for the first time Thursday when Clare Kocher scored on a rebound of a Hannah Atkinson free kick against Downers Grove South.
But the Mustangs had built a 3-0 lead and rolled to a 4-1 victory.
“Downers South was a very good team,” McEvilly said. “We had a great first 15 minutes, and then they scored three goals in five minutes.
“The second half we played really well, got it to 3-1 and then they scored a brilliant goal with about five minutes left. They had some impressive goals.”
It’s anyone’s guess how Saturday’s game will go but both teams are in similar situations.
“We both lost to some good teams to start the year and have new players adjusting to new positions,” McEvilly said. “It’s as important for them as it us for us. We need to find a way to press refresh.”
aim for win column in DVC opener
By Matt Le Cren
Peruse Metea Valley’s 2016 schedule and it is hard to pick more than one or two games that could be considered easy wins for the Mustangs.
That’s just the way Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley likes it.
“I did it on purpose,” Whaley said. “It just so happened that with our switch to the (DuPage Valley Conference) I was able to make some changes to the schedule that I wanted, and we added a lot of good teams.
“The goal is always to make sure that we’re ready to play in May against the best, and playing tough teams does that. That’s my philosophy and a lot of other coaches have that philosophy too.”
Count Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly among them.
“We pretty much have the same schedule as them,” McEvilly said. “We’re both in the PepsiCo Showdown, we’re both in the DVC, and we have strong nonconference games.
“We tell the kids there are no breaks. You’ve got to be prepared to play every night.”
Both teams will be looking for its first win of the season when they meet Saturday morning in the DVC opener at Rexilius Field in Wheaton.
Both have lost their first two games and will be looking to start the league slate off on a good note. It will be a historic occasion for Metea Valley, which makes its DVC debut after leaving the Upstate Eight Conference.
The Mustangs have yet to score a goal in losing to two ranked opponents -- no. 7 Plainfield North and no. 8 Hinsdale Central.
Hinsdale Central edged Metea Valley 1-0 on Tuesday while Plainfield North beat the Mustangs 3-0 on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s sectional semifinal won by the Mustangs.
“Against Hinsdale Central we didn’t have as many opportunities in the offensive third that I would have liked,” Whaley noted. “We had one breakdown on defense that led to a goal.”
Despite the loss to Plainfield North, Whaley thought the Mustangs showed improvement.
“I think we had 11 shots, 10 of which were on goal,” Whaley said. “Their keeper had a great game, making four or five quality saves.
“It’s hard to go down there and play on their grass field. It’s a small field, and they’re a quality team, but we did a good job of competing.”
The Mustangs are still working several new faces into the lineup, including juniors Emily Lindblom and Katherine Weiland.
Lindblom is a transfer from Moline who plays holding midfielder, while Weiland, who missed last season following ACL surgery, joins a backline led by experienced seniors Miranda Williams and Megan Morris. Whaley said both have been bright spots.
“It’s going to take a little while to get some of the new girls acclimated, and once we start to develop some chemistry we’ll be fine,” Whaley said. “We’ll be fine once we get that first one to go in the back of the net.”
Wheaton North found the back of the net for the first time Thursday when Clare Kocher scored on a rebound of a Hannah Atkinson free kick against Downers Grove South.
But the Mustangs had built a 3-0 lead and rolled to a 4-1 victory.
“Downers South was a very good team,” McEvilly said. “We had a great first 15 minutes, and then they scored three goals in five minutes.
“The second half we played really well, got it to 3-1 and then they scored a brilliant goal with about five minutes left. They had some impressive goals.”
It’s anyone’s guess how Saturday’s game will go but both teams are in similar situations.
“We both lost to some good teams to start the year and have new players adjusting to new positions,” McEvilly said. “It’s as important for them as it us for us. We need to find a way to press refresh.”