West Chicago shuts out Bartlett
Balance.
That word aptly describes West Chicago's offensive attack during the early portion of the 2015 season.
With four players scoring a goal each, the Wildcats were able to post an impressive 4-0 victory over Bartlett in action at the South Elgin Spring Fling Girls Soccer Tournament held at Streamwood's Millennium Field Wednesday night.
"They really outplayed us from the first whistle to the last whistle," said Bartlett coach Ben Beary. "They are a very tough, well organized team. They were efficient with their opportunities and scored when they had their chances. They have a lot of offensive weapons and are tough to defend. We had our chances to score but just couldn't get the ball in the net. We need to learn from this game."
The Wildcats (2-3) scored first on a goal by Jasmine Mendoza off an assist from Marli Welch just 5:22 into the game.
Alli Oglanian, off an assist by Kayla Kirkwood, beat Bartlett goalie Nyka Wetterman to give West Chicago a 2-0 advantage with 24:25 remaining in the first half.
The Wildcats' third goal of the half came from Katie Reitz off an assist from Kirkwood at 7:48.
"I am the typical coach and believe we should be 4-1," said West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez. "We had a good practice (Tuesday) and we figured things out. I like our persistence and intensity to start the game. We had good possessions and we had good balanced scoring with four different kids scoring. We created some good chances."
The Wildcats, who outshot the Hawks (1-2) 12-7, added an insurance goal in the second half at 32:06. Alexa Vega gave West Chicago a 4-0 advantage off a nice feed from Kimmy Diaz.
West Chicago net minder Emma Gaggioli registered the shutout, collecting 4 saves.
Gomez liked what he saw from his goalie.
"Bartlett had some great shots on goal in the game," said the West Chicago coach. "Emma made some great saves and kept us in the lead. She pays attention to details and she does a great job of solving any problems that come about."
Wetterman, who struggled in the nets during the first 40 minutes, blanked the Wildcats during the final 32 minutes. She collected 7 saves in the game.