Huntley opens by blanking Elk Grove

When Huntley's girls soccer opener against Palatine Tuesday was postponed Deanna Hecht wasn't happy.

After missing most of the 2014 season with an ACL injury, Hecht was eager to play.

The senior got her chance and made the most of it Saturday.

Scoring 3 goals, including the first goal of the game with only 22 seconds elapsed, Hecht's healthy return keyed Huntley to a 5-0 win over Elk Grove in nonconference action in Huntley Saturday.

"I was frustrated Tuesday," said Hecht. "I really wanted to play. It was just good to be back on the field and play with my teammates. That first goal so early in the game felt great. We did a great job of creating shots all day. We have a lot of girls who can score and we have a lot of depth."

Hecht's early goal, off an assist by Kaitlyn White, gave the Red Raiders (1-0) an early 1-0 lead.

Huntley, which outshot Elk Grove (1-2) 25-2, grabbed a 2-0 lead when Alyssa Kaufman scored on an assist by Taryn Jakubowksi with 19:07 remaining before intermission. That was the score at halftime.

Elk Grove's best chance to score came with 23:25 left before half when Laila Aguilar blasted a direct kick from 20 yards out but Paige Renkosik made the nifty save for the Red Raiders.

Huntley seized control of the match in the second half with 3 unanswered goals, 2 by Hecht and 1 from Jakubowski, who has verbally committed to play collegiately at Division 1 Creighton.

"I really liked the way we started the game and the season with the goal by Deanna only 22 seconds in," said Huntley coach Kris Grabner. "Our offense really clicked and we communicated well. Our new players really mixed in well. I was happy to see Deanna have a good game. It is a nice weapon to have back. We have to get better on defense. It is something we will work on."

The visiting Grenadiers got a solid effort in the goal by Cassie Slattery, who collected 17 saves.

"Cassie played very well and kept us close," said Elk Grove coach Dan Klaus. "We are playing eight freshmen so we are very young. I can't fault the effort. The kids played hard. Huntley is a quick skillful team. This is a good match for us because we will see teams like Huntley in the (Mid Suburban) conference."