West Aurora routs shorthanded Kaneland

Regardless of the opposition, West Aurora needed to find some offense in Wednesday's contest with Kaneland.

The fact that the Knights were shorthanded didn't matter as much for the Blackhawks, who needed to get some possession, string some passes together and get a feel for putting the ball into the net.

In that mission, West Aurora succeeded mightily, winning the opener for both teams in West Aurora's tournament, 5-1.

"We had two losses in a row and no goals, so it was important that we came out and finished. We hope that this builds up their confidence," West Aurora coach Laura Wagley said.

Mariyah Zeitz got the offense moving in the fifth minute of the match on a header following a Yulissa Espino corner kick. A quarter-hour into the first half, Espino put a strong shot just over the crossbar. The Blackhawks pressure continued and Katharine Stephens scored the first of her two goals in the match in the 18th minute of play.

"I didn't tell them that they were missing players," Wagley said. "I told them that passing was going to be a huge advatage for us, and we had some awesome combinations in the first half."

Three minutes after Stephens scored, Espino took a free kick that was cleared as far as Jessica Ortiz, who scored from the top of the penalty area.

Kaneland (3-1) reduced the deficit to 3-1 eight minutes before halftime on a Paige Guyton goal, but with the Knights missing 10 varsity players, the momentum remained in West Aurora's favor.

"We had one practice (Tuesday) and we got 12 players together and got ready the best we could," Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. "What are you going to do? We got some reserve players some playing time and we gave some JV players some experience at the varsity level. It wasn't our true team, but it was a case of either forfeiting or playing, and we don't forfeit games."

In the second half, Stephens fed Riley O'Brien and Stephens scored herself to complete the scoring. In a half-dozen varsity matches together, sophomore Stephens and freshman O'Brien are starting to find combinations offensively.

"The first couple of games are always tough at the beginning of the season," Wagley said. "They have been trying to figure each other out. Now (Stephens and O'Brien) are figuring out where each other is going to go. I group them in every drill together, and that helps."

Defensively, while the Blackhawks (2-3-1) were denied the shutout, they worked to limit Kaneland's scoring chances.

"I feel like we controlled the ball well," West Aurora freshman Sofia Papoutsis said. "We moved it around and took our chances."

Once they had a solid lead, West Aurora attempted to shut the game down. That never fully happened, but on a windy day with sporadic drizzle and against a team that was still strong despite its absentees, the Blackhawks turned in a solid effort.

"When they played the ball over us, with the wind, we had to be sure we were first to get to the ball," Papoutsis said.

The match showed something in the talent level of Kaneland's overall program. The Knights may have been shorthanded, but they had spells of extended pressure and kept working for 80 minutes.

"From 1-to-42 on our roster, we've got good players," Parillo said. "We just didn't have enough players today, and we didn't have the same potency we'd have had if they were all here. I'm proud of the way they played. They played their hearts out."