Wheaton Academy pulls away from Aurora Central in 2nd half

You can devise game plans and prepare for an opponent and adjust things through a match - but none of it becomes a girls soccer victory if the team can't find a way to conjure some goals.

Wheaton Academy knew Aurora Central Catholic was strong this year and the Warriors prepared well for Thursday's Metro Suburban Conference contest. And at halftime, leading only 1-0, coach Dave Underwood made some adjustments.

Then the Warriors took the field and scored three times to secure a 4-0 win. Key in that goal scoring blitz was Jamie Netzley, who scored once in the first half and twice in the second for a hat trick.

"We knew they were good," Netzley said. "We weren't going into this going 'we've got this.' We knew it would be a challenge and that they would be scrappy."

Netzley gave the Warriors (9-3, 4-0) the lead in the ninth minute when she received the ball from Gretchen Pearson and scored. At halftime, Wheaton Academy knew it needed to shift some things in order to press their advantage.

"One of the things we talked about at halftime was to increase our work rate," Underwood said. "We are finishing a stretch of a lot of games in a short amount of time. This is our seventh game in a span of 10 days and we're getting tired. But we're pleased that while we may not be playing our best and we're fatigued, we're coming away with wins."

It still took Wheaton Academy 18 minutes to score in the second half, through a combination of missed chances, good defense in the penalty area by Aurora Central and saves by Chargers keeper Bry Mandarino.

Netzley doubled her team's lead when she finished a quick break following a Chargers giveaway in their defensive half of the field. Gabi LaMantia sent a short leading pass to Netzley, who rode a tackle in the penalty area before scoring.

Emmerson Fuller added the third goal with 14 minutes left when she turned in a ball that wasn't cleared from the Chargers penalty area following a corner kick. LaMantia earned her second assist on the play.

Netzley completed her hat trick with 4 minutes left in the match when she received a pass from Izzy McNally, went on a run to and into the penalty area and scored.

"(Pearson) passed the ball to me, and that was basically her hard work," Netzley said. "I just finished it. (LaMantia) had a great pass to me and I just ran onto it. I had to make sure I kept my composure."

Aurora Central (8-4, 1-2) had chances. Star midfielder Jordyn Sundberg shot a pair of dangerously-placed free kicks over the crossbar. Just before the end of the match, Amanda Scarpitti got free in the penalty area and forced backup Warriors keeper Liz Fisher to make a save.

"One of the joys of coaching this team is that I don't that I've ever said at the end of game that they hadn't worked hard from the start to the end," Aurora Central coach Kristy Kane said. "It's just that sometimes, like today, Wheaton Academy has nine subs that they put in there. We have 25 girls between two teams and we have a shorter bench."

Moving from their heaviest period of match play, the Warriors now prepare for the final weeks before the playoffs.

"These past two weeks have really hectic, especially with the Pepsi Showdown and having four matches in one week," Netzley said. "It's like the season's flying by and now we want to perfect how we're doing going into playoffs."

Aurora Central has already tied its school record for victories, though this week has been difficult, first with a loss to Rosary, then Thursday's defeat. Kane said she was certain her team would rebound, first at Saturday's Rosary Invitational and through the final weeks of the regular season.

"They're sad today because they want to win," Kane said. "They understand that a win doesn't always mean a great game and a loss doesn't always mean bad game. We're taking from this week that we have two losses from two tough teams. Playing those teams only makes us better."

While the Chargers are high achievers this year, and the team's seniors are certainly heavily involved, the future is incredibly bright. Aurora Central took the field in the second half with three seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

"We have some great freshmen," Kane said. "Anna Dudziak in defense is doing a great job and she continues to improve every game. We have some great leadership with our seniors but we have players of all classes making an impact."

Senior Sundberg remains the focal point for the Chargers. Playing in central midfield, she keeps the ball moving through the team's formation and yet finds chances to score as well.

"She's got it all," Kane said. "She's a great player with talent and she is the ultimate team player. This program has struggled and she has stayed with it. More than anyone else, she has helped us get where we are."