Girls soccer: Rolling Meadows gets back on track with win
Rolling Meadows bounced back from a rough outing with a 3-1 girls soccer victory over Maine West on Tuesday at Robert A. Hoese Field.
The Mustangs (2-2-0) built a 3-goal advantage before the visitors found the back of the net in the 56th minute to dash the hopes of Kelsey Nallon recording a shutout.
"We came out much better than we did last Friday in that 1-0 loss to Prospect," said junior Claire Preissing, who along with her back-line mates kept the chances on frame to a minimum during yet another cold, and windy early spring day.
"We talked about putting that game behind us and moving on from it. While at the same time, we did not want to forget how an effort like that is something we cannot have happen again."
"We made it way too easy for Prospect last week," added Meadows coach Mike Drenth. "But today we played some pretty good soccer in that first half to put two in, then another to make it 3-0. But it's too bad we gave that one away to allow them to get a little closer to us."
During the opening quarter hour, the Warriors (0-3-0) never looked quite comfortable in their own end and allowed the hosts to enjoy most of the run of play.
West conceded a goal by Meghan Kelly in the fourth minute when the junior ran freely inside the box to finish a Madeline Rebsamen helper.
"We're really young and inexperienced at a lot of positions, including our keeper (Gabry Faraone)," said Warriors coach Jeff Bishop. "She is a field player by trade who stepped in to help us out and like so many others on our roster are learning as we go.
"She's actually doing a very good job for us and like the rest of the team, gaining valuable experience against some quality opponents like Rolling Meadows. This will help us get ready for our upcoming CSL schedule."
The Warriors were at their attacking best when the quartet of Rachel Kolling, Allie Webb, Dorothy Calba and Sarah Magnoni had the ball. The introduction of senior forward Julie Garcia helped inspire the visitors when they ventured into the Mustangs' end.
However, despite some good work from this group, it was Meadows striking one more time before the intermission.
Mary Donlon's effort stretched the Warriors far more than they would have liked along the back, and the extra space allowed Kat Perille to take an extra touch before finding Taylor Gunn, who finished into an open net just four minutes ahead of the break.
Just moments into the second period, the Warriors found themselves chasing a third goal.
Sophomore Natalie Anderson's 25-yard blast was redirected on the way in after deflecting off the glove of Faraone.
Garcia unloaded a well-driven 16-yard angled shot into the back of the net in the 56th minute.
That culminated a wonderful effort up top Maine West. The senior's run hard created chances for both herself and her teammates at the same time.
"When the middle third of our formation is playing well, we can be dangerous while creating chances for each other," said Bishop, whose club is on the road this Thursday at Waukegan. "This was easily our best effort of the year."