Girls soccer: Libertyville breaks down St. Viator

Libertyville's girls soccer team was happy just to get on the field after a two-week layoff due to spring break and inclement weather.

Playing just their second game of the season, the Wildcats looked in midseason form. They scored three goals in the opening half and bounced visiting St. Viator 4-1 in a nonconference contest on Thursday.

Libertyville sophomore midfielder Jada Higgens, who contributed a goal, has seen strong teamwork in her team's two games.

"I like that everyone works for each other," Higgens said after the Wildcats improved to 2-0. "I like the way we're moving the ball. There's a lot of camaraderie on the field, especially with the bench too."

Libertyville looked sharp from the beginning.

"I like the level of work rate that we bring to the game," Libertyville coach Shannon Etnyre said. "It's something that we're trying to install with the girls. If you can win the mental battle and outwork the team, it can put you in a position to be successful."

Libertyville's Victoria Villanueva-Guzman scored the opening goal in the 18th minute after taking a touch pass from Morgan Verbeten. The play started with a cross from Lauren Huber.

Higgens scored two minutes later on a breakaway, hitting a shot off the hands of St. Viator keeper Anna Johnston (6 saves), before finishing the rebound.

Verbeten made it 3-0 in the 36th minute off Allison Tong's assist. Libertyville added one more in the second half, as Emma Manolovic scored on a header in the 47th minute.

St. Viator got a goal back in the 69th minute off a combination play. Brinley McVeigh finished a shot off a pass from Meghan Martin.

It was also the first game in two weeks for St. Viator (3-2-1).

"I thought we played a good 15 minutes," Lions coach Mike Taylor said. "Then we let a goal in and put our heads down. I thought in the second half we responded better."

Taylor took another positive out of the defeat as well.

"We might have solved a couple of positions," he said. "We moved players around in the second half and saw some different things. Now it's just a matter of making some tweaks and stepping forward from that. We do have a good team"