Neuqua Valley 2, Batavia 1
Neuqua Valley girls soccer coach Joe Moreau didn't know exactly how many regional titles the Wildcats have won after his team topped Batavia at home Friday in the Class AA Neuqua Valley regional championship game.
All he knows is that he is glad and relieved his No. 3 seeded Wildcats topped the No. 6 Bulldogs 2-1 on their home field in Naperville.
"We are fortunate to come out on top," Moreau said. "I thought (in) the second half, we played much better. I think defensively, the whole game, we played sound. We never really gave them any scoring chances."
"It was a tough battle, but it feels good," Neuqua Valley senior midfielder Ashley Marrapode added. "They gave us a good battle, so we have a lot to learn for next time, definitely."
With the win, Neuqua Valley improved to 16-5 and will play the winner of the Naperville Central in Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. sectional semifinal game at Waubonsie Valley.
About midway through the first half, Neuqua Valley started the scoring with a goal from sophomore midfielder Alex Isdell.
The Wildcats' second goal arrived with around 15 minutes left in the contest, as Marrapode scored after Megan Oyster's penalty kick attempt just missed.
"Megan Oyster played a great ball in there, and I didn't want to let that go to waste because she's been working on those in practice," Marrapode said.
Both teams posted 11 shots on goal, with the Wildcats attempting 8 in the second half. Batavia attempted 8 in the first half.
Batavia missed both penalty kick opportunities in the first half and did not score until late in the second half. With under three minutes remaining in the game, sophomore midfielder Haliegh Erwin tallied.
"We played very, very well," Batavia coach Jim McAlpin said. "That's been our season. We play very well and do what we want to do, and just not be able to put the ball in the back of the net. I think this was our best 80 minutes of soccer this season. It's never good to end the season the way we did, but it's good to play that well."
Batavia capped the season 8-8-1.
"We made a lot of improvements and the girls have grown a lot," McAlpin said. "They worked really, really hard and I am proud of their performance. They represented their families, community and team very, very well.
"I think we played much better than our record indicates. We just had trouble getting the ball in the back of the net…we've done well, and I enjoyed the season."