West Aurora wins consolation title at Rosary tournament
Maddie Pickett and Raquel Rodriquez have been part of the West Aurora restoration for the past three years.
The Blackhawks' girls soccer program has made tremendous strides during the period, and the two were active throughout its three abbreviated matches at the Rosary tournament on Saturday morning and afternoon.
In the consolation final against the Illinois Math and Science Academy, both players converted penalty kicks.
Fellow senior Michelle Castaneda denied back-to-back IMSA attempts during the span, and West Aurora won the overtime shootout 4-2 to salvage the game that ended 1-1 after regulation.
The three seniors have honed their skills with the Aurora Kickers club team over the past several years, and the off-season play has translated well to the traditional high school season.
"Everyone has been working extremely hard," said Pickett, who tallied the Blackhawks' goal in regulation against IMSA. "We have that desire that we all want to win. We lost some games (during the season) that we should have won."
Valerie Lizalde beat the IMSA keeper to the right side as the fifth West Aurora shooter in the penalty-kick phase, and Castaneda iced the match for the Blackhawks (10-6-2) with her second straight denial.
The two midfielders are tied for team scoring honors with 10 goals this spring.
Pickett and Castaneda will continue their careers at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next fall.
"I try to come out and cut down their angle," Castaneda said of her penalty-kick defensive mindset. "I just try to stay focused and try to stop it."
West Aurora and host Rosary began the action early Saturday, and it appeared as though the Royals were going to prevail on the strength of a Jackie Nelson first-half score.
Rosary nursed the 1-0 lead for more than 30 minutes of playing time, and the 50-minute match was in the final half minute when Rodriquez scored the equalizer.
"I thought it was a great game," Rosary coach Kevin Callaghan said.
The teams than faced off against Joliet Catholic in back-to-back encounters, but the Angels did not surrender a goal in their respective 1-0 and 4-0 victories over the Blackhawks and Royals.
West Aurora played IMSA on the basis of its fewer goals allowed formula, and Rosary defeated Lisle 1-0 on a Christine Dickerson first-half score in the other consolation game at IMSA.
Senior Rosary keeper Sara Butz had to sit out the final eight minutes of the West Aurora contest and all of the Joliet Catholic game after receiving a red card for physically contacting a West player as the final defender.
"She has been our one bright spot even though she had the red card," Callaghan said. "The things that have been hurting us the most are the same things hurting everyone else. We haven't had a chance to play because of the weather."
Rosary is 6-5-3 on the season.