Waubonsie hands SCN its 1st loss

For all the talk about how hard it is to score goals in soccer matches, Waubonsie Valley made it look unbelievably easy in the first minute of play of Tuesday's game with St. Charles North.

The Warriors knocked the ball around a bit, then Vanessa DiBernardo hit a slide-rule pass through St. Charles North's defense, where Catherine McClellan was running unmarked. McClellan drew North Stars goalie Kristen Manski and shot into the back of the net.

Time elapsed: 20 seconds.

Things more than settled down after that, but Waubonsie Valley added to its lead early in the second half through Shannon Donelson and withstood a North Stars fight back and won 2-1 in a tilt between two of the Upstate Eight Conference's top teams.

"I thought we came out with a lot of intensity at the beginning of the game and got a nice, quick goal that helped us," Waubonsie Valley senior Bri Rodriguez said. "I thought we went hard to every ball. I thought this was our hardest-fought game all year."

Lightning quick goals have become a bit commonplace for the Warriors (11-3) - who defeated Fremd on an overtime goal after 20 seconds in Saturday's consolation game of the Naperville Invitational.

"We come out hard every single game," Rodriguez said. "We catch people off their toes and we try to do that as much as we can."

The early goal came before either team had established any pattern of play. The half that developed was mostly even. Rodriguez tested Manski with a shot after 17 minutes that the North Stars goalie could only save for a corner kick.

But the North Stars (8-1-3) had chances as well, notably a Leah DeMoss effort with 3 minutes to play in the half. DeMoss came in on Waubonsie Valley goalie Claire Hanold from the right wing. DeMoss shot and Hanold made the save.

"I think we played well in the first half," St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said. "I think, the first half, we dominated and we had chances. In the second half, there was a lull in the game and it was hard to get things going."

While Waubonsie Valley's buildup play was pulling the North Stars around their home field, the second goal came from a very straight forward corner kick. The ball came to Rachel Bostick, who headed toward goal. Shannon Donelson got a second flick header onto the ball and scored.

"(Bostick's) always trying to get the header," Donelson said. "I've been taught to always run through and follow through to the goal and that's what I did. We had to go hard the first five minutes and try to get the second goal and keep going from there."

St. Charles North shifted from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3 setup. The move improved the North Stars attacking options, though it meant Waubonsie Valley dominated the midfield. Still, the move paid quick dividends when Paige Dusek scored with 29:13 to play to set up a potentially wild finish.

But the North Stars were unable to find a tying goal and fell for the first time this season. The North Stars came into Tuesday's match on the heels of a 3-0 weekend in Burlington, Iowa, when the team won the tournament title against competition that was ranked in the nation.

"We came in at Iowa and our heads were focused in the game and everything that was going on," Dusek said. "Tonight, we had the effort, but some things didn't click and it was tough after such a great weekend."