Rosary blanks Kaneland for 1st win
Tara Early could not have placed her first attempt any better.
The Rosary senior, the Royals’ soccer captain, was roughly 20 yards from the Kaneland goal when she floated a perfect ball toward the Knights’ net.
The ball entered the net with only inches to spare between the bottom of the post and the outstretched fingertips of the Knights’ keeper.
Two and a half minutes into the non-conference girls match Wednesday afternoon in Maple Park, the Royals had a quick lead, which they gradually increased with their 4-0 victory.
“(The Kaneland defenders) were up in the front, and I just popped it right in,” said Early.
The match was played under extremely trying conditions; with a biting northeast wind and low temperatures, Rosary (1-1) dominated first-half play as the Knights defended the south goal.
“(Having the wind at our backs to start) was definitely part of (the Royals’ shot plurality in the first half),” said Rosary coach Kevin Callaghan.
When Kaneland (1-2) sought to use long passes to clear its end, the ball simply ballooned well short of its intended destination.
Rosary capitalized on the youthful Knights with several quality chances.
Olivia Cozzoni missed wide right as one of the Royals’ nine first-half shots, but sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Johnson had the goal of the match a few minutes later.
In the words of the Geneva resident, “I got the ball at the top of the box, dribbled around three defenders and kicked it toward the left post with my left foot.”
The off-footed Johnson score with 26:36 to go in the first half doubled the Royals’ lead to 2-0.
Kaneland would manage a lone shot on goal in the first half.
Rosary, meanwhile, was looking to show a different side after a shutout loss to Glenbard North to open the season Monday.
“They were kind of embarrassed,” Callaghan said. “I told them, ‘Play the game like you know how and have trust in your coaches.’ That’s what they did today.”
Kaneland opened the second half hoping to use the conditions to its favor.
The Knights would dramatically increase their offensive production in the second half; captains Emily Heimerdinger and Sophia Blank had five shots in an eight-minute stretch, but Rosary keeper Alexandra Bode stopped 9 shots total to record her first shutout of the season.
“We have eight new faces on the starting roster,” Kaneland coach Scott Parillo said. “It’s not about how we start the season, but about how we finish it. I just hope the parents, players and coaches have enough patience.”
Cozzoni had the Royals’ third goal early in the second half, and Lauren Kieffer closed out the scoring in the waning minutes of the contest.