Maine West shuts out Larkin in opener
Maine West enjoyed a successful opening to its girls soccer season with a 4-0 victory over visiting Larkin on Tuesday afternoon in nonconference play in Des Plaines.
The Warriors, who dominated large parts of the match, particularly during the first half, raced out to a 2-0 lead at the break before adding a pair of quick strikes within five minutes after intermission to all but end the hopes of a comeback by the Royals (0-1-0).
“Playing that first game of the year is always a difficult one, especially for us because we’re going with a different formation which we struggled with from time to time,” said Larkin coach Ken Hall. “But we played much better in the second half and received a real nice effort from Alajandra (Villagomez), who filled in for our starting keeper (Diana Hernandez) and made some very good goal-saving stops for us all throughout the match.”
The Warriors came out in a 4-1-4-1 formation and enjoyed the run of play for long stretches thanks in part to some quality possession and touches in the middle of the field initiated by freshman Joanne Stanfa, who scored her first varsity goal just moments before the break.
“Joanne really made an impression on the game after a little bit of a slow start in her first varsity game, but once she got comfortable and we were able to get her the ball in the middle, she really got our attack going for us,” said Maine West coach Mike Divincenzo.
The Warriors wasted little time scoring when senior Annalise Walsten turned and fired up and over Villagomez from 30 yards at seven minutes, giving the hosts all the offense they ended up needing.
The Royals withstood considerable pressure after the Walsten goal, and if not for a terrific save from Villagomez after Jessica Gonzalez and Stanfa combined to set Cara Franke, the Warriors would have doubled their lead at the half-hour mark.
Stanfa collected a loose ball left just outside the box, and her quick shot over Villagomez made it 2-0.
Warriors keeper Sara Stepanovich, who gave way to Sam VanWees after the break, showed her ability to score as a field player after she kept on running to finish what Franke had started in the Royals’ end. Minutes later, Franke, a senior went past Villagomez when Gonzalez gave her mate a wonderful pass.
“It was a good first game for us,” said Divicenzo. “Sara showed what she can do out on the field for us, and Lexi (Prospera), Jen Vargas (in the back) and Annalise (Walsten) all turned in strong performances today.”