Neuqua Valley not satisfied

Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau knows that his team will have to play better than Tuesday night’s performance if the Wildcats are going to continue improving on their impressive 2011 season.

Behind a pair of first half goals from Gianna Dal Pozzo, the Wildcats kept their record unblemished with a 2-1 road victory over Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division rival Waubonsie Valley on Tuesday night.

But Neuqua Valley (6-0-0, 1-0-0) has raised the bar of expectations this season, and Moreau wants his team to reach even higher.

“We’ve got a lot to work on,” Moreau said. “You can’t lower the bar. You get to one level your goal should be to get to that next level. You don’t want to take a step back, especially when you’re playing your rivals.”

The Wildcats were put in an unfamiliar position against host Waubonsie Valley (2-2-0, 1-1-0) as the Warriors scored first. It was the first time all season that Neuqua Valley trailed an opponent, and it was only the second goal it has given up all season (the first came in a 2-1 victory over Downers Grove South on Saturday).

Waubonsie Valley’s Kristen Brots netted the first goal of the game off an assist from Kristen Dodson in the 24th minute.

However, Dal Pozzo and company answered right back. Two minutes after Brots’ goal, Meghan Kelley found Dal Pozzo in front of the net, and she then headed the ball past Waubonsie Valley goalkeeper Jordan Myers to tie the game 1-1.

Dal Pozzo struck again with 11:04 left in the first half, sorting through the heavy traffic around the net to put her team up 2-1.

“I was 2 yards off the line,” Dal Pozzo said. “I hit it off my chest first, then spun around and kicked it. Fortunately, the ball went in.”

The goals were the sophomore forward’s fourth and fifth on the season. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 19-2 in their first six games.

“A lot of people are getting opportunities offensively, including me,” Dal Pozzo said. “We’ve been working a lot on finishing and we’ve been able to finish on a lot of the goals scored.”

Waubonsie Valley had only one legitimate scoring chance in the second half in the 44th minute when Megan Green’s shot from Shannon Donelson bounced straight into the hands of Neuqua Valley goalkeeper Courtney Keefer.

“We played hard, but we need to keep improving,” Waubonsie Valley junior Michelle Filipek said. “We need to keep going hard to the ball and keep working.”