Mundelein, Warren start with wins at Techny

Mundelein and Warren opened play in the Glenbrook Cup girls soccer tournament with decisive victories Friday at the Techny Fields in Northbrook.

The Mustangs netted a 4-1 win over Bradford from Kenosha, Wis., while Warren rolled to an 8-0 victory over Proviso West.

Quarterfinal action is at 8 a.m. today, with Mundelein (10-3-3) meeting host Glenbrook South (13-4-1) and Warren (6-7-3) playing Niles North. The winners play in the semifinals at 11 a.m., with the third-place match and championship set for 5 and 6:30 p.m., respectively, at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview.

For the first time in a few years, Mundelein has hit the 10-win plateau.

“It’s very exciting and, to be honest, a lot of the ties and losses could’ve gone either way,” Mustangs coach Ernie Billittier said. “It’s very encouraging. We’ve got to do our best to be prepared to play in regionals. We just have to peak at the right time.

“We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into (against Bradford),” Billittier added. “We had to worry about us and the game plan that we tried to execute. I thought we took the right steps to get ready.”

Mundelein started out on the right foot with a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes. Shannon Carroll found the back of the net off a pass from Kaila Cancelli five minutes in. Kelly Grove then scored off an assist from Staphanie Johnson.

“Kaila crossed the ball in and it went off the defender’s leg,” said Carroll, who notched her fifth goal of the season. “I was there to kick it in the goal. Kaila and I have always worked well together. Every time she passes the ball, I’ll be going in and vice versa. We’ve played well together for a long time.”

Bradford cut its deficit to 2-1 with a goal from Deven Jackson in the 29th minute. But Mundelein added two second-half goals. Michaela Valin finished a chance in the 63rd minute and, two minutes later, Cancelli scored off another assist from Johnson.

Warren enjoyed its biggest outburst of goals this season. The Blue Devils scored all eight of their goals in the first half against Proviso West (1-10).

Paige Jespersen led Warren with a pair of goals and an assist. McKenna Hofflander also scored twice. Courtni France, Ellie Gallo, Taylor Jamil and Hayden Yunker added the other goals. France, Gallo, Savannah Slater, Kelsey Schwab and Alexis Vrabel each had assists.

“It was nice that we were able to come out and start early,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “That’s one of the things we’ve struggled with — being ready to start the game. We were able to get on the board early and keep it going.”

McCabe thinks the Glenbrook Cup is a great tuneup for the postseason.

“You get to see teams that you normally don’t get a chance to see,” McCabe said. “It also helps because you might see some teams in the regional or sectional.”