Girls soccer: Bartlett cruises past Streamwood

Bartlett girls soccer coach Victor Marquez has been very patient this season with freshman Serena Salvato as she adapts to being the cornerstone and lone forward in the Hawks' offensive attack.

That patience is beginning to pay off.

Salvato had a pair of goals on Thursday night to lead Bartlett to a 6-0 thrashing of Streamwood at Millennium Field. The Hawks have now won 3 straight.

"She is making a lot of progress," Marquez said. "I think the biggest thing has been she is learning to be more patient. Instead of always turning to shoot right away she is holding onto the ball more and waiting for the play to develop. She plays a very important role, but she is handling it very well. Plus all the other players have really embraced her. They look out for her and try to take some of the pressure off her,"

Salvato scored just 9 minutes into the game to get the Hawks rolling. It was the first of 4 Bartlett goals in the first half.

At the 25:13 mark Morgan Myers scored on a header off a corner kick from Paige Bednarke. Just 35 seconds later Salvato netted her second goal with an assist from Myers to make it 3-0.

"I think we did really good passing the ball today," Salvato said. "We had some good through balls and were looking for the runs. We were patient and waited for the right pass. It was an exciting win."

Makenna Hughes closed out the scoring in the first half with a couple nice moves to dribble past a defender and the goalkeeper to score on an open netter.

Bartlett (7-5-1) added goals from Amber Fiedler and Jenna Dombrowski in the second half.

"The main thing was we did a good job holding the ball and passing it around," Marquez said. "Little by little we are doing those basic important things more and more. It's very welcome to see."

The Hawks' defense was stellar once again as they recorded their second straight shutout. Goalkeeper Teegan Mason needed just 4 saves.

"The number thing is we are shifting and covering the back side," Marquez said. "That reduces the field and makes it easier to defend."