Boys soccer: Metea Valley, St. Charles North win at STC invite

Metea Valley only manufactured 10 goals in its 10 games in the spring, but the Mustangs wasted little time finding the back of the net in its season-opener against Leyden on Saturday morning in the St. Charles Invitational at St. Charles North.

The Mustangs scored twice in the first 10 minutes of action and added a couple of more before the match was called due to excessive heat with 28:50 left to play and them leading the Eagles, 4-1.

"I think for me it was the best scenario possible, and not just because we got goals and it helped build confidence, but I was able to get guys in the game," Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said. "In a shortened game we played 19 guys today which was awesome. We've got a ton of first year varsity players, whether sophomores, juniors or seniors and everybody got in, and even if we played a full game we were going to be fine."

Aiden Pufundt assisted fellow junior Bartosz Chmielewski on the first goal while senior Ethan Danehl set up fourth-year senior starter Colin Bastianoni for the second.

"Ethan had a great one off the header, working hard to beat that center mid, had the ball through and I won it," Bastianoni said. "I took it down the line and finished it bottom left and that's what we've got to do - keep getting these easy goals and rack up the score."

It was the first time the Mustangs finished with exactly four goals in a game since beating Leyden, 4-2, on Sept. 1, 2018.

Riley McCann extended Metea Valley's lead to 3-1 with 23:48 left in the opening half before Leyden broke the shutout with 18:30 remaining on Pablo Mancha's penalty kick.

Bastianoni scored his second goal of the game on a penalty kick with 32:21 left in the game after sophomore Alex Palacious was fouled hard in the box. A few minutes later and the game would be called due to excessive heat.

"It's a great way to start the season with a win and I think the younger players started to develop really well in this game," Mustangs senior defender Joe Fitzgerald said. "Coach Robinson always preaches hard work and we were winning balls, getting up the field and pressing them, and everyone got to play which is great and builds that confidence."

Game times were moved up two hours due to oppressive heat as St. Charles North survived Downers Grove North 4-2 in PKs after battling to a 1-1 draw in an 8 a.m. battle.

"We're so brand new since we graduated 17 guys last year," North Stars coach Eric Willson said. "So we have a lot of new faces. It was good to finally play somebody else and Downers works hard. They made us work hard and it was a pretty competitive, back and forth game."

Sophomore Walter DeLaPaz got an early score for the North Stars but the Trojans answered back off a corner kick with about five minutes remaining until halftime.

"There was not a ton of chances for either team in the second half," Willson said. "And the tournament rules go straight to penalties so it gives the kids an opportunity to practice that."

Metea Valley will continue tournament action on Monday against St. Charles North while Downers Grove North will battle Leyden.