Gaffino, Aurora Central silence Plano
Updated: March 30, 2011 3:06PM
Notching a first-half goal and helping set up a second-half strike made Lisa Gaffino an obvious standout when it came to Aurora Central Catholic's 2-0 girls soccer victory Tuesday over Plano, however, the Chargers' offense as a unit was also energized.
Aside from Gaffino making the score sheet twice, second-year coach Maria Della Torre had a hard time deciding whom to single out for praise as ACC 6-11 a year ago claimed its home debut to even its record at 1-1 while the visiting Reapers dipped to 0-2.
"We've got a lot more options offensively and it showed," Della Torre said even without knowing how dominant the Chargers were statistically as evidenced by a 33-2 advantage for overall attempts, a 16-1 edge for on-target tries and a 10-0 tally for corner kicks. "Lisa has shown some great hustle and is capable of playing at any position, and I think the goal and assist are reflective of her work ethic."
Aurora Central scored just 11:51 into the contest as Gaffino tracked a cross that ricocheted enough for her 6-yard tap-in to be an unassisted goal. ACC was constantly on the offensive in both halves and when Gaffino's hard blast caromed off Plano goalie Taylor Beal, Meghan Curcio made certain the ball ended in the back of the net with 4:32 left in the match.
"It was a perfect bounce for me and I just needed to get it around the keeper," Gaffino said of her goal. "I think the real key was we all came ready to play and we're doing a much better job of putting plays together and supporting each other."
Senior co-captain Emily Blaser was quick to agree on the program's progress: "We've got so much more chemistry and are much more of a team. It's great to get a win this early to help our confidence and give us something to build on."
Plano coach Ben Sperry could also find cause for optimism for his fourth-year program (just 1-18 in 2010) with goalie Beal and the Plano defense withstanding the constant offensive onslaught.
"Our defense held its shape the whole match and it's obvious we've got much better communication," Sperry said. "There were world's more possessions compared to last season and once we moved Amanda (Corral) to center mid for the second half, we were a couple touches short of finishing some opportunities. As we work on our touches, I believe we'll get the offense to start matching the defensive intensity."
Plano is back in action Thursday at Yorkville while Aurora Central has a week to prepare for a visit to East Aurora.
© 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment