Girls Soccer: Neuqua Valley downs Waubonsie Valley in regional final
Updated: May 18, 2012 11:46PM
There was an element of deja vu in Aurora on Friday night, but in a different setting and with far more on the line.
Neuqua Valley doubled up the host Warriors, 2-1 in the Class 3A Waubonsie Valley Regional title game behind a pair of goals from Zoey Goralski.
The Wildcats also beat the Warriors, 1-0, back on April 3, at Neuqua Valley. Last year, the Wildcats ended the Warriors season with a 5-1 victory in a sectional semifinal contest on Waubonsie Valley’s home turf.
“We’ve got different players playing more minutes than we did before and a different formation from when we last played,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “I just thought that defensively we played very sound today.”
Neuqua Valley (16-4-2) really didn’t afford the Warriors with many scoring chances. The Wildcats controlled the greater part of the possession game, especially after jumping ahead 1-0 about midway throughout the first half on a Goralski goal.
“I just made a run across and no one tracked me,” Goralski said. “I just finished it high post.”
Leaving a dangerous scorer like Goralski unattended just one time in a match can be devastating, but the Warriors allowed it to happen a second time and once again Goralski provided the punishment.
Goralski got a lot of leg on a shot with 20:25 left in the second half and Waubonsie Valley keeper Emma Rigby had no chance to catch up with it.
Waubonsie Valley (16-5-3) made things interesting in the final five minutes and change, and certainly didn’t back down. Jenna Romano cut the deficit to 2-1 when she found the back of the net with 5:16 remaining. Then, for the final five minutes, the Warriors seemingly fought for every ball, winning most of them, and had a handful of scoring chances that came up short.
“We had so many chances during those last five minutes,” Waubonsie Valley senior Michelle Filipek said. “We worked so hard the whole game and then just came up short. We kept fighting though. I just wish it could’ve gone the other way.”
Neuqua Valley advances to the Naperville North Sectional where it will take on the hosts at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
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