‘Ugly’ goal lifts Glenbard West to 1-0 win over Wheaton North

WHEATON – Soccer is often called the beautiful game even though it’s not always pretty.

With just 14:12 remaining in a scoreless game on Thursday, Glenbard West scored ugly.

The Hilltoppers held onto that lead the rest of the way to defeat host Wheaton North 1-0 during a Wheaton North Kickoff Classic tournament game at Rexilius Field.

Patty Prescott initially sent in a ball that rattled around a congested area in front of the goal and Wheaton North senior goalkeeper Leah Roe. As one of a handful of players amongst the scrum, Glenbard West junior Hana Allen found the ball and sent it home.

“I think it went in and bounced out and Patty got that extra touch,” Allen said. “Then I was right in front of the goal and tapped it in, toe poke. Sometimes when you score, you score ugly.”

They count the same whether they’re brilliant or boring, gorgeous or humdrum, super special or so-so.

“I think you can’t always be looking for bangers from 30 yards out, you have to always take the opportunities that you have no matter where they’re from,” Prescott said. “I think everyone’s working hard and no matter how we got the goal, we got the goal. We earned it.

Glenbard West (2-0) opened the season with a 2-1 victory over South Elgin on Tuesday while Wheaton North (1-1) beat Glenbard South 3-0.

Thursday was a night where the Hilltoppers were able to avenge what happened last year. The Falcons beat them twice by a 3-0 score in the previous season, shutting them out early in the year while also ending their season in the state tournament.

“This was a great kickoff, especially since we front load our schedule sometimes,” Hilltoppers senior Lauren Escalante said. “It’s just great to get out and compete. We have Metea Valley and Benet next so we’ll see where we are against these teams and just carry that into conference.”

Senior goalkeeper Julia Benjamin earned the shutout.

The Falcons are playing without Jane Rogers (30 goals, 21 assists last year) as she recovers from an injury. Being without one of the premier players in the state can’t be easy.

“The players have to do something a little bit different to try to make up for some of that absence,” Falcons coach Tim McEvilly said. “Nobody’s going to do it individually, so everybody’s got to look to do something a little bit different without putting pressure on themselves.”

Forward Ellie Whittington is someone who appears ready to step in and make an impact on the attack despite only being a freshman for Wheaton North.

Talia Kaempf (23 goals, 14 assists last year), Calah Strong (9 assists, 3 goals) and Grace Kuczaj (5 goals, 4 assists) also are back for the Falcons.

“I think both teams got through the back line at times,” McEvilly said. “But there was great energy levels for both defensive groups to get back and recover and prevent any true dangerous opportunities. We did a great job of recovering and preventing shots on goal throughout most of the game.”

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