Joliet Central showing key signs of improvement: The Herald-News girls soccer notebook

Three wins, 15 losses.

That was the final record for the Joliet Central girls soccer team in 2024. Two wins in the first six games and then none until the last game of the season. Needless to say, the Steelmen were looking for better results as they entered the 2025 season.

It’s still very early, but so far, they’ve been getting just that.

Six games into the year, Joliet Central already has equaled its win total from all of last season. Not only that, but the Steelmen have some genuinely impressive results, including back-to-back 7-0 victories over Richards and Crete-Monee. A 5-3 victory against Shepard preceded that, and a three-game win streak is absolutely something to celebrate.

“I really like that this group of young women are hard workers who are really motivated,” coach Stephanie Phillips said. “They’re here to have fun and are really buying into our motto of ‘We learn and we grow.’ Each day we’re looking to do that.”

What’s more impressive about the three-game winning streak was it came after Joliet Central lost its first two games to Stagg (7-0) and Leyden (1-0). Even the 1-0 loss showed competitiveness.

The season isn’t six games long, of course. The three-game streak also was snapped recently with a 7-0 loss to Oswego, so there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

“Connections between defense, midfield and forward with moving the ball fully up are where I’d like to see some improvements,” Phillips said. “I want to utilize our back defense and even our goalkeeper at times. That will give us more opportunities.”

Still, the confidence is there for Central. The players are buying in, and they know what they need to do to keep getting better.

“We just need to understand each other more and come together even more on the field,” senior midfielder Victoria Davila said. “We just need to play with each other more.”

Locking it up

Last season, Lockport didn’t lose a game until the sectional semifinals against Plainfield North. They were rarely challenged up to that point. After losing eight seniors, including 2024 Herald-News Player of the Year Emma Czech, there was obviously some concern the Porters could take a step back.

Lockport is 4-2 through Tuesday and have outscored its opponents 27-6. The first loss was 2-1 to Lincoln-Way Central, one of the best teams in the area, and the second also was by a score of 2-1 to Loyola Academy. They also have a 7-0 victory over a solid River Park-Oak Forest team and a 5-1 win against a competitive St. Ignatius group.

Marquette commit Ava Kozak already has eight goals and five assists, showing why she’s one of the best players in the state. Sophomore Yuridia Hernandez has contributed five goals and junior Lily Nonte has chipped in five assists.

The season is far from over and it’s only going to get tougher the rest of the way. So far, though, the Porters have been just fine.

Leading the (Lincoln) Way

Speaking of Lockport, the Porters will have a chance for revenge on Thursday as they play Lincoln-Way Central once again. That will be a big task as the Knights have been one of the best teams in the state this season.

Lincoln-Way Central is undefeated at 5-0 and just won the Windy City Classic championship with a 2-1 victory over Andrew. A 2-0 win over Lemont also shows the Knights aren’t exactly benefitting from a soft schedule.

Still, Lincoln-Way Central isn’t resting on its laurels. Coach Sean Fahey said the team is pleased with its start, but there are still a lot of games to be played.

“We are happy with a 5-0 start,” he said after winning the Windy City Classic. “Still, we see (Andrew) again in eight or nine days. We see Lockport in seven days. We can’t pat ourselves on the back too hard right now because it doesn’t get any easier.”