By Dennis Bowling
Manteno girls soccer coach Erik Greenquist will have to wait until next year to win a regional semifinal contest. The Panthers played their best game of the season. It just wasn’t not enough on May 10.
The true bright spot for Manteno was sophomore Ava Derrico, an outstanding keeper, who played a great game and had ten saves. The Panthers freshman Michelle Carrera. a talented midfielder, scored their only goal.
McNamara eliminated Manteno 5-1 in the first semifinal of the Class 1A Manteno Regional in Manteno.
“Ava has been doing very well for a first-year keeper,” said Greenquist. “She is very athletic. She comes from a softball and volleyball background. She’s always able to keep us in the game.”
“Michelle is a hard worker,” she said. “We played team soccer. We played well. We are young, we only lose three seniors. They did a great job. They played solid defense. We’ll miss the seniors.”
Manteno senior Katherine Gaffney, is a talented midfielder, and a standout in golf, girls basketball, and soccer. She was quite pleased with the Panthers play.
“This was one of our best games of the season,” she said. “We were able to connect with each other with good passes.”
“Michelle had some good scoring runs,” she said. “She is always hustling. Ava (Derrico) just never gives up. She’s always positive.”
With 18:34 to go in the first half, Carrera, from the right side, kicked the ball into the goal to tie the score at 1-all.
“I am really proud of myself,” she said. “I had a very good pass. This was my first varsity goal. It was just great. I had a lot of fun with my great teammates. All the seniors played well. They give us great advice.”
The Panthers Derrico, who is an outstanding volleyball and soccer player, summarized the season ending loss to the Coalers.
“We played very well,” she said. “We played better in the first half. We came out strong. We have improved. Our defense was great.”
“It was a really great moment for Michelle,” she said. “It brought us together. We had a chance to win this game.”
“I was really proud of my performance,” she said. “I am glad that we had a great group.”
The Manteno seniors, who provided great leadership for a young Panthers team, included Rylie Stroud, a midfielder, Samantha Popek, a defender, and Gaffney, a midfielder.
The Panthers to keep an eye on for next year include freshman Carrera, midfielder, sophomore Julia Bona, a forward, and sophomore Kaylee Boudreau, a defender, among others.