Fast start leads Downers Grove South past Riverside-Brookfield

DOWNERS GROVE – Sometimes the key to winning is how a team starts, not how it finishes.

That was the case for Downers Grove South on Thursday night. On yet another frigid evening, the Mustangs made sure they came out on fire.

“We just wanted to set the rhythm early and keep the ball,” Downers South senior midfielder Ashley Molinari said. “We were really focused on keeping the ball and working together and not playing selfishly.”

With the Illinois State-bound Molinari dominating the middle of the field, the host Mustangs stuck to their game plan and it paid off. Seniors Sienna Thurston and Isa Okuku scored six minutes apart in the first half and that was all the Mustangs needed to beat Riverside-Brookfield 2-0.

“It was just nice to have the performance go together,” Molinari said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating when we work so hard to get the ball in the final third and don’t finish, so it was nice to see it go in the back of the net.”

Goalkeeper Maya Tennicott made five of her six saves in the first half as the Bulldogs (3-6) managed to keep the Mustangs at bay for the first 21 minutes.

But the Mustangs (3-2) broke through at the 18:28 mark. Skylar Swanson sent a cross in from the left corner to Gianna Lamb, whose shot was blocked by a defender.

The rebound went to Thurston, who buried a short shot to break the ice. It was Thurston’s fourth goal of the season and turned out to be the game-winner.

“I think we were possessing pretty well throughout the whole game and it was really good,” Thurston said. “We had a very good serve and I think we just got a lot of people in the box and it was honestly just a touch and I was able to get it in pretty quick.”

Downers South continued to press and broke through again with 12:16 left in the half. Grace Lube raced up the right wing and sent a cross into the middle of the box to an open Okuku, who scored on a 10-yard shot.

The Bulldogs stiffened after that, allowing only three more shots.

“They’re a great team, moved the ball really well,” R-B coach Ivek Halek said of the Mustangs. “Once we got organized, I felt like we kind of evened out the game and did much better as the second half went on.

“I’m very proud of the girls. I’m happy with how they responded. We didn’t really hang our heads despite being 2-0 down. We were still competing.”

Indeed, the play in the second half proved to be a stalemate in the midfield, with each side getting only two shots. Downers South had one great chance to extend the lead, but Tennicott stopped Alyssa Lamb on a breakaway with 3:00 left.

“We’d love to be able to put a few more away,” Downers South coach Chris Hernandez said. “The goalkeeper made a couple nice saves, but on a different night, maybe we can find a corner.”

Still, it was the second consecutive win for the Mustangs, who had their first two scheduled games cancelled.

“I definitely wish we could have gotten a few more goals, but it’s a work in progress,” Molinari said. “Our goal is to win conference, so we want to keep this going, keep improving and keep getting better every game. So it’s exciting.”