Macy Noe saves the day, Marengo tops Richmond-Burton for first regional title since 2012

MARENGO – A knee injury at the end of high school basketball season changed spring plans for Marengo‘s Macy Noe.

Noe, normally a catcher in softball, decided to hang up her cleats on the diamond and try on a different pair on the pitch.

The Indians sophomore tried out for soccer for the first time and soon found a new home in goal. Noe’s new sport and position, in turn, likely changed the trajectory of Marengo’s soccer season.

On Wednesday, Noe was otherworldly and recorded 32 saves as third-seeded Marengo outlasted second-seeded Richmond-Burton 3-2 in overtime to claim the Class 1A Marengo Regional championship. It’s the Indians’ first postseason hardware since 2012.

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Marengo’s Mackenzie Westwood, right, battles Richmond-Burton’s Elle Barrettsmith for the ball in IHSA Class 1A Regional Title Game action soccer at Marengo High School in Marengo on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer/for the Daily Herald)

“She’s got those basketball hands,” said Marengo sophomore Maggie Hanson, who scored with 34:04 remaining in the second half to break a 1-1 tie. “She’s got those crazy reflexes, too. She’s one of the reasons – she’s like the reason we’re able to be so much better this year.”

Sophomore Mackenzie Westwood scored the game-winner on a shot from 35 yards out with 4:49 remaining in the first overtime period after R-B’s defense failed to clear the ball.

Noe, meanwhile, had 25 saves in regulation and seven more in overtime.

Senior Katie Polizzi leaped into her first-year goalkeeper’s arms as the last seconds ticked off the clock.

“My heart stopped in a good way,” Noe said after hoisting the regional plaque. “It’s insane. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Richmond-Burton beat Marengo 8-0 the last time they met in the Kishwaukee River Conference Tournament. In that game, Noe suffered an injury in warmups that kept her from playing.

On Wednesday she was forced from the game briefly after making a save and colliding with R-B’s Mckenzie Ragusca. The referee had Noe leave the field as she was checked for a head injury before returning seconds later in the first overtime.

Marengo coach Sergio Orozco is sure glad Noe tried out for the team.

“She had never touched a soccer ball before in her life,” Orozco said. “She came out over the summer and she’s a natural. No goalie training whatsoever. With her confidence as a sophomore and everything she’s doing, it’s just unbelievable.”

Westwood scored twice for Marengo, including the opening goal nine minutes in. She followed an initial shot by teammate Myah Broughton, which was saved and deflected by R-B senior Evelyn Czarnik (six saves). The Rockets’ regular goalkeeper, sophomore Rylee Molczan, did not play after suffering an injury before the game.

Westwood’s game-winner was one of the longest shots she’s ever made.

“I looked at my team and I was like, ‘Holy crap, I can’t believe I just made that,’ ” Westwood said. “It was a big surprise to me. It made me happy.”

Hanson’s goal at the start of the second half came after she chased down a ball and ran 50 yards, twice controlling the ball as Rockets’ defenders could not kick the ball away.

“I was dying after that one,” said Hanson, who was limping after the long-distance goal. “We needed one and that put us up. All those touches, I was really tired after. The knee’s been bugging me, but I had to push through.”

Richmond-Burton (10-8-1) had an answer on each of Marengo’s first two goals. The Rockets had what they thought was a momentum changer when sophomore Abby Leslie followed a loose ball in the box with a hard shot into the left corner of the net, tying the score at 1 with less than a minute until half.

After Hanson’s goal, Ragusca gathered another loose ball and shot past Noe at point-blank range to tie the score at 2 with 20:48 left in the second half.

“To beat a team three times in a season is difficult,” said R-B coach Casey DeCaluwe, whose Rockets entered the postseason with four straight sectional championships. “We were going up against a goalkeeper who can make a lot of saves, and she did a tremendous job.

“When we didn’t finish our opportunities, it just kind of gained strength for them. They get one (goal) because we don’t want to make a tackle, and when that happens, all of a sudden you’re on your heels. We struggled in big games, struggled in the KRC.”

Marengo (10-7-1) will meet top-seeded North Shore Country Day in a R-B Sectional semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. The Indians have never won a sectional in program history, according to IHSA records.

This year’s team has more wins than the previous two combined.

“I never expected it,” Hanson said. “The jump from last year is amazing. Everyone showed up, every single person on the field, especially Macy.”