The Plainfield Central girls soccer team has had its share of ups and downs this spring. Coach Ken Schoen said injuries have played a factor in a bit of a yo-yo start that had them once sitting at 6-6-1.

While the Wildcats are still healing throughout the lineup, they’ve seen dramatic improvement the past few games. They’re hoping that trend will continue moving forward.

After suffering a tough 3-0 loss to Plainfield North last week, the Wildcats are now on a three-game winning streak. Beating Yorkville 1-0, Aurora East 4-0 and Chicago Jones 5-0 now has Plainfield Central with a 9-6-1 record.

Schoen said on April 16th that the team was missing five starters in a victory against Plainfield East. He added after the Yorkville game that they lost an additional center-midfielder to injury during the contest. As such, health remains a factor.

Still, many younger reserve players have been getting important experience and have mostly filled in well. With a DePaul commit in Ava Lambert and one of the top keepers in the area in Maggie Lambert, the talent is there for the Wildcats to keep winning.

“I think we definitely have to keep on working as a team,” junior Lexi McCluskey said. “We have to keep on connecting passes and working together, which are really big factors.”

Tigers keep roaring

The Wildcats aren’t the only team in Plainfield riding a three-game winning streak.

Plainfield North’s 3-0 victory over Plainfield Central was its second of the current streak. The Tigers had previously beaten Plainfield South 7-0 and Romeoville 8-0 on Thursday.

More impressive than a three-game winning streak is the fact that the Tigers are 13-2 on the season. They’ve outscored opponents 65-8, with their only two losses against St. Charles East (2-1 in OT) and Oswego (2-0).

To top it off, the Tigers have been dealing with their own injuries. The fact that they’ve remained one of the most dominant teams in the area is a testament to just how strong of a roster they have.

Coach Kathleen Monterosso credits her defense and goalkeeping for putting the team in position to win.

“They always step up big no matter what,” Monterosso said. “They know that their jobs are to lay their bodies out on the line. They get those clean sheets because they know they’re the last line back there. They know that job is big, they organize and communicate and they take care of business in those big games.”

Monterosso added that taking care of themselves will be the biggest key to success moving forward.

“We have to make sure we’re getting our rest,” Monterosso said. “We have to take care of the little things because then the big things will take care of themselves.”

Powerful Providence

Providence has been on a hot streak as of late as well.

The Celtics are 10-2-3 on the season and are 3-0-2 in their past five games. Their only losses on the year have come to Missouri Ladue Horton Watkins (1-0) and Benet (2-0).

Maggie Wolniakowski has 12 goals and 11 assists on the season already, but what’s been most impressive is how much the younger players have stepped up.

Freshman Aubrey Curry is second on the team with seven goals, while sophomore Gabriella Tylka has six goals and six assists. Freshman keeper Gabriella Raczka has 10 shutouts with only five goals against her.

With a team as young as the Celtics, one can’t help but be excited about the future. The way things are going, the present is quite exciting, too.

Knights out

Lincoln-Way Central has been one of the top teams in the area this season, though the Knights will be looking to bounce back from their two most recent results.

The Knights are 12-1-1 on the season, and the last two contests have seen them draw Providence 1-1 and lose to Maine South in PKs after drawing them 1-1 in regulation. Still, they’ve outscored opponents 30-5 on the year and remain on track for another strong playoff push.

The Knights’ next contest will be against Peoria Notre Dame on May 6.