Athletics Women's Soccer--Archive

The Cyclones are holding open tryouts on Sat. August 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for any incoming or returning student soccer players. Athletes of all skill levels are encouraged to attend.

Tryouts will be held on the soccer practice fields, which are just northwest of the game field on the west side of campus.

Anyone who is interested should just show up to tryouts. Direct any questions to head coach Jim Knawa at (708) 974-5237 or e-mail him at knawaj@morainevalley.edu.

Before heading to team tryouts for the 2009 season, get some conditioning from pre-tryout practice. Three practices are scheduled on Thursday, June 25; Wednesday, July 8; and Monday, July 20. All practices start at noon and are held on the fields parallel to 111th Street on the south side of campus.

Anyone who is interested should just show up. Call head coach Jim Knawa at (708) 974-5237 or e-mail him at knawaj@morainevalley.edu with any questions.

All-Region IV first team: Nadia Equihua (Argo), Shannon O'Shea (Mt. Assisi) and Katie McGrath (Oak Forest)
All-Region IV second team: Kelly Pecka (Shepard)

All-Conference first team: Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest), Melissa Hernandez (Argo), Equihua, O'Shea, Pecka and McGrath

Day	Date	Opponent	Location	Time	W/L
Wed.	8/27	Prairie State College*	Home	4 p.m.	Canceled
Fri.	8/29	South Suburban College	Home	4 p.m.	W 3-1
Sat.	8/30	Carl Sandburg College	Home	2 p.m.	W 7-0
Wed.	9/3	College of Lake County*	Away	4 p.m.	L 1-2
Fri.	9/5	Joliet Junior College	Away	4 p.m.	T 0-0
Wed.	9/10	Elgin Community College*	Home	4 p.m.	W 1-0
Sat.	9/13	Triton College	Away	noon	Canceled
Mon.	9/15	Oakton Community College*	Away	4 p.m.	Canceled
Wed.	9/17	Waubonsee CC*	Away	4 p.m.	L 0-1
Fri.	9/19	College of DuPage	Home	4 p.m.	L 2-3
Fri.	9/26	Joliet Junior College	Home	4 p.m.	W 1-0
Mon.	9/29	College of Lake County*	Home	4 p.m.	L 0-1
Wed.	10/1	Elgin Community College*	Away	3:30 p.m.	L 1-2
Thurs.	10/2	South Suburban College	Away	4 p.m.	W 1-0
Sat.	10/4	Triton College	Away	11 a.m.	W 3-1
Mon.	10/6	Oakton Community College*	Home	3:30 p.m.	T 1-1
Wed.	10/8	Waubonsee CC*	Home	3:30 p.m.	L 1-4
Sat.	10/11	Morton College (club)	Home	1 p.m.	W 11-0
Wed.	10/15	Oakton Community College*	Away	3:30 p.m.	W 3-0
Sat.	10/25	Region IV Quarter Finals	Home	noon	W 3-0 vs. Oakton CC
Tues.	10/28	Region IV Semi-Finals	Away	3 p.m.	L 0-4 vs. Waubonsee
Sat.	11/1	Region IV Finals	TBA	TBA	N/A
Fri.-Sat.	11/7-11/8	Districts	TBA	TBA	N/A
Thurs.-Sun.	11/20-11/23	Nationals	TBA	TBA	N/A

Nov. 3, 2008
Cyclones end a winning season

It’s not how you start, but how you finish. That theory by the Moraine Valley women’s soccer head coach was true for the team which ended its winning season in the semi-finals Oct. 28.

A true team effort gave the Cyclones a 9-7-2 overall season record, which includes seven shut-out games. The athletes were well prepared and had high expectations going into the playoffs, but mistakes and lack of rhythm led to a 4-0 loss to a tough Waubonsee team.

“We prepared well and gave it our best shot and came up short,” said head coach Jim Knawa. “Overall it was a great season.”

Having 16 healthy players helped make this season successful. Because of such team cohesion, Knawa said all the athletes accepted their roles and contributed to each game. Team captain Shannon O’Shea (Mt. Assisi) played well this year and was a positive motivating force on and off the field.

“This is my fourth year as coach, and this is the best season we’ve had, especially with few injuries and the number of athletes on the team. They really improved every game,” Knawa said. “We have 10 freshmen who say they are returning next year. Hopefully they will because it’s something to look forward to.”

To top off the season O’Shea, Nadia Equihua (Argo) and Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) received NJCAA All-Region IV first team honors. Kelly Pecka (Shepard) was chosen for the All-Region second team. All-Conference first team honors went to Equihua, O’Shea, Pecka, McGrath, Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest), and Melissa Hernandez (Argo).

October 16, 2008
Cyclones head into playoffs after shut out win

Moraine ended its regular season October 15 with a 3-0 victory over Oakton Community College. Kelly Pecka (Shepard), Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) and Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) each scored a goal while Melissa Hernandez (Argo) added three assists to her season.

The Cyclones will enter the playoffs with strong momentum, losing just one game in the last six contests. This latest victory was the team’s second shutout in a row and seventh for the season.

Nadia Equihua (Argo), Shannon O’Shea (Mt. Assisi), and Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) were all named to the All-Region First Team while Kelly Pecka (Shepard) was named to the All-Region Second Team.

Moraine is hosting the first round of playoffs which begins October 25.

Sept. 29, 2008
Cyclones shut out Joliet

The Cyclones brought their record to 4-3-1 after a 1-0 win September 26 over Joliet Junior College.

A goal by Shannon O’Shea (Mt. Assisi Academy) with four minutes remaining in the first half was all that the Cyclones needed to defeat Joliet at Moraine Valley. Kelly Pecka (Shepard) and Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) each had an assist.

The defense, led by keeper Melissa Hernandez (Argo), posted its fourth shutout of the season.

Sept. 24, 2008
Games Recap
The Cyclones have played some close games this season, and the past couple of games were no exception.

Moraine Valley played a valiant game against conference-leading Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove on Sept. 17, but came up short on a 1-0 decision.

The Cyclones home game on Sept. 19 also proved to be an intense match as they lost 2-3 to College of DuPage. Cyclones Shannon O'Shea (Mt. Assisi Academy) scored in the 34th minute with an assist from Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest). Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) scored the second goal as a result of a penalty kick.

August 29, 2008
New and returning players show promise for 2008 women’s soccer

Moraine Valley women’s soccer team has been gearing up for the upcoming season, ready to rebuild after a lackluster performance last year.

The 2008 team consists of six returning players and 11 newcomers. Second year athletes include team captain Shannon O’Shea (Mt. Assisi), Jen Galvan (Richards), Meg Gierut (Sandburg), Melissa Hernandez (Argo), Ryan Quintos (Richards), and Naomii Rios (Oak Forest).

The 11 new players, many with soccer experience, should add to the team’s depth, said head coach Jim Knawa. Those players are Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest), Nadia Equihua (Argo), Lauren Hauptman (Sandburg), Courtney Juby (Oak Forest), Tricia Jurcak (Sandburg), Brittni Martinez (St. Benedict), Katie McGrath (Oak Forest), Dalia Mustafa (Richards), Danielle Savant (Oak Forest), Kelly Pecka (Shepard), and Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard).

Knawa is optimistic and looking forward to the season, especially with the number of incoming experienced players. “We play in a very tough conference where I have seen the quality of competition increase significantly over the past several seasons. We have a variety of quality incoming individual talent and a nice blend of experienced returning players,” Knawa said. “Our biggest challenges this season are to become comfortable as a team and work together in a limited amount of practice time. We are fortunate to have many freshmen with experience playing in high school, which should be helpful as our season progresses.”

All-Conference Team: Amy Johnson (Shepard)
All-Region 2nd Team: Johnson and Beatriz Parra (Argo)

Date	Opponent	Location	Time	W/L
Aug. 27	Oakton CC*	Home	4 p.m.	rescheduled (rain)
Aug. 29	Elgin Community College*	Home	4 p.m.	L 0-2
Aug. 31	South Suburban College	Away	4 p.m.	W 7-0
Sept. 5	Trinity Christian College	Home	4 p.m.	L 1-3
Sept. 10	College of Lake County*	Home	4 p.m.	L 0-4
Sept. 12	Waubonsee CC*	Home	4 p.m.	T 2-2
Sept. 17	Oakton CC*	Home	4 p.m.	L 1-3
Sept. 19	Elgin Community College*	Away	4 p.m.	L 0-2
Sept. 22	Springfield College	Home	1 p.m.	W 4-0
Sept. 24	Harper College	Away	4 p.m.	L 1-3
Sept. 26	Trinity Christian College	Away	4 p.m.	L 0-1
Sept. 29	Triton College	Home	Noon	W 2-0
Oct. 1	College of Lake County*	Away	3:30 p.m.	L 0-6
Oct. 3	Waubonsee CC*	Away	3:30 p.m.	L 1-6
Oct. 8	College of DuPage	Away	3:30 p.m.	L 0-6
Oct. 10	Rain Date -- Oakton C.C.*			W 2-0f
Oct. 11	South Suburban College	Home	3:30 p.m.	L 1-2
Oct. 20	Region IV Tournament 1st Round MVCC @ Waubonsee	Away	1 p.m.	L 0-4
Oct. 23	Region IV Tournament Semi-Finals	TBA	TBA
Oct. 27	Region IV Tournament Finals	TBA	TBA
Nov. 2-3	District Championships	TBA	TBA
Nov. 15-18	Nationals	Away	TBA

June 2, 2008
Women's Soccer Team Looking for New Players

The women's soccer team is holding open tryouts on Sat. July 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for any incoming student soccer players. Athletes of all skill levels are encouraged to tryout for a number of open roster spots.

Tryouts will be held on the soccer practice fields, which are just northwest of the game field on the west side of campus.

Anyone who is interested should just show up to tryouts. Direct any questions to head coach Jim Knawa at (708) 974-5237 or e-mail him at knawaj@morainevalley.edu.