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Women's Soccer 

October 29, 2009
Cyclones kick hard to the end
 
Giving it their all until the very end, the women’s soccer team culminated their season Oct. 24 in the NJCAA Region IV quarter finals.

The Cyclones began the season with a five-game winning streak, shutting down opponents with tough defense and unstoppable offense. Then the team hit roadblocks, played a slew of strong teams and the offense could not finish, losing several games by only a goal or two. The team's season record was 8-8-3.

“The final season results are not because a lack of effort. Regardless of the score or position of the team, the athletes played hard. This was a great group to work with, a great cohesive team,” said coach Jim Knawa. “Our defense was consistent the whole season and really held us in a lot of games. My sweeper Nadia Equihua (Argo) was solid this year. She’s one of the best defensive players I’ve had as a coach.”

Even in their final match against College of Lake County the Cyclones clung to a tie until the 75th minute of the game, which ended in a 2-1 loss.
 
“They played very well. I was proud of their 110 percent effort through the entire game. The athletes came together. There were just a couple of mistakes that hurt us. We had opportunities, but we couldn’t pull off the win,” Knawa said.

Several players received athletic honors including Nicole Mazor (Shepard) named to the All-Region IV first team; Equihua and Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) selected for the All-Region second team; Equihua and Barrera also got nods for the All-Conference first team. All-Conference honorable mentions went to Mazor, Courtney Juby (Oak Forest), Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park), and Dalia Mustafa (Richards).

October 27, 2009
Narrow loss in quarter finals

The Cyclones were defeated 2-1 in the quarter-final round of the NJCAA Region IV playoffs by College of Lake County Oct. 24. Danielle Savant (Oak Forest) tied the game at one in the 27th minute off an assist from Nicole Mazor (Shepard). The game remained tied until the 75th minute when the Lancers scored off a corner kick.

October 20, 2009
Cyclones end regular season with shutout

The Cyclones finished their regular season with a 5-0 win over South Suburban on Oct. 17. Nicole Mazor (Shepard) scored her team-leading 17th and 18th goals of the season while Oak Forest alums Katie McGrath, Danielle Savant and Courtney Juby each contributed goals. Mazor added two assists (making it 12 this season). Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) and Christina Foster (Oak Lawn) also added assists. NJCAA Region IV Division II playoffs begin this week.

October 13, 2009
Dual loss at home for Cyclones

In a close game with College of Lake County Oct. 12 the Cyclones lost 1-0 after the Lancers scored on a penalty kick with 15 minutes left in the game. Barbara Lesnicka (Kennedy) was superb in the net turning away 15 shots on goal.

The Cyclones suffered a tough 8-1 loss Oct. 10 to Heartland Community College. Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) scored the lone goal with an assist from Sara Fullarton (Evergreen Park).

October 5, 2009
A Cyclone split

The Cyclones played Triton College to a 2-2 draw on Oct. 3. Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) scored for Moraine Valley with an assist from Dalia Mustafa (Richards). Christina Foster (Oak Lawn) scored the second goal of the game.

Moraine Valley was back in form Oct. 4 with a 5-1 win over Carl Sandburg College. The Cyclone offense came alive as the team led 2-1 at halftime. Danielle Savant (Oak Forest) scored the first two points and was followed in the second half with goals by Barrera, Nicole Mazor (Shepard) and Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard). Mazor also had three assists while Barrera had one of her own. Nadia Equihua (Argo) continues to be stellar on defense while goalkeeper Lesnicka had two saves to record the victory.

October 1, 2009
Cyclones struggling

The Cyclones continued to struggle on the road, dropping a 4-1 decision to Elgin Community College on Sept. 30. The time of possession was fairly even, but the Spartans capitalized on three dead-ball kicks to break open a 1-1 tie midway through the second half. Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard) scored the lone goal with an assist by Katie McGrath (Oak Forest).

September 28, 2009
Cyclones split two

The Cyclones scored early in the first and then second half of a home game against Joliet Junior College to hold on to a 2-1 win Sept. 25. Keeper Barbara Lesnicka continues to be solid on goal, turning back seven shots, including two breakaways for the match. Defenders Nadia Equihua (Argo) and Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park) were busy all afternoon and turned in great performances. Danielle Savant (Oak Forest) and Nicole Mazor (Shepard) each scored while Kelly Pecka (Shepard), Dalia Mustafa (Richards) and Mazor had assists. The Cyclones are an impressive 5-0-1 at home.

Moraine Valley fought back from a 2-0 halftime deficit by scoring two in the second half, but came up short in a 3-2 loss to St. Louis Community College-Forest Park on Sept. 27. Mazor and Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard) scored and Mustafa recorded an assist.

September 22, 2009
Double overtime ends in tie with tough team

A charging defense and a tough goalkeeper kept the Cyclones shin guard to shin guard with the 2008 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference and Region IV championship Waubonsee Community College team leading to a 1-1 tie in double overtime Sept. 21.

Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) scored three minutes into the game, and the Cyclones held on to the lead until the end. With five minutes remaining, the Chiefs scored to tie it up. Maintaining the tie through two overtimes was the defense led by Nadia Equihua (Argo), Dalia Mustafa (Richards), Courtney Juby (Oak Forest), and Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park) and especially Barbara Lesnicka (Kennedy) who was superb in goal. “This is probably the best game I’ve seen from a Moraine Valley goalkeeper in five years as a head coach,” said coach Jim Knawa. “Her decisions and ability prevented this game from becoming a loss.”

September 21, 2009
Another tough defeat for Cyclones

The Cyclones knew they were going to be in for a tough match when they travelled to Glen Ellyn to play top ranked College of DuPage on Sept. 18. The team played hard, but fell 6-1 to the Chaparrals. Moraine Valley was first to get on the board in the first 20 minutes of play from Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) with an assist by Kelly Pecka (Shepard). After their first goal, the Cyclones were hard pressed to get past a fast-scoring DuPage.

September 17, 2009
Cyclones shut down

The Cyclones hit a scoring slump for the second consecutive game, this time against Oakton Community College. Moraine Valley was shut out 1-0 on Sept. 16 coming back from a rough weekend. Opportunities were present for scoring, but the ball failed to find the net this time.

September 14, 2009
First disappointing weekend for Cyclones

In their first weekend series of the season, the Cyclones had their perfect record upset in Springfield, Illinois. In the first game on Sept. 12 the Cyclones tied 1-1 with Springfield College. Springfield’s defense limited Moraine Valley to a handful of shots on goal. Nicole Mazor (Shepard) was finally able to find the net with 13 minutes remaining to secure the tie.

The Cyclones undefeated streak came to an end with a 3-0 loss against Lincoln College on Sept. 13. “We had a significant number of scoring opportunities, but could not find the net. The shots were there, but not on target,” said head coach Jim Knawa.

September 10, 2009
Last second goal wins it for the Cyclones

It came down to the wire on September 9 for the Cyclones in their quest for a fifth straight win. With 40 seconds remaining in a 4-4 game with Morton College, Cyclone Nicole Mazor (Shepard) stole a pass at midfield before slipping a shot past the goalkeeper for the win. Mazor scored four goals for the night, making it 11 for the season. Kelly Pecka (Shepard) scored the other goal. Pecka and Oak Forest grads Nicole Barrera and Katie McGrath each had assists. Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park) was impressive at defense as was Nadia Equihua (Argo).

“Even though Morton had the advantage with speed and time of possession, the Cyclones took advantage of nearly every scoring opportunity against a very tough and physical opponent,” said head coach Jim Knawa.

Several Cyclones ranked in NJCAA

Congratulations to six members of the women’s soccer team for being ranked by the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I for their performances early on this season.

As of September 10 four players were ranked based on scoring. Nicole Mazor comes in at 4th for having seven goals and seven assists this season. Katie McGrath is 39th with four goals and two assists, followed by Nicole Barrera in 40th with two goals and six assists, and Rebecca Follenweider at 44th with five goals.

Both Cyclone goalkeepers also reached the ranks for their goals against average. Barbara Lesnicka has 11 saves with just one goal allowed for a 32nd ranking, while Natasha McLaughlin is ranked 49th for her two saves and two goals allowed.

These stats are based on more than 100 colleges in NJCAA Division I.

September 8, 2009
Four in a row for Cyclones

The Cyclones continued their winning streak with a 6-1 victory on Sept. 4 at home over South Suburban to bring their record to 4-0.

Nicole Mazor had an outstanding game with four goals and two assists, while her fellow Shepard graduate Kelly Pecka was superb in the middle on both sides of the ball. Keeper Barbara Lesnicka (Kennedy) was solid and turned back 10 shots from the Bulldogs. Dalia Mustafa (Richards), Nadia Equihua (Argo), Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park), Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard), and Courtney Juby (Oak Forest) continue to be steady on defense, allowing only three goals in the first four games this season.

September 3, 2009
Another shutout for Cyclones

The Cyclones came out charging again on Sept. 2 when they earned another shutout win, this time a 6-0 finish over Prairie State. For the second consecutive game the defense, led by Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard), Nadia Equihua (Argo), Dalia Mustafa (Richards), and Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park), did not allow a single shot on goal. Kelly Pecka (Shepard) led the scorers with two goals, while Katie McGrath (Oak Forest), Nicole Mazor (Shepard), Rebecca Follenweider (Mt. Assisi), and Danielle Savant (Oak Forest) each tallied one. Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) had four assists for the game.

September 1, 2009
Cyclones crush Truman College

The Cyclones came to play Aug. 31 when they crushed Truman College 9-0. Eight different players contributed to the scoring effort. Rebecca Follenweider (Mt. Assisi) led the way with three goals, Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) scored twice and Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest) had two assists. Moraine Valley's defense did not allow one shot on goal the entire game.

August 31, 2009
Home opener yields a win over Bulldogs

The Moraine Valley women’s soccer team opened its 2009 season at home Aug. 29 with a 3-2 win over the Daley College Bulldogs. Trailing 2-1 at halftime, the Cyclones netted two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to hold on for the victory. Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest), Nicole Mazor (Shepard) and Danielle Savant (Oak Forest) each scored a goal. Sara Fullarton (Evergreen Park) had one assist and Mazor had two. The defense was solid with Nadia Equihua (Argo), Dalia Mustafa (Richards), Courtney Juby (Oak Forest), and Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park) allowing only three shots on goal for keeper Natasha McLaughlin (Oak Lawn).

August 24, 2009
Cyclones aiming for a championship in 2009

Coming off a winning season in 2008, the Moraine Valley women’s soccer team is setting their sights on a conference championship in 2009.

The talented 15-player team has been working hard in pre-season and is ready for their season opener at home Aug. 29. Fifth-year head coach Jim Knawa is looking to improve on last year's 9-7-2 record, which ended with the Cyclones in the Region IV semi-finals.

This season’s squad is a balanced mix of eight veterans and seven first-year Cyclones. Knawa is looking for a productive season from returning forwards Katie McGrath (Oak Forest) and Nicole Barrera (Oak Forest), midfielders Dalia Mustafa (Richards), Kelly Pecka (Shepard), Xochilt Rojas (Hubbard), and Danielle Savant (Oak Forest), and defenders Courtney Juby (Oak Forest) and Nadia Equihua (Argo). McGrath was the team's leading scorer last year with 12 goals, followed by Barrera with six and Pecka shooting five.

First year players Nicole Mazor (Shepard) and Sara Fullarton (Evergreen Park) have the potential to be offensive threats, while Rebecca Follenweider (Mt. Assisi) and Christina Foster (Oak Lawn) will add to the midfield depth. Kayley Hogan (Evergreen Park) looks to have a productive year on defense. Natasha McLaughlin (Oak Lawn) and Barbara Lesnicka (Kennedy) will share roles as the team goal keepers.

“Although we are only a couple of weeks into the preseason, I like the progress we are making as a team. Each practice we seem to improve on our mechanics, and team cohesion seems to keep getting stronger,” Knawa said. “Several of our players have significant speed, and this should add to our offensive potential.”