Grandcolas scores two goals in first 10 minutes as West girls soccer blanks visiting East

Belleville West wasted no time getting to work Tuesday.

Freshman midfielder Katelyn Grandcolas scored the first two goals of her varsity career and the Maroons made them hold up in a 2-0 victory over visiting Belleville East.

The Southwestern Conference opener for both teams was played in cool conditions with a strong breeze out of the south. Grandcolas used the wind to her advantage, scoring her goals from the left side into the net at the west end of the field.

“I think it’s huge,” Grandcolas said of the win. “I have respect for the East girls. But I was super-excited to beat them because obviously they’re our rival team and in the same city. You always want to know, East or West. It’s always a close game and it was fun to play them.”

Both of Grandcolas’ goals came in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Lancers’ defense tightened in the remainder of the first half, but East was unable to solve the Maroons’ defense when it had the wind advantage in the second half.

“Katelyn is dangerous,” West coach Jason Mathenia said. “She had a very, very good game tonight and she just proved how dangerous she can be with her speed. You could obviously tell they were trying to adjust for her. It’s tough to match up with the speed she has. We’re very blessed to have her out there.

“Having the wind factor was huge in the first half. We knew we had to take advantage of it if we could. I told them, ‘We have to take any shot you can, from any angle. Anything can happen when you have the wind at your back like that. Katelyn did a great job of doing that.”

West improved to 2-0-1 overall and 1-0 in the SWC. East is 2-2 and 0-1.

Key moment

Grandcolas scored the only goal the Maroons needed at 2 minutes, 15 seconds. The play began with a restart near midfield by sophomore Addison Hanusek, who got the ball to senior Andrea Dauphin for a head flick to Grandcolas, who buried the shot from about 30 yards out.

“That was a quality finish,” Mathenia said.

Grandcolas struck again at 9:12, converting from a sharp angle on the left flank on another feed from Dauphin.

“The wind was definitely a huge factor for us,” Lancers coach Erika Todd-Baptist said. “The girls played hard. But you take it and move forward. One thing we have to work on is moving forward as a unit. We’ve got to get more numbers forward.”

The Lancers came close to getting back in the game in the second half.

Maroons sophomore goalie Bailey Redden made a strong save on sophomore Grace Brauer in the 46th minute, while sophomore Cecilia Maue and senior Alyssa Bartle had shots that narrowly sailed over the left post. Sophomore Lauren Buscher also shot wide left.

“We were banging at their door. That’s for sure,” Todd-Baptist said. “If one of those would have dropped, I think the game changes. There was a sense of urgency to score. You’ve got to know when to be more poised in scoring opportunities and not let the pressure get to you.”

Key performers

West’s defense, led by freshman Courtney Vollmer and senior Emma Gregowicz, was up to the challenge against the Lancers’ second-half pressure. Vollmer and Gregowicz had help from junior Jamie Adams and senior Emma Malherek. The Maroons have yet to allow a goal this season.

“We talked at halftime about how last week Belleville East was down 3-0 against Springfield High and came back and tied them and eventually won in PKs,” Mathenia said. “It was very important for us to maintain that shutout and not give them any ounce of energy. They were going to keep coming at us.

“This gives us confidence. It was very important for us to get the ‘W’ tonight. Defensively, I’m very pleased. I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 10:09 PM with the headline "Grandcolas scores two goals in first 10 minutes as West girls soccer blanks visiting East."