On a cold and damp Tuesday, the Mustangs traveled to Naperville North to take on the conference rival Huskies. The Mustangs entered the affair on a three-game winning streak, totaling an 11-2-1 record. Ranked No. 11 in the state, a win against the current first-place holder would be a monumental step in the right direction. 

The Huskies got the ball rolling as they beat senior goaltender Julia Straub and put it in the back of the net about ten minutes into the first half. 

A lot of back and forth movement with close misses on corner kicks from both sides kept the score in favor of the Huskies.

That is, until minute 25. Sophomore forward Lucy Burk won a loose rebound and fired it past the Huskie goaltender to tie it. It was Burk’s second straight game with a goal, as she scored one of the four in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Maine South. 

The game remained close, with saves from Straub in huge spots. 

The half would end with the score in a 1-1 deadlock. That would continue for 20 minutes into the next half. 

A beautiful lead pass from senior midfielder Leanne Barrett set up junior center midfielder and former Metea Athlete of the Month Jordan Lange. Lange then split her way through two Huskie defenders with a fancy dribble, netting her tenth goal of the year. 

Head coach Chris Whaley marveled at the team chemistry that went into the go-ahead and eventually game-winning goal. 

“Leanne winning [possession] as a target forward, received the ball turned nicely, and Jordan got through and made a nice run and a nice finish,” Whaley said. “A game-winning goal [does]not get much prettier than that.”

Lange, the team’s second-leading scorer, also conveyed how strong of a turning point her goal was.

“I was really excited that we got a goal,” Lange said. “We were tied and then I scored one and then Jocie [Grabow] scored one and we got really hyped up in the second half.”

For the next 20 minutes, the Mustang defense was impenetrable. The Huskies were only able to muster two shots on goal. 

Minute 73 had a perfect senior-to-senior connection with Barrett setting up forward Grabow with a header to provide some late insurance for the Mustangs. 

“We saw some girls go in and [have] big moments tonight and have some success,” Whaley said. “Seniors, leadership, people that have been here before, [girls] that know what it takes to win big games and they are doing a great job.”

Three goals against a stout Huskie defense was quite an achievement. The 3-1 defeat of the Huskies moved the Mustangs to No. 8 in the state, propelling them forward for a run at another regional championship. 

“If anything, for the girls it is just a matter of our goals are always the same,” Whaley said. “Now they believe a little bit more in themselves. The [girls] feel like they are a little bit closer to those goals and will keep working harder to get there.”