Goralski’s Hat Trick Lifts Neuqua Valley

Zoey Goralski spent last week training with the U.S. junior national team in Carson, California.

It didn’t take the sophomore long to demonstrate why she was invited. In her first game since returning, Goralski scored three goals, all on long runs through the defense, to lead the Wildcats to an easy 7-0 victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Wednesday in the opening game of the Downers Grove South Invite at Hinsdale Central.

“It was fun,” Goralski said. “It’s so intense in the national team that you always want to bring back the intensity [to your high school team]. Everything they teach you there can be applied to the game.”

Goralski said the high-level training at the camp made Wednesday’s game seem easier to her and she certainly made it seem easy.

On her first goal, Goralski dribbled to the left end line and somehow squeezed a shot inside the right post from a severe angle to give Neuqua Valley (3-0) a 2-0 lead just 10 minutes into the contest.

The next two goals were sheer individual efforts in which she hustled 30 yards through multiple defenders before finishing. The last one made it 6-0 with 17:53 left in the second half.

“We were really pumped from the start,” Goralski said. “The first one, I wasn’t sure if that was going to go in. That was a pretty tight squeeze, but otherwise the other two I just dribbled and tried to place the ball in the goal.”

“We had two practices yesterday and one was all finishing, so it was nice to be able to put a couple balls away,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said.

Moreau said he expects Goralski, who would have had a fourth goal if not for a big save by Lincoln-Way Central keeper Becca Petrone, to continue being a consistent finisher.

“We knew she was going to be special,” Moreau said. “She’s gotten a little bit stronger this year. Last year she kind of got pushed around a little bit, but she’s a little bit stronger this year and her leg strength is much stronger.”

The Wildcats, who take on Hinsdale Central on Thursday before wrapping up the round-robin tournament Saturday against Downers Grove South, rested three starters – senior defenders Megan Oyster and Lisa Nuccio and senior forward Allie McBride – but still thoroughly dominated the Knights (1-2-2), who fell behind just 100 seconds into the game when Shannon Donlon, making her first appearance of the season, fired in a 20-yard shot.

“[Playing without three starters] shows that our entire team can really bring it in the game,” Neuqua Valley midfielder Hope D’Addario said. “[The Knights] weren’t a weak team. They were a strong team. They gave us a good fight. I think that our [shots] were just on net this game which really helped us.”

D’Addario was a big reason why. The sophomore assisted on both of senior Alexa Wilde’s goals, both of which came on headers in the second half. The first was off a 20-yard free kick with 24:00 left and the second was the result of a corner kick.

“I like those; it’s my specialty,” D’Addario said of the re-starts. “Alexa and I seem to be the dynamic duo. She always gets on the end of mine, so I appreciate that because otherwise we wouldn’t be getting goals.”

Gianna Dal Pozzo also scored for the Wildcats, who allowed only three shots. Freshman goalie Courtney Keefer did not have to make a save in recording her third shutout.

“I think that we know we’ve got a lot of talent,” D’Addario said. “We’ve just got to put in the work now and I think that it’s going to be a good season.”