Varela's Hat Trick Fuels Kits In Regional Opener

Evanston girls soccer coach Stacy Salgado singled out the only flaw in Maddy Varela’s game Tuesday night.

“She doesn’t have the stamina to go a full 80 minutes for us, because when she’s out there she gives it everything she’s got,” Salgado said.

Varela was able to channel all the energy she normally provides in a different direction in the Class 3A regional tournament opener at Evanston. The senior midfielder scored three goals --- her first career hat trick --- as the Wildkits slaughtered winless Maine West 9-0.

Evanston poured in all nine goals in the first half and there was no second half, due to the Illinois High School Association “mercy” rules that end a postseason contest when one team has a nine-goal advantage at halftime.

The Kits, seeded No. 2 in the New Trier Sectional complex, improved to 18-2-1 and will face Whitney Young Friday at 6 p.m. in the regional title game. Young eliminated another Chicago school, Jones Prep, by a 2-0 margin in Tuesday’s other semifinal game.

Varela capitalized on a rare opportunity to play an attacking mid role Tuesday. Normally, she’s a prime time defender as a midfielder who is more concerned with stopping the other team than generating offense.

In fact, she had tallied just one goal this season entering Tuesday’s contest. But the ETHS coaching staff was aware in advance that Sydney Ross, who usually handles that spot, would arrive late to the contest because she was taking a college placement exam.

So Varela got more touches --- and scored three times. Ross played enough minutes after her late arrival to net a pair of goals, and before the rout was over junior Lily Hammock and sophomore Shaili Peters had chalked up the first varsity goals of their careers.

Bridget Durkin and Alexandra Merriam also scored for the winners.

Varela’s outburst came against a Maine West squad that finished 0-17-1 this season. The Warriors only dressed 12 players for the contest. Goalie Salim Murrieta stopped 18 of Evanston’s other shots in the first half, or the carnage might have been even worse.

Salgado was pleased to see Varela get a chance to share the scoring spotlight. The senior standout is among the most versatile of the Wildkit players in terms of what positions she can play.

“Her touch was good tonight, and she was able to finish off a lot of the touches she had,” Salgado said. “She always wins a lot of first and second balls for us and she gives so much when she’s out there. She’s so involved that she gets everybody else going, even when she’s on the bench.

“I think she’s looking to play some outside back, too. We knew Syd would be late so Maddy would be in more of an attacking role tonight. It was nice to be able to give her more freedom.”

Varela scored twice in the first four minutes, then completed the “hattie for Maddy” with a long shot that grazed the crossbar and dropped over the goal line in the 33rd minute to boost the score to 8-0.

“I like attacking, and I was excited when I saw my name there (on the list of starters) in the lockerroom,” Varela said. “I think I’m a pretty versatile player, and I like playing different positions because it helps with my view of the game (when she’s defending in her normal spot).

“It really felt good to score those goals. It’s nice to be able to start the playoffs out like this.”

As a senior in the program, Varela is used to the fact that the Wildkits are always a top seed matched against a team seeded near the bottom when the state tournament series starts. But Evanston hasn’t lost a regional opener since Salgado took over as head coach, because they never forget to respect the game --- and their opponent.

“Even though Maine West isn’t the strongest team, we were able to step up and not play ‘down’ against them,” Varela said. “We were able to see a lot of people play different positions and we put a lot of shots on goal. We made some good follow-up runs on those shots, too.

“We talk all the time about how you have to always respect the other teams and just try to start strong, as always. We talk about respecting our opponents, no matter what.”

“Finding the discipline you need for a challenge like this (not looking past a foe) is always a challenge,” added the ETHS coach. “You have to get up for every game, knowing that it could be your last. And you have to respect your opponent, and you have to respect the game.”