Sports
Girls Soccer: Romeoville’s Nicole Ramaglia Has Stellar Performance in Goal
The junior goalkeeper almost clinched her third shutout of the year in a 1-0 loss to Oak Forest with 13 saves, credits defense.
Oak Forest provided an offensive barrage Monday on Romeoville junior goalkeeper Nicole Ramaglia would overwhelm most keepers, yet Ramaglia was stellar in goal despite the 1-0 loss.
The second-year varsity member faced 32 shots on goal, making 13 saves and preventing the Bengals from scoring until 98 seconds remained.
“Our defense did really well,” said Ramaglia, who was enthusiastically cheered by her teammates after each save. “Some girls had their best games of the year. Everyone stayed on mark except for the last few minutes, but people get tired."
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The lone goal was tallied by Oak Forest sophomore forward Kelly McEathron on a lightning assist by senior forward Viktoria Aranowski. McEathron had six shots on goal for the game, including a rocket that Ramaglia deflected in the 31st minute.
“I guess someone didn’t mark up, but that’s OK,” Ramaglia said of the goal. “It was a one on one, so a 50/50 chance.”
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Ramaglia walled solid scoring attempts the whole game. In the 41st minute, she blocked a kick by Oak Forest junior midfielder Jaclyn Hoffmeister and then immediately denied Aranowski on the rebound opportunity. She also blocked open field chances in the 13th and 28th minutes.
“She did very well,” Oak Forest head coach Stacey Lane said. “We gave her a lot of work and she kept us out of the net for awhile.”
Romeoville assistant coach Nick Rausa said he was impressed with Ramaglia’s performance.
“She’s one of our captains and she is a leader,” Rausa said. “She did a really good job not only stopping the ball, but coming out for it. She also communicated well with the defense.
Ramaglia said she credited her defense for helping her out Monday. Teammates like senior midfielder Vcky Arriola, junior defender Paulina Mucha and senior defender Laura Miller frequently hindered Oak Forest’s attacking forwards by cutting into the kicking lanes and being physical on the ball.
“We talked a lot more than we did when we lost 9-0 the other day,” Ramaglia said.
To go to regionals, Ramaglia said the Spartans’ defense has to consistently perform like it did against the Bengals.
Ramaglia also plays volleyball for Romeoville and Rausa said she is interested playing volleyball or soccer at the collegiate level.
