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Already, Mattea Arroyo has had quite the interesting journey for Lincoln-Way East.
As a freshman in 2021, Arroyo performed admirably when she was unexpectedly thrown into duty as the starting varsity goalkeeper after Lindsay Fortier tore her ACL. When Fortier returned as a senior last spring, Arroyo spent most of that season on the JV team.
While some might have viewed that with disappointment, Arroyo looked at it not as a demotion but as a chance to get better and prepare for her final two seasons.
“It was a great experience,” Arroyo said. “I feel like I learned a lot. Even when I was watching from the bench, it was exciting to see how they moved with the ball, and that helped me learn about the team. And Lindsay was just amazing.
“She’s taught me so much. She’s the one who brought me through it.”
Now a junior, Arroyo is bringing out that knowledge.
She made seven big saves Tuesday night to record her fourth shutout as the host Griffins topped Andrew 1-0 in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover in Frankfort.
Cami Butler scored off an assist from Elizabeth Burfeind for Lincoln-Way East (5-1), while Kadence Jones made four saves for Andrew (3-4).
Lincoln-Way East coach Mike Murphy said Arroyo handled the last two seasons in the best way possible.
“When we knew Lindsay was going to come back, I found her in the hallways and I said, ‘I just want to let you know, Mattea, you did a great job holding Lindsay’s spot down for her, but Lindsay is a senior,’” Murphy said. “Mattea was great about it. All season, Lindsay would take her and practice with her.
“I always reminded Mattea, ‘You’re a part of the varsity. You’re just helping out JV right now. Whenever we need you, you’re up with us and it’s your job next year.’”
Butler, meanwhile, provided the only offense of the night in the 39th minute, scoring on a 15-yard shot off Burfeind’s pass.
“I think we did a really good job distributing the ball up the field as a team,” Butler said. “It was a really good string of passes that got us there.”
The Thunderbolts pushed hard for the game-tying goal in the second half, but Arroyo was up for the challenge. She got down to the ground to stop a tricky deflection off a shot from IUPUI recruit Emily Tobin just after halftime.
Arroyo’s biggest stop came with just over 20 minutes left when Taylor London got an open look from inside the box. Arroyo dove and slapped the shot wide.
After switching to goalkeeper from being a field player about five years ago, Arroyo was happy to have a mentor like Fortier, who’s now playing at St. Norbert.
“She taught me how to have a strong mindset and just keep going and keep trying your hardest,” Arroyo said of Fortier. “That’s what I did (Tuesday).”
Arroyo’s big performance left Andrew frustrated by its second loss to the Griffins in less than two weeks, including a 4-2 defeat March 17 in a Windy City Ram Classic quarterfinal.
“We had, by my count, five good chances in the second half,” Andrew coach Loren Zolk said. “If one goes in, it’s a different game, so that’s frustrating.
“We’re pretty beat up right now. We created chances, which I’m happy about, but we just need one of those to go in.”
Arroyo — with help from a defense led by Thea Gerfen, Mia Hedrick, Emily Herlihy and Hannah Tokarski — made sure none of them did.
“She made some big stops,” Murphy said of Arroyo. “The one diving save was an outstanding one. She came up very big for us. I’m very proud of her and very happy for her.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
