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Like most freshmen, Mother McAuley forward Calli Edwards was a bit unsure about what to expect when she stepped onto the field for her varsity debut.
Any doubts Edwards had about her ability to perform at that level were quickly erased, however, when she recorded a hat trick in her first high school game in a March 14 win over Thornwood co-op.
“It was definitely shocking,” Edwards said. “I didn’t expect it right away. That first goal I got and then I was like, ‘OK, let’s get a second one.’ I knew from there that it was going to be a good season.”
The rookie has been right on about that. It has been a great season so far for Edwards, who has scored 14 goals for the Mighty Macs (5-2-1).
And the freshman has fit in quite fine with her new teammates.
“Definitely at first, I was a little nervous,” Edwards said. “But I’ve been coming here since I was younger and I’ve played with some of these girls in the neighborhood. It helps a lot knowing people and it makes it easier to get comfortable. The first few days were rough, but as soon as you get into it, it gets easier.
“It’s great now.”
Edwards also plays basketball and was on the junior varsity this past season at McAuley.
“I think it’s really fun,” Edwards said. “I don’t like to sit still and take breaks. Going right from one sport to another and keeping active is a really fun experience. Especially being at McAuley, because they know how to have fun here.”
Mother McAuley coach Jenna Ryan is certainly having a good time watching Edwards.
“The way she can finish as a freshman has been really impressive,” Ryan said. “She gets herself in good positions, and all her teammates want to find her to get her the ball because they know she’ll finish.”
Edwards and fellow freshman Emily Kovar, a midfielder who has nine assists, have boosted an otherwise veteran roster.
“It’s been a great mix because we also have a lot of returning starters,” Ryan said. “We really only lost one senior last year, and when we throw in Callie and Kovar, it’s really a nice mix.
“As the season goes on, we’re only going to keep improving as we learn how to play with each other.”
Edwards is trying not to let all the scoring inflate her ego.
“At first, it’s like, ‘Wow, I’m scoring all these goals,’” she said. “Then you realize that it’s just another game and you have to go out and do your job.
“It’s one goal. It’s nothing special. You have to keep performing.”
Coming together: Thornwood co-op (6-1, 4-0) has put itself in good position atop the Southland Athletic Conference with wins over perennial contenders Beecher and Bloom.
Thunderbirds coach David Gonzalez said chemistry has been the key for the team, which includes players from Thornwood, Thornton and Thornridge.
“Everyone thinks it’s a cakewalk when you have co-ops, but they don’t understand about the different types of communities people come from,” Gonzalez said. “Trying to get them to mesh and find stuff in common is not as easy as people think it is.
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“But there’s a lot of good camaraderie going with this team.”
Senior forward Carmen Valadez and junior midfielder Melanie Arredondo have led the way.
Spreading the wealth: Junior midfielder Ava Peterson has scored six goals for Lincoln-Way West (8-3-1), but she has had just as much fun watching her teammates find the back of the net.
The Warriors pride themselves on balance.
“I would say a lot of time we can be underestimated on the field,” Peterson said. “We always talk about how we don’t have one star on the field, but we’re all equals, we all work together and we can all score.
“It’s all about having good culture on the team.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
