Still motivated

Waubonsie Valley's Vanessa DiBernardo heads the ball during a game against Wheaton North in March.
Brian Powers / Sun-Times News Group

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Anybody who thinks the past belongs in the past has never been around Julie Bergstrom when the Bon Jovi lyric "shot through the heart" is played.

The song also matches a newspaper headline that Bergstrom, the Waubonsie Valley girls soccer coach, remembers reading the day after the heavily favored Warriors lost to Downers Grove South in the regional finals.

Nearly two years later the loss sticks with the Warriors.

"We all hate that game," said Bri Rodriguez, who assisted on Waubonsie's only goal in the 2-1 loss in penalty kicks. "We don't lose very often, but when we do lose or tie, we hold that with us every single game."

If that seems a little far back to be holding a grudge, consider they don't have a lot of missteps to draw motivation from. Rodriguez and the rest of her teammates have gone 50 games since then without a loss (48-0-2).

They put that streak on the line as they begin defense of their Class AA state title. Top-seeded Waubonsie (18-0-1) opens regional play against host Plainfield North at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Nearly everyone will be looking at the Warriors, the fourth-ranked team in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America national poll. Bergstrom has stressed to her team the importance of each game, drawing on the loss to the Mustangs if she has to.

But one thing Bergstrom won't use for motivation is the past 50 games.

"I don't think I've ever said, 'Hey, let's keep that whole undefeated thing going,'" said Bergstrom, last year's NSCAA high school girls coach of the year. "I don't even think about it. It's there, but it's just a bonus, really. It's more of us focusing on each game, the team we are playing and what we want to do to win that game."

The Warriors have imposed their will on almost everybody this year - once again. The only blemish is a 2-2 tie at Lincoln-Way Central in a game Waubonsie led into the 76th minute. But everything else points to the dominance the Warriors have displayed this season - once again.

They have outscored opponents 71-4, and goalie Claire Hanold has 16 shutouts, including a stretch of 15 in a row that ended in Thursday's 2-1 win over St. Charles East. Sophomore Vanessa DiBernardo has a team-high 11 goals, but three others -- Jessica Blake, Megan Green and Rachel Bostick -- have 10. Rodriguez has nine goals and a team-high 18 assists. DiBernardo is expected to return soon from a high ankle sprain.

That all points to high expectations and the possibility of becoming only the fourth team to win consecutive state titles. Just don't think the Warriors are going to talk about it. They're just ready to get going with the first game.

"It's that feeling where you're nervous, but it's a good kind of nervous, like you're excited," Bostick said. "My freshman year we blew it, so our goal is definitely one game at a time. It doesn't matter who the team is, it's going to be good competition."

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