David Galloway knows if Chesterton is going to win a sectional championship this year, he is going to need contributions from every player on the roster.

Galloway took a step forward with the youth of his squad on Thursday night when he made sure freshmen Kaylee Lindahl and Katie Green got plenty of playing time in the IHSAA sectional opener against Portage.

Not only did Lindahl and Green get on the field, the freshmen combined for three first half goals as the Trojans rolled to a 10-1 victory over the host Indians.

Now the Trojans can set their sights on a sectional title rematch against Valparaiso, the same team that knocked off Chesterton 4-1 in the title match last season.

“We’re always looking to the future and these freshmen have done a great job looking up and following the seniors,” Galloway said. “When you step onto the field, you’re a soccer player. I don’t care what year you are, I want you to contribute.”

The freshmen weren’t the only players to get their names in the scorebook on Thursday night as junior Bridget Brendza scored a hat trick, including two goals in the first five minutes of the second half as the Trojans quickly opened up from a 4-0 halftime lead.

Chesterton put seven goals on the scoreboard before Portage’s Nicki Monahan found the back of the net in the 58th minute.

While Brendza was a bit frustrated with Chesterton’s slow start on Thursday, the junior doesn’t have any worries about the same thing happening on Saturday against the Vikings.

“We had some nervousness at the beginning and we came out slow,” Brendza said. “That won’t happen to us on Saturday.”

Part of what Brendza and her teammates had to adapt to on Thursday was the speed of Portage’s turf field. While Chesterton plays on turf, the field at Portage plays at a different speed and the game was accompanied by a misting rain for much of the contest.

“It’s definitely different than what we’re used to playing on,” Brendza said. “It’s not a bad thing, it’s just something different. I like when the ball plays a little faster.”

If the Trojans are going to be successful on Saturday, they’ll have to come out faster than they did against Valparaiso earlier in the season. The rivals played in the second Duneland Athletic Conference match of the year with the Vikings earning a 4-0 victory. Brendza again felt her team was plagued by some early nerves in the match, but the junior doesn’t expect that to be a problem the second time around.

“A lot has changed for us since then and we’ll be ready to go for Saturday,” Brendza said.

Posted 10/5/2012