Editor’s Note:
Photos used in this article were taken during the 2025 Media Day event. Game-day images were unavailable at the time of publication. Media Day photos will be released in full later this season.

The West Chicago Wildcats took on the Fenton Bisons at their home field in Bensenville on April 22. The Wildcats fought hard and dominated the Bisons with a final score of 6-0. The goals were scored by Ale Munoz, Jessie Myers, Ariz Zuniga, and Elina Velasco with a hat trick.

The Wildcats’ first goal was scored by Velasco, assisted by Ana Hurtado within just 11 minutes of the game. Munoz scored again just five minutes later.

The first half featured lots of shots and crosses, but the second half is when the Wildcats’ offensive pressure intensified. The Bisons crumbled in the second half, and the Wildcats’ high energy led to four more goals. Myers scored the first goal of the second half less than two minutes in.

At this point, the Wildcats had taken majority possession of the ball and were creating even more opportunities than in the first half. Velasco scored her second goal five minutes after Myers, then Zuniga scored 10 minutes later, and finally Velasco scored her third goal within the last five minutes – giving her a hat trick.

“It was slow in the beginning of the game – we were playing on their level, and I feel like we could’ve went harder,” senior Zuniga said. “But during the second half, I feel like we picked up the intensity and saw what we could actually do as a team, which led to our first conference win of the season.”

Starting the first conference game off with a win is a positive start to the soccer team’s season. The Wildcats showed a strong ability to create chances, with 24 shots taken throughout the game. Goalkeeper Carol Sarahi earned a shutout and saved any chance the Bisons had at scoring.

“It was a great win. We were passing circles around them and never stopped trying to score even though we were winning. I think that just shows how determined we are to win,” senior Abby Wing said.

According to MaxPreps, West Chicago is currently ranked 80th in their class and now holds a conference record of 1-0. They’ve scored 13 goals this season and are second in the conference standings.

“It’s always nice to start off conference play with a win and three points,” assistant coach Dorian Carrasco said. “Every year we set goals as a team. This year, one of our goals is to fight for a conference championship. We know what we want out of the season, and tonight we are a step closer to our goal. We stuck to our style of play – we are daring, creative, and competitive.”