Quinn Arundel quit playing soccer in seventh grade, deciding to put all her athletic focus into basketball. That has paid off for Arundel, who has been a three-year varsity starter for Mother McAuley and topped 1,000 career points during her junior season over the winter.
But Arundel missed soccer and longed to experience the feeling of scoring goals again. So, she decided to make a comeback this spring.
“I didn’t want to have any regrets about not playing soccer,” Arundel said. “I only had two years left of high school so I decided I should just try it my last two years.
“I just like being outside. It’s a lot different from basketball. I kind of like playing offense and not really defense and in basketball you have to do both.”
One thing is the same in both sports — Arundel knows how to score. The junior forward came through with two goals and an assist Tuesday night as the host Mighty Macs rolled to a 5-0 win over Bloom in a Class 3A Mother McAuley Regional semifinal in Chicago.
Abigail Covarrubias, Gabriella Del Bosque and Avery Wiselogel each added goals for sixth-seeded McAuley (10-11-2), which will play at 5 p.m. Friday in the regional final against second-seeded Lincoln-Way Central (15-3), a 9-0 winner over Shepard.
Peyton Wagner and Liliana Almanza each contributed an assist for the Mighty Macs. Lucy Gray made three saves for the shutout, getting plenty of help from a defense led by Angie Marquez, Valerie Hernandez, Jane Jacobsen and Olivia Martin.
Raquel Cisneros made two saves and Josie Ayala had two shots on goal for 10th-seeded Bloom (20-3).
Less than 50 seconds after Covarrubias put the Mighty Macs ahead on a free kick in the 12th minute, Arundel got behind the defense on a breakaway off a pass from Wagner and finished with a goal for a 2-0 lead.
“Peyton really stepped up and I think she’s doing a really good job playing through balls,” Arundel said. “She got that ball to me and then I just had to finish.”
Arundel later made a nice pass to set up Del Bosque’s goal. Arundel scored her second goal of the game — and 25th of the season — in the second half.
Not bad for someone who took four years off from soccer.
McAuley coach Megan McCauley, though, had no doubt Arundel could make a difference on the soccer field.
“Quinn’s just a gamer,” McCauley said. “On the first day of tryouts, probably in the first two minutes, she scored a goal. Everything she does is just all effort. She’s somebody you’d want to be a part of any team you have.”
Arundel said there have been obstacles, however. She still does not think her form with the ball is the finest.
“The footwork definitely was a challenge,” she said. “I feel like I forgot how to do it all.
“After our first couple games, I kind of got it. But I don’t really do any moves and I don’t really dribble that much. I kind of kick it in front of me and run.”
It sure has been effective, though.
“She’s just a competitor and she knows what it’s like to be a part of a team,” McCauley said. “She’s going to work hard for anybody next to her.”
Jacobsen, meanwhile, one-ups Arundel in one way. She had never played soccer before this season. But the junior defender did her job shutting down Zenaida Esquivel, Bloom’s 40-goal scoring freshman.
“She’s really fast and she’s really good,” Jacobsen said. “I just had to keep up with her.”
As for McAuley’s opponents, keeping up with Arundel is easier said than done.
“The season’s gone better than I expected,” Arundel said. “I was kind of nervous about playing at first, but the team is really fun to be a part of and we get along really well.”
