Maddie Bruno has been the ultimate leader in both soccer and volleyball for Evergreen Park.
On the soccer field, the senior midfielder is a great communicator, organizer and motivator. But the biggest thing she provides to the team can be summed up in one word, according to fellow senior midfielder Itzel Alvarez.
“Urgency,” Alvarez said of Bruno. “She’s always like the first one to go for it and I love that. If you don’t have that, people are kind of scared. But we have Maddie to bring that urgency.
“Watching her go up there, take a shot and make it, it boosts everybody else on the team’s confidence.”
That’s exactly what happened Tuesday night. Bruno scored two of three second-half goals for the Mustangs, who rallied for a 3-2 win over host Tinley Park in a South Suburban Conference crossover game.
Alvarez capped the scoring for Evergreen Park (7-5, 4-2 SSC Red). Jade Rubalcava added two assists and Gwenyth Sichelski made five saves.
Alexandria Rocha and Gracie Fitzgerald each scored a goal for Tinley Park (7-5, 5-2 SSC Blue), while Maggie Stachowicz finished with 13 saves.
Tinley Park held its second annual breast cancer benefit game and honored former player Christine Hermann, who died in 2023 after a battle with breast cancer.
Titans coach Kelsey Neylon was Hermann’s teammate at Tinley Park.
“I think the biggest thing is teaching the girls that this is so much more than just a game,” Neylon said. “It’s meshing with people that you wouldn’t normally hang out with and growing these bonds that you wouldn’t typically have.
“It’s creating this sisterhood. That’s how it was when Chrissy and I were teammates and I just want to keep that going.”
On the field, though, it was Evergreen Park’s night. It was thanks largely to Bruno, who scored on a shot from 15 yards just four minutes into the second half to tie the game 1-1.
She then converted on a penalty kick a little less than 10 minutes later — after Rubalcava was fouled in the box — to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.
“I was going to do anything I could to put one in for the team,” Bruno said. “We kind of strive on momentum, and once we get going, we can go. But it sometimes takes us a minute to get there.”
After the Titans forced a 2-2 tie, Alvarez provided the game-winner on a high shot from 25 yards with 24 minutes to go.
Bruno, who has five goals this season, is a four-year varsity starter in soccer who has also been a star volleyball player for Evergreen Park.
She’s comfortable sharing everything she has learned from all that time in the spotlight.
“Someone has to step up and be that leader,” she said. “I’m loud on the field. I just like to talk. I try to encourage people because if it’s silent out there, nobody knows where anybody is. Plus, we always need a push to get us going.”
Evergreen Park coach Matt Majchrowicz knows Bruno will have the team ready to go.
“Maddie is very tough for us,” Majchrowicz said. “She’s one of the girls that keeps us going. She’s very hard on us, showing up early to practice and making sure everything is the way it needs to be, but she’s very positive.
“It’s very, ‘Hey, let’s go get it.’ She’s a motivator for the team and she’s definitely a grinder.”
Bruno has seen her team grow in major ways over her varsity career. The Mustangs won the program’s first regional championship last season.
“It’s been awesome,” she said. “Winning that regional last year just showed how our hard work has paid off. This season, we’ve just been pushing hard and we just want more.
“Before my freshman year, there had been a few seasons where they didn’t win a single game, so we’ve come a really long way. We just want that for the school. We want to make history.”
