Streak Continues for OPRF Soccer Star Emily Gullo

Emily Gullo did it again.

The Oak Park-River Forest senior soccer player scored in her fifth consecutive game, and this one came in dramatic fashion. The goal broke a scoreless tie with 12 minutes remaining and held up as the game-winner as the host Huskies edged Whitney Young 1-0 Thursday evening in the opening round of the Pepsi Invitational.

“Right now it just seems like everything is falling into place,” Gullo said.

Gullo’s goal was set up beautifully by senior Shelby Cozette, who sent a perfectly-placed pass from the right side to a charging Gullo down the left. Gullo buried the ball inside the near post.

“Me and Emily have been playing together for a couple years now so we kind of are able to anticipate what each other is going to do,” Cozette said. “I looked up, saw her making the run and I knew she would finish it.”

“That was terrific,” Gullo said of the pass. “The whole set up of it was great. That’s what we’ve been working on in practice.”

After an evenly played first half, OPRF (5-1) put all kinds of pressure on Whitney Young (3-2-3) and goalkeeper Rachel Hobert in the second half before finally figuring out a way to put the ball in the net. 

It was a tense battle to the end. Huskies goalkeeper Darcy Hargadon made a diving save on a blast by Whitney Young’s Rhiannon Holzman with seven minutes left to protect the lead and shutout.

The Huskies have won five in a row.

“We did a good job of moving the ball around,” OPRF coach Paul Wright said. “I thought we played a great second half.”

Whitney Young coach Spero Mandakas liked the effort from his team, but felt his Dolphins ran out of gas in the second half.

“The first half I think we had the better of the chances,” he said. “The second half, this is our fifth game in six days so our girls are dead, and I’m working with a bench where I have more injured girls than I have healthy. To play them 1-0, we played great. Our keeper has been awesome. We’ve had five goals scored on us all season. We just need to find a way to put the ball in the goal.”

That’s been no problem for Gullo. After scoring 21 times as a junior, she already has 10 goals this season.

“At the end of the season last year I picked it up, which is how I got my 21 goals,” Gullo said. “But this season I’m starting off much stronger than I ever have before. We lost a couple goal scorers from last year so this year I just had to step it up, and I’ve had great opportunities from the players on our team because we’re working together.”

Gullo’s streak is starting to gain notice.

“I’ve had a couple people approach me about it,” she said. “I guess it’s kind of unusual, right?”

How’s this for unusual?

The scoreboard clock stopped at 12:04 when the goal was scored. Cozette’s uniform number is 12. Gullo’s is 4.