ROCHELLE — Freshman forward Morgan DeLille capitalized on a redirected shot inside the Ottawa penalty box, putting in her third goal of the season to give the Rochelle Lady Hubs a spark early in the second half of their Interstate 8 varsity soccer match against the Pirates.

Facing a 3-0 deficit, Rochelle emerged from the halftime break with renewed energy, using quick passes and controlling the sidelines to pressure the Ottawa defense. The Lady Hubs broke through during the 44th minute, when a shot from freshman midfielder Paige Harris found its way to DeLille, who positioned herself near the goal line and rolled the ball into the net.

Rochelle maintained pressure on the Pirates throughout the early portion of the second half, but the Lady Hubs were unable to add to their total. Although Ottawa went scoreless for almost 40 minutes, the Pirates clinched their victory with a pair of goals late in the second half, scoring in the 73rd and 78th minutes to seal a 5-1 win over Rochelle. The Lady Hubs (6-8, 1-4 Interstate 8) will resume conference play with a road match against Sycamore at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“I think our younger players are working well with our seniors and our leadership has brought them along nicely,” head coach Brad Male said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the younger players get better and our team building that camaraderie as the season moves forward.”

While Rochelle entered the second half with a spark, it was the Pirates who largely dominated the first half. Ottawa (3-6, 2-3 Interstate 8) controlled the ball in the midfield and took advantage of its speed up top, using smart passes inside the Rochelle box to convert goals in the 14th and 29th minutes and take a 2-0 lead. An Ottawa shot from well beyond the box went through the hands of sophomore goalkeeper Yana Bartkiv and into the Rochelle net in the 37th minute.

“We’re working through a few injuries, but overall, I thought we played well but it didn’t come out our way.” Male said. “In the first half, we started off slower than I would’ve liked. We can’t rely on one person every time and we need to work on playing as a team for the full 80 minutes.”

DeLille’s goal in the 44th minute brought the Lady Hubs within two, but the Pirates held out long enough to regain control of the midfield and reapply pressure on the Rochelle defense. Ottawa made multiple runs at the net during the second half, but stingy defense from the Lady Hubs, led by senior center back Betty Flores, as well as clutch saves from Bartkiv, who totaled 11 in the match, allowed Rochelle to keep the Pirates out of the goal until the game’s final minutes.

Ottawa ultimately broke the line late in the second half, capitalizing on a pair of through balls to seal the Interstate 8 victory. The Pirates posted 16 shots, all of which were on goal, while the Lady Hubs finished with 12 shots and four shots on goal. Four freshmen including DeLille and Harris, as well as Abigail Dougherty and Natalie Foster, recorded two shots on goal in the loss.