ROCHELLE — There may not have been many victories for the Lady Hubs varsity soccer team to celebrate this season, but Rochelle head coach Chris Blevins said the program’s main goal of building a foundation for future success was its main achievement.

Rochelle’s varsity group finished 1-16-1 this season with one victory over Oregon and a draw against Hinckley-Big Rock. The Lady Hubs fielded a junior varsity team for the first time in five years, and with more girls making up the program, Blevins said there are more opportunities for players to improve.

“The record didn’t show it but our season was a success,” Blevins said. “We now have girls who are in the program and who are wanting to learn and improve. That’s a huge step from where we were last year. Getting players into the program is the key because the high school doesn’t have a good feeder program at this point… They’ve earned a taste of what it’s like to play high school soccer and they had fun doing it.”

Junior co-captain Olivia Piloni carried the scoring load for the Lady Hubs this season, totaling a team-high six goals while dishing out two assists en route to Northern Illinois Big 12 All-Conference First Team honors. Piloni also led Rochelle in shots (27) and shots on goal (22), and Blevins said the junior midfielder has become the anchor of the Lady Hub soccer program.

“I don’t think Olivia has a ceiling because she’s always striving to improve herself,” Blevins said. “She’s so dedicated to the sport and she loves the sport… Even though we were losing and we didn’t have players at her caliber, she was always willing to step in, be a mentor and make the most of the situation she was in… She was an encourager and the girls looked up to her.”

Senior co-captain Sally Infante headlined Rochelle’s defensive line this season, earning NIB-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention for her performance with the Lady Hubs. Sophomore Viviana Belmonte took a big step forward in her first year playing soccer, starting at goalkeeper and finishing the season with 212 saves.

“When we offered her the keeper position, she hesitantly accepted because she wanted to prove that she could do it,” Blevins said. “She started owning the position by the third game of the season and we worked really hard at encouraging her and building up her confidence. She was pivotal for us and I don’t know what our team would have looked like if she wasn’t back there.”

Senior Alyssa Cepeda scored three goals for the Lady Hubs, while juniors Sarah Craven and Gillian Higby each added two goals. Seniors Ana Angeles, Brittany Brown and freshman Vianey Perusquia added one goal apiece. Craven and Perusquia tied for the team lead in assists with three.

“Our midfielders did a good job getting the ball outside and crossing into the middle,” Blevins said. “They kept control of the midfield pretty well, and next year they can focus on keeping their space and having no more than two touches with the ball… Our defense got faster as the season went on and they did a better job playing farther forward and forcing offside traps. Spacing and shifting will be things for the defenders to work on for next year.”