With a roller-coaster ride of a season in which Munster finished just fourth in the Northwest Crossroads Conference, Mustangs sweeper Marisa Meneghetti thought opponents were going to underestimate her squad in the postseason.

"We were thought of as underdogs for the entire postseason," she said. "No one thought we were going to beat Highland (in sectionals) or win the regional.

"We're really feeling confident right now and we're going to come in (playing) hard."

Munster's defense has remained solid throughout the postseason, something coach Val Pflum knew was going to be key if the Mustangs had any shot.

"Marisa was sick for a while, but now that we've gotten everything ironed out with her, she's stepped up huge," said Pflum, whose team faces Penn at noon in today's Crown Point Semistate. "We've lost a few different players for different reasons on our defense. We're finally settled back there and everything is calm. They're finally starting to jell because we finally have (the defense) set."

Meneghetti has emerged as Munster's most vocal player, at a position Pflum knows is extremely important for the Mustangs to have continued success.

"She's a leader, whether people recognize it or not," Pflum said. "It's weird if she's not talking and encouraging other players. She's going to have to be huge (Saturday). The whole defense is going to have to be huge, and that starts with Marisa. Penn is good, and our defense is going to have to keep us in the game."

Meneghetti's career at Munster has been riddled with injuries. She broke her back her freshman year, had three broken bones in her foot as a sophomore and missed time last season with a knee injury. This season is Meneghetti's first without missing time due to injuries.

"I've been to a lot of doctors' offices," she said. " I hate being the one who has to miss practices because I'm icing or getting taped. It was a lot of hours spent rehabbing and telling myself 'You're going to be 100 percent one day.' This has just been a great senior year for me."

Meneghetti will play at the University of Southern Indiana in the fall, where her sister, Lauren, is a junior on the Screaming Eagles' basketball team.

"I'm really excited," Menghetti said. "It's definitely going to be more challenging, but I'm preparing myself for it."

GIRLS SOCCER | SEMISTATE PREVIEW

Scouting the Crown Point girls soccer semistate

Today

Kankakee Valley vs. South Bend St. Joseph's, 10 a.m.

Penn vs. Munster, 12 p.m.

Championship, 7 p.m.

Favorite: South Bend St. Joseph's. Darkhorse: Penn.

Players to watch: Kankakee Valley -- Marissa Butler, Sr., F; Anna Stoermann, Sr., D; Brandee Hudspeth, Sr., MF; Tessa Wisdom, Sr., MF; Emily Young, Sr., G. Munster -- Jessica Goodrich, Sr., F; Sarah Skertic, Sr., G; Kelly Schlotman, Sr., MF; Marisa Meneghetti, Sr., SW.; Eleni Agelopoulos, Jr., F; Olivia Koufos, Jr., MF.

Fast fact: Kankakee Valley is making its first-ever semistate appearance.

Scouting the Valparaiso boys soccer semistate

Today

Lafayette Jeff vs. Lake Central, 10 a.m.

Portage vs. Penn, noon

Championship, 7 p.m.

Favorite: Penn. Darkhorse: Portage.

Players to watch: Lake Central -- Cody Barnes, Jr., D; Brandon Cloutier, Jr., G; Eppokrates Litos, Sr., F; Manny Rios, So., MF/F; Chad Rigg, Jr., MF. Portage -- Kyle Adkins, Sr., G; Donovan Cole, So., MF; Jon Cox, Sr., D; Carlos Gutierrez, Sr. D; Ricardo Silva, Jr., D; Brendon Swindle, Jr., F.

Fast fact: No teams return from last year's semistate.