Falcons fall to DVC-leading Huskies on senior night

CLICK FOR PHOTO GALLERY COURTESY OF SCOTT BUTLER

By Paul La Tour
Photos courtesy of Scott Butler

The stress of a long season in the spotlight is clearly getting to Naperville North. By the looks of it, the Huskies have gone crazy with the pressure.

How else can you explain a wrestling match between junior Evan Trychta and sophomore Joe Sullivan while they waited to be interviewed following a hard-earned 2-0 victory over host Wheaton North on Tuesday night?

Or goalie Kevin Anderson complaining – to no one in particular – that he just kneed himself in the face after executing a less-than-perfect somersault on the artificial turf at Rexilius Field?

Clearly there can be no other explanation. Except for maybe the obvious one – the Huskies are having a lot of fun.

It certainly looked that way during the game, too, as the Huskies took a step closer to winning the DuPage Valley Conference.

"Our team's ridiculous," Trychta said, shaking his head after watching Anderson's gymnastic effort.

It's also pretty good.

Naperville North (13-2-2, 5-0) extended its unbeaten streak to 10 (8-0-2) while earning its fifth consecutive shutout.

The Huskies, who have given up only nine goals this season, haven't been scored on since a 1-1 tie with Morton on September 23.

"We are definitely a defensive-minded school – we always have been," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said.

"We're always looking for shutouts. Our goalkeeper is super-focused on it this year. We're doing a really nice job."

Anderson didn't need to do much in earning the Huskies' ninth shutout overall this season.

The defensive backline of Jimmy Butler, Lee Grander and Jack Henderson again played well, limiting the Falcons to only one shot on goal.

Trychta and Butler took care of the offense, scoring goals in each half at crucial times. Butler scored with 6:02 left in the first half.

Trychta, who earned the primary assist on Butler's goal, added to the lead less than two and a half minutes into the second half.

"At first it was pretty even, but as the game progressed we got more and more possession," said Sullivan, a sophomore whose corner kick started the sequence for Butler's goal.

"It worked out a lot better as the game went on. We talked (at halftime) about working together and not just when we have the ball."

Despite trailing 1-0 at the half, the Falcons (5-10-2, 2-3-1) controlled play for much of the first 30 minutes. They kept the ball away from the Huskies, and away from their own goal.

The only threat of consequence by the Huskies in the first 20 minutes came on a free kick from midfield that Nick Barry hauled down in a crowd.

Things started turning the Huskies way toward the end of the half. Barry needed to make a diving stop on a low shot ripped by Sullivan in the 33rd minute.

Just over a minute later, the Huskies struck for the goal on the corner kick from Sullivan.

He sent it toward the goal where Trychta was able to touch it over to Sullivan as he slashed through the middle.

The Huskies had two more good scoring chances but couldn't get another one past Barry before the break.

Matt Vogel had a nice shot from just outside the penalty area that Barry stopped in the 38th, and a minute later, Kyle Lindberg hit the post with a header on Barry's short side.

The second half was all Huskies.

The lead went to 2-0 in the 43rd minute after a defensive breakdown in the goal box. Max Auden found Trychta about seven yards out during a furious scramble.

Trychta's first attempt was stopped by a defender, but the ball went right back to him and he put it away with his second chance.

"It was getting knocked around and Max was able to get it back across the net, which was textbook good stuff," Trychta said.

"The first time I tried to take two touches, but the second time I knew everyone would be crashing me so I needed to finish it."

Trychta and the Huskies had several more chances for the remainder of the game, but were thwarted each time by Barry, who finished with nine saves.

The Falcons had lost only two games in their prior seven (4-1-2) and appeared ready to knock off the DVC-leading Huskies at the onset of Tuesday's game, which was senior night.

But they never managed to get the Huskies to retreat.

"Our guys were fired up," said Falcons coach Bryce Cann, who started all nine seniors. "For us it was an opportunity to play spoiler and bring a couple other teams back into the DVC title race.

"We had a good run the first 10 or 15 minutes, but after that we weren't able to connect and get a serious threat."

The halftime break gave them the chance to regroup, but giving up the goal so early in the second half left the Falcons disheartened.

"We came into the game figuring it's senior night and we need to fight," senior defender Zak Gudanik said. "But some of us just didn't come out to play."