Late Sullivan goal sends Huskies past Boylan
By Darryl Mellema

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In the course of a soccer season – any season – there are average matches, good matches and great matches.

Saturday’s match featuring Naperville North at Rockford Boylan looked good in prospect as both teams were strong within their respective regions of the state. On the field, however, the match was even better than that.

In one of the matches of the early season, Naperville North led 1-0, fell behind 2-1 and then scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the match to claim a 3-2 nonconference victory.

“I respect Boylan a ton,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “I played with guys from this program throughout my playing career. When they emailed me last fall, I thought ‘what a great game to play, to match up two of the best programs in the state. It was like playing against ourselves. They played hard. They pressured every ball.”

The match remained in the balance until eight minutes remained in the match when Naperville North (7-2) worked the ball into the penalty area to Joe Sullivan, who took his time and placed the ball into the net for the victory. Many players would have taken a Herculean swing at that ball, and some would have missed thanks to the force of that shot. Sullivan, on the other hand, “passed” the ball into the net, giving it just the amount of force needed to beat the Boylan keeper and find the net.

“Offensively, we created a lot of chances today,” Sullivan said. “Obviously we scored three, but we could have had a lot more if bounces went our way.”
Sullivan’s touch on the goal looked almost like a mishit, but the light touch was intentional.

“Yesterday in practice, we played a game called ‘Power-Finesse’ and it has to go back to that. Props to Coach Konrad for letting us play that because it was all about close-range shots, and that’s what happened today.”

“Power-Finesse” is a common soccer camp game. Players start with by taking a shot from around 20 yards out – a shot they then follow toward goal. As they move on-goal, the coach sends a second ball for a close-range shot.

The game has a competitive element. If a player makes one shot, he survives. If he misses both, he is out. If he makes both, he gets to challenge a player from the other team to take a power shot and a finesse shot.”

“We play that probably once a year, on a day when the boys have worked hard,” Konrad said. “It’s a silly game, but they love to play it.”

One of the keys to Power-Finesse is to put the ball on-target, and Sullivan certainly achieved that goal, keeping his shot inside the left post as it eased over the goal line.

“I wanted to make the goalie make a save,” Sullivan said. “So I didn’t hit it as hard as I do.”
Sullivan scored twice in the match. His free kick with eight minutes left in the first half deflected slightly off the Boylan wall on its way into the net. That goal put the Huskies ahead and was the only goal of the first half.

But that opening half was full of the kind of incidents that helped make for a great match. Boylan more than played its part as well on a warm afternoon in a match played on the well-appointed grass field at Boylan.

Ricky Rubio had a pair of early efforts for the Titans but from the fifth minute, Naperville North announced its intention to answer the hosts’ efforts when Chris Ensign clipped the crossbar. Just after the midpoint of the half, the Huskies hit the bar again, this time from a hammered long-range effort from Alex Thomson.

With Naperville North beginning to dominate, Boylan moved quickly and Geoff Horn had to clear off the goal line with 13 minutes left in the half.

“It took us a little while to get our boundaries,” Horn said. “We’re still learning and figuring it out. The only times they got through, we were out of our shape or recovering. Overall, I thought we were just fine.”

Goal-line clearances make coaches and fans get to the edge or their seats. Horn looked very cool and composed – though he was a little nervous too.

“It’s always very nerve-wracking when everything kind of relies on you,” Horn said. “But it’s very satisfying to get the ball out.

Naperville North’s defense has been working toward being a cohesive unit this season, and that work is paying dividends. Despite allowing two goals and surrendering an own goal, there were other long stretches where the Huskies kept a dangerous Boylan team at-bay.

“We have to be communicating constantly,” Horn said. “Especially against a team that is making as many runs as they were. When we were able to stay together and hold our shape, we did the best that we could.”

Sullivan’s goal was the next major action in the match, and left the Huskies ahead at halftime.
Any thought of a comfortable second half for the visitors ended four minutes into the half when a deflected Boylan shot fell to Mitchell Lotko free in front of the net at the top of the penalty area. Lotko hit the ball low and hard into the net to tie the match.

And when a ball into the penalty area skimmed off a Naperville North defender’s head and went into the net, Boylan had a 2-1 lead. Drew Gaurke was credited with the Titans’ second goal.

Then Naperville North surged. Throughout the match, Boylan’s midfield dropped back to the level of its defenders when it lost possession. This created space just outside the penalty area, and in those final minutes, the Huskies used that space to great advantage.

“I’m proud of the boys,” Konrad said. “On a Saturday afternoon, it would have been easy for them to say that they were going to take the 2-1 loss and go home. But they battled and found a way to win for us.”

First Sullivan shot over the bar with a fast-moving, dipping shot. Then he had an effort saved. Neil Wiaranowski came close to scoring with 10 minutes left, but the Titans still held out.

“When I got the ball, I kept hearing their coaches yelling ‘contain, contain,’” Sullivan said. “I like when teams are kind of not coming at me.”

Naperville North equalized at 2-2 with one of the best passing moves of the match. Just moments after its front players seemed too tightly-bunched, those players moved wider, created space and opened gaps in the Boylan defense.

Sullivan took the ball, passed to the right to Connor Sharples, who sent the ball back across the penalty area to sophomore Brandon Hipp, who scored.

“It was an awesome opportunity and I am thankful I was able to put it away,” Hipp said. “I just tried to get open as much as I could. I looked to find my spot and take my opportunity. I come in, try to find the flow of the game quickly. It’s the best feeling ever. Goals come so infrequently in soccer. It’s great to be able to be a part of the statistics.”

Then Sullivan applied the match-winning goal and Naperville North had the victory.

“With 10 minutes to go, (Sullivan) said to me ‘I think I can get there on the dribble,’” Konrad said. “He tried to get there a couple of times. Then Hipp got that great goal and (Sullivan) was there at the end to finish. He’s so good on the ball.”