Fast start doesn't necessarily help Falcons against Saints

By Eddie Burns

Sometimes scoring the first goal of match and getting an early lead isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

Take Wheaton North, for example, when it tallied a goal in the opening four minutes of its match against St. Charles East on Thursday night.

The Falcons maintained their intensity for the remainder of the first half, but sort of went through the motions during the final 40 minutes.

Wheaton North emerged with a 2-0 victory against the Saints to get its debut in the 13th annual Naperville Invitational off on the right foot, but the team was not satisfied with its effort.

"For some reason, our energy went down after we got the lead," said Wheaton North senior midfielder Chelsea Hupp, who gave the Falcons an early lead.

"We did pick it up near the very end of the match because we wanted to put another goal in, but I don't think it was one of our best games.

"We can't play like that and expect to win this tournament."

Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly agreed with Hupp that Thursday's effort was not the best he's seen out of the group, but he was satisfied with the victory.

"Scoring as quick as we did can be both a blessing and a curse," McEvilly said. "The fear for me as a coach is when you score that quickly the kids relax.

"To be honest, we didn't maintain the level of focus we should have the entire match. We have to do a better job, no matter the circumstances.

"This group has developed a sense of confidence to play well when things are tight, but we need to develop the urge to put people away."

Hupp put the Falcons (9-4) ahead when she followed up a Kelsey Tharnstorm shot in the fourth minute.

From there, both teams generated scoring chances. The Falcons built a two-goal cushion in the 30th minute when Madie Fagan drew a foul just outside of the penalty area.

Kate Wiegman took the direct restart and tucked a shot in the top corner of the Saints' net for a 2-0 lead over St. Charles East (4-6).

Although Wiegman spends a lot of time playing defense, she's becoming quite a weapon on restarts.

"Kate is our leading scorer for a reason," McEvilly said. "She can be very dangerous off those set pieces and restarts.

"She is really starting to feel confident and come into her own."

In the second half, the Wheaton North defense led by Anne Denz, Sarah Weathered, Natalie Waterman and Wiegman used their size advantage to help fend off the Saints' attack.

Falcons' goalie Shannon Malahy did not make many flashy saves but she was solid and made the saves that were necessary.

"When you get an early lead like we did it is my job to stay focused and make sure I pay attention the whole time," Malahy said. "You can't let yourself relax.

"It was nice to score early and I think it made us all relax, but once they came back and attacked I had to get back into the right mindset."

The Falcons will have their hands full with a tough New Trier squad at 5 p.m. tonight.

But a victory would mean that Wheaton North would advance to the quarterfinals in its first season in the Naperville Invitational.

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