Wildcats settle for scoreless draw with Redhawks
By Matt Le Cren
Communication was the name of the game for Naperville Central and Neuqua Valley on Saturday.
Players on both sides said communication contributed to the 0-0 tie at Memorial Stadium in Naperville. The host Redhawks felt they did plenty of talking while the Wildcats thought they didn’t do enough.
While neither side came away completely satisfied, both were happy about how their defenses dominated.
“Other than a couple of glitches along the way, we’ve been pretty good defensively all year,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “We have given up more goals than normal but I still think the girls are doing a good job in back.”
The Redhawks (6-2-2) got a dominant effort from the back line of senior Amanda Alberts, sophomore Meredith Tunney and freshmen Ellie Fricke and Kayla Rowan, who held the powerful Wildcats to a mere nine shots.
In snapping Neuqua’s five-game winning streak, the Redhawks became just the second team to shut out the Wildcats (5-1-1), who are averaging three goals per game.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Alberts said. “We haven’t had much practice outside. It’s been really cold so we’re still adjusting. We’re a very young team and we’re still learning but all-around I thought we did really well.
“Neuqua is a great team and I thought our defense put a lot of great effort in. We communicate very well in the back and we just stick to it.”
Sticking with the plethora of dangerous offensive players the Wildcats throw at you is easier said than done, especially for a crew with only one senior in it, but the Redhawks somehow managed to keep Neuqua from penetrating the penalty area with any regularity.
“Communication is definitely key,” Alberts said. “They move around a lot. Out of all the teams we’ve played so far, their offense [does the most] running around.
“You’ve really got to talk: ‘I’ve got this girl, you’ve got that girl.’”
The Redhawks did that to perfection in the first 40 minutes, allowing only one shot, that coming on a steal and 30-yard shot by Kiley Czerwinski that Naperville Central goalie Abby Hershik made a scrambling save on.
Hershik was a revelation between the pipes. The sophomore made six saves to record her sixth shutout of the season. The varsity rookie was impressive dealing with the pressure of facing one of the most potent offenses in the state.
“She earned it today,” Watson said. “She took a step up today, a big step up.”
Hershik earned praise from both sides after a performance that saw her rise to the challenge in the second half, during which the Wildcats slowly began to tilt the field in their favor.
“She’s a smart player,” Alberts said. “She knows when to throw it, she knows when to punt it.
“She’s been injured for a while but she’s still giving it her all. She’s pretty young, too. She’s only a sophomore and she’s got a lot to live up to after going in after Jill D’Amico, but she’s doing well.”
Filling the big shoes left behind by the graduated D’Amico, a four-year standout who now plays for Jacksonville, would be a tall task for any keeper, let alone one with no varsity experience. But Hershik is undaunted.
“It’s definitely big shoes to fill,” Hershik said. “I try to learn as much as I can so that I’m as best prepared as I can be in the games. I try my best.”
Her best was good enough against the Wildcats, who tested her several times down the stretch. Senior playmaker Hope D’Addario was stopped four times by Hershik, the first a diving effort on a 25-yard shot on the run early in the second half.
The other three came on free kicks from 30 yards or longer over the final three minutes, including one with 29 seconds to go.
“It’s kind of an in-the-moment thing,” Hershik said of facing someone the caliber of D’Addario. “You kind of forget all the stuff that goes on off the field and just focus in on her shot and you read her and know where the people are in your wall and then you know where to go.”
Hershik was able to maintain her laser-like focus even with the sun in her eyes and her defense back on its heels as the clock ticked down.
“I just had to focus on the ball,” Hershik said. “I had to shut everything else out, like the boys from Neuqua [in the stands], and I had to factor in other things like the wind and the amount of contact that they put into the game.
“They’re a very physical team and I had to take that into account, like a couple times when I went up for the ball I had a little contact from them.
“I just made sure I kept my focus. That’s one of the main things I try to do because I know that when I’m on my game, I play well, which I think I did today.”
She got no argument from the Wildcats, who were able to get only one ball past Hershik. That came with 17:30 left in the second half when Lauren Ciesla made a nice move to get around a defender and sprint into the box, where she appeared ready to pull the trigger on a left-footed shot.
Instead, Ciesla let the ball roll forward and to the left to Katie Ciesiulka, whose 15-yard drive from the left side of the box clanged off the left post.
“She’s pretty good,” Ciesiulka said of Hershik. “We definitely underestimated her a little bit, but she was awesome.”
Ciesiulka was less impressed with her team’s effectiveness even though it controlled the run of play over the final 20 minutes.
“We definitely tried to push up a little bit more because we knew we needed a goal, but I think communication was a big factor,” she said. “We weren’t really talking that well. We’ve got to finish our chances.
“I think definitely we can improve on some things. We still have a lot of work to do but we’re getting there slowly but surely.”
Indeed, the Wildcats were even more dominant defensively as the trio of Sophia Moreau, Kelly Keckler and Dannah Williams aggressively pursued every loose ball in their end. The Redhawks had just three shots, none by striker Abby Joyce.
In fact, it was a defender – Tunney – who was the only Central player to come close to scoring when her potshot from 28 yards away hit the top of the crossbar and went over with 6:00 to go in the opening half.
Other than that, it was a quiet day for Neuqua goalie Courtney Keefer, who had to make only two saves in recording her fourth shutout.
Ultimately, both sides were hoping for more.
“You can tilt the field all you want but unless the ball goes in between those pipes it doesn’t matter, “ Joe Moreau said. “You’re always disappointed with a tie, especially when you think you had a little better of the play.
“Their keeper did a nice job on the saves she had to make and their defense limited us to longer shots. I thought their center mids played well.”
As for the Redhawks, they are hoping to get another crack at the Wildcats.
“Neuqua is a good team,” Alberts said. “Hopefully we’ll see them again [later] in the season and we’ll get them next time.”
