Chicagoland Soccer

Tigers pleased with effort against top-ranked Huskies

By Curt Herron

It's not often that a team can score multiple goals and shutout one of the state's best squads on the road and walk away a bit unhappy.

But when you're the defending Class 3A champions and the team to beat again this year, your expectation levels are different than most.

That's why Naperville North certainly accepted but wasn't all that thrilled by its 3-0 nonconference win at Plainfield North on Monday.

The Huskies looked sharp in the opening 40 minutes, scoring a pair of goals while limiting the dangerous Tigers to few opportunities.

But it was a different story after the break as the hosts turned the tables and had Naperville North on its heels for long stretches.

A goal in the final seconds of play made the result appear like it was a rather convincing victory, but both sides realized otherwise.

That said, there were positives to be had by both sides from the match, which featured the top two seeds in the Bolingbrook Sectional.

The Huskies received two goals and an assist from Abbie Boswell and another score from Zoe Swift to improve to 14-0-2 on the season.

And when you add in its 9-0-2 record to close out last year, Naperville North extended its two-season unbeaten streak to 25 matches.

Keeper Fiona Baenziger came up with some big stops against the Tigers (17-3) to post her third straight shutout and seventh overall.

She got some great support from her backline of Jillian Van Kampen, Tracy Korn, Angela Widlacki, Abby Mangefrida and Jen Fortman.

"I thought in the second half they definitely took it to us," Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. "They sent numbers forward and put us on our heels and we struggled to connect to get out and when we did get out, we turned it over way too easily.

"When you give that many chances to a good attacking team, you're bound to give up some good, quality ones but luckily, Fiona made some phenomenal saves in goal, just as she has done all year for us. Our backline and Fiona definitely changed the momentum.

"Like I told the girls, individually we still have to be better at holding the ball under pressure and we have to be better at trying to connect passes when there's some pressure on us. I just thought that Plainfield North played did better under pressure than we did.

"In the first half, we were flying all over the field defensively. We also did a very good job of getting the ball forward. Even though we put three in, there's a couple of others that we could have finished. I know they could say the same thing and that's why we're happy to walk out of here with a win over a good quality team."

The Tigers were held scoreless for just the second time this season and suffered their first regulation loss to an Illinois team.

Despite that, coach Jane Crowe was certainly encouraged by how her squad performed, especially during the final 40 minutes of play.

"I thought that we played extremely well from box to box but we just couldn't get that last touch in the box and then we had a couple of breakdowns in the back," Crowe said. "I thought that we limited their chances but the chances that we gave them were to easy.

"The first half was fairly even but in the second half we were in their end a lot of the time. We were dominating but just couldn't get a goal. The key was that we won the ball in the midfield a lot. Kaela Leskovar, Sam Elster and Erin Chyoweth really controlled the middle of the field.

"We said before the game that although we obviously wanted to win, it was more about playing well and getting confidence that we could play with a team like this. If we left with anything, now we are confident that we can play with them. I don't think 3-0 shows what kind of game that was.

"Recently we hadn't put together a full game where we played well and I think today we actually played one of our better games. This was a good time for us to have this game so that we can see exactly where we're at as we go into the postseason. We know that they're a very good team and now we know that we can play with them."

In many sectional throughout the state, a 1-2 matchup such as this could have been a preview of an upcoming sectional championship.

But in the state's most brutal sectional, winning a regional title will be a challenge and many squads figure to be in the picture.

Still, the Huskies have an impressive resume against top sectional teams, recording a 5-0-1 mark against the two-through-six seeds.

The hosts had the first good opportunity on Monday, when Heather Handwork sent a header to Baenziger about a quarter of an hour in.

But the Huskies made the most of their first real threat as Claire Hilburger found Boswell for a short attempt in the 20th minute.

A short time later, Boswell sent a pass to Swift, who looked like she might make it 2-0, but keeper Erin Wren made the deflection.

That pair teamed up again in the 24th minute, and this time the Boswell-to-Swift combination resulted in a score from close range.

Both sides had chances in the opening half's final 10 minutes, beginning with a Swift flick just over the net off a Boswell pass.

Shortly after Wren deflected a liner from Cora Climo, Baenziger hauled in a try by Kaela Leskovar that bounced off of a defender.

The Huskies had much to be pleased about at the break, having two scores in their pocket while limiting the Tigers to few chances.

Their defense did a good job of shutting down Tiger standout Ashley Handwork, who was bottled up throughout much of the match.

But it came as no surprise to them that the hosts would be determined to give them a run for their money during the final half.

"We know that every team is going to come out hard against us, especially with the playoffs coming up," Widlacki said. "Like coach said, if we have a second half like that in the playoffs where we don't give all that we have, it's not going to work for us.

"But we expect every team to come out hard against us and every team should expect the same from us and they're all going to be battles. We have a lot of returning players and some of us were even in the state finals as sophomores. So with 11 seniors, we have the experience and know what it takes to get it done.

"I'm most proud of how much of a team we are. We can recognize when we're getting down ourselves and we're able to pick ourselves back up in order to move forward as a team. We're definitely there for each other."

In the final half, Swift started things out by sending a header to Wren before the Tigers mounted some of their best challenges.

In the 46th minute, Erin Chynoweth fired a liner that Baenziger had to dive for in order to keep the Tigers off of the scoreboard.

Not long after that, Nikki Auble put a corner kick in the box and Heather Handwork sent a header toward Baenziger, who denied it.

Before the second half reached its midpoint, Chynoweth was stopped on deflection off a defender and Van Kampen was also thwarted.

A few minutes after, the Huskie keeper punched away an Auble corner kick and then she turned away a short attempt from Chynoweth.

In the final minutes, Ashley Handwork had one of her best chances but Baenziger dove to stop it and Climo was denied on a liner.

Just before the final whistle blew, Van Kampen sent a pass to Boswell, who scored to give the Huskies one more goal for the day.

Both squads return to action today hoping to achieve the same goal, which is wrapping up an undefeated conference championship.

The Huskies entertain Glenbard North in DuPage Valley play while the Tigers travel to Oswego East in Southwest Prairie action.