Warriors win inaugural UEC title game over North Stars
By Darryl Mellema

Before the postseason could begin, there was still one last massive regular season match for Waubonsie Valley and St. Charles North – a match against each other for supremacy in the Upstate Eight Conference this year.

The two squads had already accomplished much before they took the field Wednesday at St. Charles North. The visiting Warriors (16-3-1) were winners of the conference’s Valley Division. The hosts (15-3-1) were the champs in the River Division and the pair met in the same way the division winners in the Mid-Suburban League have met for years.

On this night, Waubonsie Valley came away comfortable 3-0 winners.

“In the beginning, we didn't start like we would have liked,” Waubonsie Valley’s Morgan Kemerling said. “We picked it up in the second half and later in the first and got our three goals and finished it like we should have.”

The match was the last of the regular season for both teams. St. Charles North heads into the Hoffman Estates Sectional as the top seed while Waubonsie Valley carries the No. 3 seed into the Bolingbrook Sectional.

“I feel very good going into the playoffs,” Kemerling said. “I feel we're at our peak now and we're only going to get better from here, which is great because the playoffs are starting.

St. Charles North and Waubonsie Valley are two incredibly successful programs. Waubonsie Valley three of the last six state titles while St. Charles North finished runner-up to Naperville North a year ago and placed third in 2010.

“I think we have the potential to go as far as any team does,” St. Charles North senior Jorie Clawson said. “I think if we do what we know we can do well, we’ll make it pretty far.”

Wednesday’s match started with St. Charles North stronger but shifted irretrievably in Waubonsie Valley’s favor midway through the first half.

“I totally think our skills were matched evenly and they fought harder than we did,” Clawson said. “That’s all this comes down to. They had the fight. They acted like they it more. It’s not that we didn’t want it. It’s that we didn’t fight as hard as we should have and as hard as we do – always.”

The North Stars’ best chance came 15 minutes into the match when Darcy Stoecklin sent a leading pass into the left channel of the penalty area to Ashlyn Walter, who struck the crossbar.

“I thought we played well in the first half,” St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said. “I didn't think we played and possessed the ball well in the second half. I think our fight could have been a little better.”

To have been so close to going ahead and then behind seemed to drain even more life from the North Stars, who did not threaten the Waubonsie Valley goal again until the second half.

“It’s a little frustrating,” Clawson said. “They put their chances away and we didn’t.”

Slowly, Waubonsie Valley took control and then took the lead on the sort of belted goal that comes around only a few times a season. A ball loosely cleared by St. Charles North came to Paige Filipek with yards of space on either side. Filipek unleashed a 30-yard missile into the upper right corner of the North Stars net.

“When you see the goal, you've got to take a shot,” Filipek said. “If you don't try, you won't score. They dropped off and I had the space and I took the shot.”

Filipek’s goal came with a quarter-hour to play in the opening half. From that point, the Warriors were in control of the match, tightening their grip throughout the second half.

“We try to play every game like it's our last,” Kemerling said. “Especially for our seniors. They're great this year and once they're gone, they're gone. So we try to enjoy it while it lasts – finish hard and finish strong.”

The Warriors doubled their lead five minutes into the second half when Kristen Dodson pulled away from her defender in the center of the penalty area to create space for herself. When she received the ball, Dodson pulled her shot across the goal mouth, with the ball rolling into the net at the right post.

“Every shot counts and every goal counts and I'm just happy to contribute,” Dodson said. “I felt I did very well with moving my body. It gave me a great amount of space to take my time and get the ball to the net.”

The final goal of the night featured both Waubonsie Valley goalscorers combining together, with Dodson pulling back the ball on the left side of the penalty area before sending a pass along the top of the six-yard box. Filipek met the ball in the center of the goalmouth and redirected it into the net.

“(Dodson) just got them, she beat them down the line,” Filipek said. “She did a great job creating space for me, getting them to step. And then she laid it off and I just finished it.”

Dodson completed a one-goal, one-assist evening with her effort on Filipek’s second goal.

“If you can't score, you might as well get the assist,” Dodson said. “As a forward, you can get both.”

Entering the game, St. Charles North had some players suffering minor injuries, including Natalie Winkates and Kenzie Rose. Despite the magnitude of the match, Vostal did not risk those players with the IHSA tournament set to begin next week.

“We were sort of in the middle,” Vostal said. “Yeah, you want to win, because we're all competitive. But the biggest thing we kept saying was 'if we lose, and we come away healthy, we'll be happy, rather than if we win and someone goes down.'”

Clawson had a pair of open opportunities in the final 15 minutes, but both flew over the crossbar.

“I think it's definitely a learning experience,” Clawson said. “Normally we come out with a big fight, as a whole group. I don't think tonight we fought as hard as we could have or should have.”

Over 80 minutes, St. Charles North had only limited scoring chances, and those they did manage were mostly half-chances.

“We created chances,” Vostal said. “But as I told the team, they weren't truly dangerous. We had some shots and some corners. But those are things we have done better with in the past. I thought we were flat for whatever reason,” Vostal said. “But we just talked about it being a new season and we'll get everyone healthy, fix it and come back stronger tomorrow.”

St. Charles North only had three home matches this year, and the playing surface is always atrocious during the girls’ soccer season after the punishment it receives in the fall. But it is still a home field, and Wednesday marked the last home match for North Stars seniors including Alex Gage, Natalie Winkates, Clawson, Melissa Bronke, Maria Ranieri, Kelly Manski, Kenzie Rose, and Lauren Durocher.

“It’s definitely surreal,” Clawson said. “It’s weird. Not that I’m going to miss the field, because it’s pretty bad. But it’s just weird.”

Waubonsie Valley opens the postseason at Metea Valley’s regional on Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. match against Plainfield East

“I'm excited,” Dodson said. “It's my third year and I want to see how far we can get. We lost both times against Neuqua. Hopefully we can get further than that. Hopefully, we can get to the end and win.”

The Warriors are in the state's most difficult sectional. In addition to Waubonsie Valley, defending champion Naperville North, Neuqua Valley and Plainfield North comprise the top four seeds.

“That's why it's even better if we win,” Dodson said. “It shows we have the strength and the ability to play and the confidence to win against all those great teams.”

St. Charles North begins postseason play on Wednesday in a 4:30 p.m. match in DeKalb against the winner of Saturday’s Elgin-DeKalb play-in contest.