Huskies post 10th win, 5th shutout
By Matt Le Cren

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As the anchor of a rebuilt defense, Naperville North senior Neil Wiaranowski is used to toiling in relative obscurity.

But on Saturday he took his turn in the spotlight. Wiaranowski scored his first goal of the season in the first half and it turned out to be the game-winner of the Huskies’ 3-0 victory over Downers Grove South.

“It just feels great,” Wiaranowski said. “Normally when you’re in back, the glory is more with the forwards and everything, and to go out there and get a goal on one of my few chances, it just feels really good because it’s like all the work I’ve put in just pays off.”

Wiaranowki’s strike came with 19:56 remaining in the opening period and was set up, as so many Naperville North goals are, by midfielder Joe Sullivan. Sullivan’s corner kick from the right side skittered in front to the oncoming Wiaranowski, who poked a shot in between Downers South goalie Nick Tannenbaum and a Mustang defender on the right post.

The play happened so fast that neither player made a move as the ball snuck past them.

“Joe always plays a great ball so I just kind of knew where to run,” Wiaranowski said. “And I knew where the ball would be and I just stuck my foot out so I could get something on it and hit it towards goal and it slipped in a pretty little space.”

Downers South coach Jon Stapleton said the play illustrated the problems his team has been having the past two games.

“The guy marking him got beat, flat out, and we get beat too much,” Stapleton said. “Those set pieces and those situations, you can organize yourself in a certain way to be effective, but ultimately it comes down to 1-on-1 battles and who wants it first.

“They just wanted it more. That’s what it came down to, in a lot of respects.”

Ironically, Wiaranowski said his knowledge as a defender helped him on the goal.

“When I’m back there I guess I just feel like I know what [the opposing defenders] are thinking, so I can beat them,” Wiaranowski said.

He wasn’t the only Huskie to beat the Mustangs (9-7), who have surrendered five goals in the losing their last two matches after enjoying a season-high four-game winning streak.

Madisen Gonzalez made it 2-0 by scoring on a breakaway at the 14:41 mark, making a long run up the left wing and patiently waiting for Tannenbaum to commit before tucking a perfectly placed shot in the lower right corner of the net.

Gonzalez then hooked up with Sullivan on the third goal, which came with 19:33 to go in the second half. His pass found Sullivan breaking into the top of the Downers South box and Sullivan dribbled in and finished a left-to-right shot inside the right post.

“Naperville North is a very good team,” Stapleton said. “They finished very well. That’s the difference.

“I thought we competed well in the second half. We did not compete very well in the first half because they beat us to those balls.”

The fact that all three of Naperville North’s co-captains found the back of the net was no surprise to Naperville North assistant coach Ryan Kuehne.

“It’s nice because we’ve got the three different lines,” Kuehne said. “We’ve got Neil in the back who takes the leadership role, Joe in the middle and Maddy is your workhorse up top. He’s always leading by example. All three of them have really taken it upon themselves to make sure that they fit into the captains’ role this year.”

The importance of that role came into play following Naperville North’s 2-1 upset loss to West Aurora on Tuesday, which damaged the Huskies’ chances of winning the DuPage Valley Conference.

“They really took it upon themselves after our loss on Tuesday,” Kuehne said. “As coaches we try to refocus them but some of the guys stepped up after the game, said some things, and that’s exactly what we were looking for from them today.

“We talked about it before the game about how we’ve got a tough road ahead of us. The next couple games are going to be tough and we’re starting off on the right foot today. They came out and they played well.”

With a match against crosstown rival Naperville Central coming up on Tuesday, followed 24 hours later by a trip to West Chicago, the Huskies (10-3) knew the importance of rebounding from the West Aurora loss.

“It was a tough loss but it was a really good wake-up call because anybody on our team who believed in the hype that we were better than we are, it really just brought us down to earth because we knew what we had to do and we knew that we had to work to beat every team,” Wiaranowski said. “We knew that if we kept on putting in the hard work in practice like we have been this week, that we are one of the best teams. This was a great performance by everybody.”

Wiaranowski has been steadfast in the back, guiding a defense that has given up 13 goals in 13 matches despite its inexperience. All three goalies on the roster are varsity rookies, but Jack Seifert made three saves in the first half, two of them on Downers South’s dangerous forward Andrew Grabavoy, and fellow sophomore Christian Roberts, who was promoted to varsity a week ago, did not have to make any saves in the second half.

In fact, Wiaranowski took care of rubbing out the Mustangs’ only chance after intermission, breaking up a close shot by Scott Holakovsky from inside the six with 23:50 left.

“[The defense] is all new guys basically except [junior] Zach Fischmann,” Wiaranowski said. “Most people think that that would be hard but the guys that I play with are great. Everyone is cooperative with what I say and they all bust their butts out there.

“These guys don’t play for the glory; they play for the team. Our goalie and every other defender just wants to win and they want the shutout. The fact that nobody wants just personal glory, that they’re putting the team before everyone, just makes it so much easier.”

This was the fifth shutout for the Huskies, who have given up more than one goal just four times this fall. Two of those games were victories.

“[Junior] Alec Thompson has been doing great,” Wiaranowski said. “He’s been one of our best guys, especially since he’s one of our new guys. He’s really taken control.

“[Junior] Geoff Horn, the other center back, has just been doing fantastic - he listens to what I say – and Zach Fischman has been very consistent for us throughout the season. Everybody has been playing to their fullest level. I just feel like we outwork the [opposition’s] forwards.”

That assessment could be instructive for Downers South, which managed just seven shots in this one and faces tough West Suburban Conference Gold Division matches against reigning state champion Morton on Tuesday and Leyden on Thursday.

“We’re struggling as a group and that starts to reflect on the field in terms of how we play,” Stapleton said. “We don’t respond very well when we’re scored on. We’ve now give up five goals in two games.

“We have to have guys, especially our seniors, step up and make sure we start tightening up the details to make sure those things aren’t happening.”