Vikings finish with a win in Naperville Invite play

 

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By Gary Larsen

When two perennial state powers with high standards square off and those standards aren’t met – win, lose or draw – neither team goes home very happy.

And it definitely aggravates their coaches.

“I don’t care what the score is, or how many goals we give up. That’s not important,” Naperville North coach Brent Terada said after his team’s 3-1 loss to Fremd on Friday. “I don’t mind getting beat by a better team, if we compete. But the game lacked energy and there’s no excuse for us not bringing our best effort.

“We’re not the most talented team but there aren’t many teams out there who will out-work us, but I think we forget that sometimes. It’s hard to accept a lack of effort.”

Naperville North (9-4-1) had only given up 8 goals through 13 games heading into Friday’s game, and had only given up more than a single goal in one other game this season.

Friday’s final consolation game of the Naperville Invitational was essentially meaningless, and Naperville North was missing six starters due to injuries, many of which play in back.

But a standard is a standard on the north end of Naperville. “If you’re wearing a Naperville North uniform, you have to do better,” Terada said.

Fremd (12-2) got a first-half goal from Alexis Tice and second-half goals from Elise Kotsakis and Jessa Rizzo on Friday. The Vikings have now put 52 goals on the board and only given up 10 goals in 14 games.

But just like Terada, Fremd coach Steve Keller cares less about numbers than he does about performance.

“I think it was fatigue, maybe – hopefully,” Keller said. “We just looked a step slow. We did some nice things but it wasn’t pretty in terms of decision-making and passing. We got a fortunate bounce in the first half (on Tice’s goal).”

So it goes for coaches and programs with high expectations. But even in sub-par games, teams always have someone that played well.

For Fremd on Friday, those players were backline stalwarts Bri Frys, Jennifer Freeman, Emily Basten, and Kristin Abruscato. “They did a solid job and I thought (Ashley) McConnell in the middle has been her normal, steady self,” Keller said.

“We played good as a unit today,” Abruscato said. “Four in the back is kind of our comfort zone. We’ve been working on it all year and we’ve finally figured it out. And Shannon (Norris) is doing great in goal. Without her we wouldn’t have won half of the games that we won. She has pulled out some great saves.”

It was Abruscato who set up the game’s first goal. The senior has been sending in quality free kicks from distance all year, and she put a charge into a ball from 38 yards out in the first half that reached the goalmouth, where Tice followed it up and finished it.

“I just kind of hope they go on frame,” Abruscato said of her free kick responsibilities. “I know I’ve got the distance. It’s the accuracy that’s kind of the question mark.”

Abruscato also pointed to importance of Tice’s presence in the middle of the park for the Vikings. “She’s the one who mixes things up in the middle and wins fifty-fifty balls for us and when she went out of the game I thought we flattened out a little,” she said. “(Keller) changed things up but we have to get used to adjusting to different players in different positions.

“(Naperville North) is a very difficult team. Their speed of play is quick and they pressure very quick, so as soon as you touch the ball you have to make a decision because they’re on you. And they’re very smart when they play.”

Both of Fremd’s second-half goals came from roughly 20 yards out, first on a left-footed beauty from Kotsakis, giving her 23 goals on the season. Rizzo made it 3-0 less than two minutes after Kotsakis’ strike, whipping a ball off the far post and in from 25 yards out.

“They hit great balls,” Terada said of the two second-half goals his side gave up. “They were hit with a lot of pace and found side-netting. Good finishes. But I also think it’s a byproduct of us not pressuring the midfield like we need to. We gave them opportunities to look at our goal and they made us pay, but we need to step to that a little harder.”

The Huskies broke up the shutout late in the second half a goal by Angela Widlacki. Cora Climo sent a ball in from the right side that Widlacki volleyed to the back netting from 14 yards out. “That was a great finish,” Terada said. “It was one of the few bright spots of the day.”

“I also thought Meghan Lee, one of our jayvee kids, stepped in and did a great job for us. She brought a lot of energy and she’s making it very hard for us to send her back. She has played striker for the jayvee team, for her club team she plays outside mid, and she’s going to get some looks as the playoffs come. We’ll have to find her a jersey.”

Naperville North will continue chasing the DuPage Valley Conference crown with games against Wheaton Warrenville South and Wheaton North in the upcoming week, while Fremd jumps back into Mid-Suburban League play against Hoffman Estates and Hersey.