Huskies head to regional title game after topping Oswego

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By Matt Le Cren

Not only is the Class 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional the toughest in the state, it may be the toughest ever, where even the first-round games are difficult.

Second-seeded Naperville North had to open against No. 15 seed Oswego, which came into Tuesday’s regional semifinal riding an eight-game winning streak and sporting a winning record.

The host Huskies were well aware of this and came prepared. The result was a 3-0 victory which earned them a spot in Friday’s regional championship game opposite No. 7 seed Metea Valley, which edged Lockport 2-1 in overtime in the other semifinal.

“We all came into it knowing that we just needed to go hard from the very beginning because it’s a playoff game; if you lose you’re going home,” Naperville North sophomore Christa Szalach said. “I know (we) had that mentality that every minute counts.”

The Huskies (13-5-1) played well throughout against a determined Oswego side that didn’t give up a huge amount of scoring chances and made the hosts earn everything they got.

All three Naperville North goals were great plays, including the final one that Szalach scored off an assist from senior defender Jamie Meno with 19:47 remaining in the second half.

Meno, who along with fellow senior co-captain Adrienne Schertz has anchored North’s solid defense this spring, sent a left-footed 30-yard free kick from the left wing in front of the Oswego net. The ball went straight to the forehead of Szalach as if attracted by a magnet and resulted in a powerful five-yard finish.

“Amazing as always,” Szalach said of Meno’s serve. “We’ve had several possessions where she’ll kick the ball and I’ll finish. She puts them where they need to be every time.”

That ability makes Meno, whom Huskies coach Brent Terada calls one of the top defenders in the state, even more valuable.

“There’s not many soccer players who you find in the spring who can put an accurate ball in front from 45, 50 (yards) out and she can consistently do that,” Terada said.

“Obviously it’s a matter of getting on the other end of (that) is the challenge, but she puts it in the right spot that at least gives us a chance to be dangerous on every restart, so give her a ton of credit.”

Meno isn’t the only North defender who contributes to the offense. Senior Kirsten Anderson has a penchant for creating havoc in opposing penalty areas with her long throw-ins.

She uncorked several more in this contest, including one that led to the game’s first goal. Anderson’s heave from the left side bounced off two Panthers in the crowded box before squirting free near the top of the 18. Sophomore midfielder Emily Bromegen met it there and somehow rolled a shot through traffic and just inside the left post at the 25:20 mark of the first half.

“It was a great goal,” Terada said. “She kept her composure, was able to find a small sliver of space and find the side netting.”

The Huskies found the back of the net again with 7:52 to go before the break. Senior Alex Wernette dribbled the ball to the baseline on the right side of the box before sending a cross skittering to a wide-open Hunter Drendel, who buried an eight-yard shot to give North a 2-0 advantage.

A two-goal edge is usually enough for North’s defense and it was this time as the senior keeper Abby Green was not tested, having to make only one routine save as the Huskies’ back line of Meno, Schertz, Anderson and junior Anna Prescott surrendered just six shots.

Naperville North, which has won four straight, now has 10 shutouts and has allowed 16 goals, seven of which came in losses to Lyons Township and Fremd.

“We started a new formation this year,” Meno said. “This is the first year doing a zoned defense. There have definitely been times where the goals we’ve let in we’re unhappy about, but I think for the most part we’ve been playing very good defense. The goals we’ve let in are mostly free kicks, so we know we have to work on those.”

Oswego (9-8-3) was awarded only one free kick in the attacking third, a 34-yarder in the first half that senior Lisa Bajkowski missed wide right. Bajkowski, who had bounced a 35-yard shot by the right post in the third minute, and senior Cathy Tram were the only Panthers to get a crack at net. Tram’s 25-yarder with 8:54 to go in the game was caught by Green.

“We definitely fought the whole game,” Oswego coach Jamie Bartkowiak said. “Second half we had some looks at the net.

“Congratulations to Naperville North for a very well-played game. We came ready to win today, definitely looking for the upset and just didn’t get it.”

The Panthers can blame Meno and Schertz for that. They made sure the Huskies were pumped up.

“All the seniors take a huge leadership role, but obviously, Jamie and Adrienne are the ones who spearhead everything,” Terada said. “With this group, you never question their intensity or their preparedness to play.

“I give the seniors a lot of credit. “They made sure our girls were focused and with the young group that we have – I think seven or eight freshmen and sophomores – that’s a pretty big task. That falls on our seniors they did an awesome job of it.”

While the Panthers made huge strides after beginning the season 1-7-3, they weren’t able to take down a team with the caliber and tradition of Naperville North, which has won eight sectional titles and a state championship, despite some great goalkeeping by freshman Amy Annala, who made seven saves.

“We learned a new formation (4-3-3) as a program this year and it was probably a little bit more advanced than some of us have seen in other levels of play, so they took a little bit of time to learn it,” said Bartkowiak, whose team knocked off Downers Grove North 4-0 in a regional quarterfinal match last Friday.

“But once they did, they fell into it really well. You saw the progression, you saw a big struggle at the beginning of the season and then you saw closer games and then you saw us start to win and really start to put it together.”