North Stars advance to state for first time since 2004

By Darryl Mellema

Prior to its super-sectional contest against Barrington, St. Charles North girls soccer coach Ruth Vostal showed her team a video displaying highlights when she won titles back in the day with St. Charles.

"It was the funniest thing ever," said St. Charles North junior Sammy Gage.

Of course, 1992 and 1994 – the years Vostal won titles as a Saints player – are ancient history to today's players, some of whom weren't even born when she and her teammates were lifting trophies.

Friday, this year's group of North Stars gets a chance to make their own highlight reel when they competes in this year's IHSA Class 3A semifinals at North Central College.

St. Charles North plays Sandburg in a 5 p.m. match, a game for which it qualified thanks to Tuesday's 2-0 victory over the host Fillies.

"It's easier to say than to do," St. Charles North senior Leah DeMoss said. "It's been written up on boards and on pieces of paper. But to actually fulfill it and achieve it, it's awesome. I'm speechless. Words can't even describe it."

The trip to the state finals is the second in school history. The North Stars finished second to New Trier in 2004. This year's team enters Friday's match with a 22-1-1 mark and has equaled the victory total of that second-place team.

"We're really excited," Gage said. "This has been our goal since Day One, when everyone walked in for tryouts. We knew we had the talent. It was a matter of heart and I think we demonstrated that today.

"Now it's a matter of walking into state and showing people what we're made of."

The North Stars' only loss this spring is to Waubonsie Valley, and the Warriors are one of the four teams still alive in the tournament.

Waubonsie Valley plays Glenbrook South in the other Class 3A semifinal. The winners play on Saturday night while the semifinal losers play on Saturday for third place.

"I still don't think they recognize just how good some of them are," Vostal said. "They're doing great things that they don't even know about. Sometimes I think that's great – we'll tell them at the end."

Vostal, St. Charles North's only girls soccer coach, had two of her assistant coaches as players on the 2004 team. Annie Lauterer was a senior while Erin Kane was a junior.

"We have just built off of 'heart' and 'fight' and then we've got talent," DeMoss said. "You put those together and I feel like we can be unstoppable. It's shown this season and in this playoff tournament."

While discussions will move toward a possible state title, Vostal said the prospect of two more practices and two more games is even more promising.

Win or lose on Friday, the North Stars will play again on Saturday, meaning they have extended their season to its maximum length.

"That's what we've always talked about," Vostal said. "You go back to (St. Charles coach) Tim Dailey and playing over there for him, it was about playing for players who you loved to play with.

"I wouldn't coach if I didn't love doing it. I'm not ready to be done and I know they're not ready to be done, either."

The North Stars extended their season thanks to a pair of goals that rate in the 'fortunate' category.

On the first, Gage hit a low, bouncing shot that got underneath the Barrington goalkeeper and into the net.

"It felt great," Gage said. "It was such an energy boost for the whole team. After that, we took it to them and we got another goal and we were like 'we've got this.'"

Gage's goal came with 18 minutes left in the first half. Paige Dusek doubled the lead with 30 seconds remaining before halftime when she latched onto a rebound from a DeMoss shot and scored.

"It was one of those games where every time I got the ball, I was trying to shoot," DeMoss said. "I had two shots on goal. One, she bobbled it and Paige ran in on goal and put it in and the other hit the inside of the post."

Before those goals, and well after, the star of the night for St. Charles North was goalie Kristen Manski.

The keeper made a series of saves, commanded her penalty area and was only rarely in trouble as the North Stars recorded their 14th shutout of the year.

"I just wanted this more than anything," Manski said. "I wanted to do everything in my power to make this win.

"Whether it was, screaming at them or making a save or coming out to get the ball, I wanted to do everything in my power to make this happen. I wanted this so badly."

DeMoss, Dusek and Manski are part of a talented senior class that also includes Maryl Behm, Kelli Alderman, Alecia Natale, Kaitlyn Batka, Alyssa Peterson and Kara Miller.

"It's just amazing that your dreams can come true," Manski said. "I know it's cliche to have your coaches say 'if you want anything bad enough, anything's possible.'

"But now we see that it's actually true. If you believe in your teammates, you can actually go wherever you want and make anything happen. It's so empowering."

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