Falcons brave the cold in win over Blackhawks

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By Gary Larsen

Arctic survival training shouldn’t be needed to play in a high school soccer game, and there was a stampeding throng of near-hypothermic athletes sprinted off the field after Thursday’s frigid game between Wheaton North and host West Aurora.

As Falcons fled the stadium en masse for the warmth of a waiting school bus, it was suggested to coach Tim McEvilly that a few of his players were needed for a postgame interview.

“Good luck with that,” McEvilly joked.

Luckily, the Falcons’ Kate Wiegman was kind enough to stop for a brief chat, after her squad used a late-game scoring binge to win 4-0 over the Blackhawks in a DuPage Valley Conference contest.

Wheaton North (3-1, 1-1 in DVC play), got a goal early in the first half from Kate Wiegman, but didn’t score again until the game’s final 12 minutes, when the Falcons buried three more goals.

West Aurora (0-3-2, 0-2) defended hard during the long spell between the Falcons’ first and second goals.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Wiegman said. “We just had to keep pushing. We don’t normally score many goals but when we get the intensity going, we keep going and keep scoring.”

Wiegman, Paige Fowler, and Chelsea Hupp all scored during the Falcons’ final push. McEvilly was particularly pleased with his squad’s first 40 minutes.

“We played really well in the first half, into the wind,” McEvilly said. “The weather’s terrible, the field conditions aren’t great, but we played really well getting behind them and simplifying what we were doing, and letting our speed attack people on the width.”

The Falcons applied steady attacking pressure throughout Thursday’s contest

“Kelsey Tharstrom out wide was beating people consistently,” McEvilly said. “She was just turning and beating people down the line. I thought Erin Karner played fantastically, and Wiegman had a couple goals and could have had a couple more.”
 
McEvilly was particularly pleased with his squad’s ability to play it wide and get the ball forward to dangerous space.

“If we do that, we can be dangerous. So I was happy with the way we played, especially because I didn’t think we were ready; I thought we were already on our way to South Carolina.”

Wheaton North left Friday afternoon for a week of training and bonding in the sun.

“It’s going to be really fun. We’re going to play beach soccer and have two practices a day,” Wiegman said. “And we’re going to become more like a family.”

North now has 3 shutouts in 4 games, with its lone goal given up coming in a 1-0 loss to Glenbard West. After Thursday’s game the Falcons are off for 12 goals before opening up Pepsi Showdown play on April 6th, at home against Lyons Township.

It should be a good test for the Falcons, who earned the No. 10 seed of the 48-team tournament, while Lyons Township is the No. 4 seed.