Plainfield N. celebrates Christmas
in May, regional title win over Naperville C.
Goal in 2nd overtime earns sectional date with Metea Valley
By Dave Owen
Wins over Oswego and West Aurora in regional title games the past two years were solid steps up the ladder for the Plainfield North program.
But the Tigers knew a regional three-peat would produce a new level of respect.
With perennially strong Naperville Central the opponent in Friday’s Class 3A Plainfield North regional final, the Tigers (17-3-2) and Redhawks (11-9-2) combined in a physical battle of back-and-forth chances to play 94-plus minutes of scoreless soccer.
Then with 5:40 left in the second overtime of a non-golden goal session, Brooke Polonus’ 50-yard free kick after a Redhawk foul broke the ice in unlikely fashion.
Sam Elster fielded the perfectly-struck ball deep in the box but was knocked down in a battle for the loose ball with goalkeeper Kinzly Dressler. Tiger teammate Jessica Christmas gathered the rebound for a point-blank score for the only goal of the game.
“Brooke played a great ball in, and I was fortunate to get a piece of it,” Elster said. “I didn’t get it to go in, but luckily Jess was there and she finished it really well.”
The Christmas present in May was a welcome sight for Plainfield North. The Tigers advance to play host Metea Valley, an upset winner over Waubonsie Valley, in the sectional semifinals Tuesday.
Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe didn’t have a bird’s-eye view of the play.
“I didn’t see how the ball landed,” she said. “I saw Sam make the run in and she and the keeper both went for the ball. Jess was in the right spot and finished.
“We said if you just keep going at the goal, something is going to bounce your way, and you’re going to get the opportunity.”
Christmas’ extra effort to finish the play paid off.
“I was just ready,” Christmas said. “I saw Sam going in and was ready for the rebound, and luckily I got it in.”
As for Naperville Central, the play marked a rare flaw shown by either defense all night.
“The two girls (Elster and Christmas) were unmarked, and I don’t know how that happened,” Redhawks coach Ed Watson said. “We lost track of marks.”
For the first time since consecutive 1-0 regional final losses to Metea Valley (2012) and Naperville Central (2011), Plainfield North was back in the tough position of having to defeat an elite Naperville team to advance to sectionals.
This time, the 2015 PepsiCo Showdown runner-up Tigers were ready.
“They were a tough team,” Christmas said of the Redhawks. “We both came out hard and they were good competition, but overall I think that we did a good job.”
Even holding the No. 2 seed against the seventh-seeded Redhawks, the Tigers felt they had something to prove.
“We’re always the underdog,” Christmas said, “so it was nice to come out and win against them, show other teams what we can do and show that we are good competition.”
The two teams were in a tight battle from the start, with both defenses locking the door on any close-in chances.
A typical sequence came 13:30 before halftime. The Tigers’ Abby Gustafson nicely won a 50-50 ball near midfield, but after a foul, Polonus’ 40-yard free kick was intercepted in the box and cleared by the Redhawks’ Mackenzie Sisko.
Plainfield North’s Megan Breier was the focus late in the half. First, her deflection of a bad pass near the Redhawk net with 2:12 left resulted in goalkeeper Dressler barely beating Breier to the loose ball.
Breier was briefly shaken up on that contact near the crease. Then just 38 seconds later, she fell to the field after her attempt to kick the ball near midfield and never returned. Crowe later said she had suffered a broken toe that will likely end her season.
Naperville Central came out of the halftime break rolling, as Amanda Murphy and Meredith Tunney both sent shots just wide of the post in the first two minutes.
But Plainfield North answered 10 minutes later with the best chance of regulation.
Off a pass from Natalie Auble, Elster lined an 18-yard shot from the left side that clanged off the crossbar. An ensuing 10-yard shot on the rebound by Erin Chynoweth went over the net.
“I’ve hit the crossbar it seems like every single game for the last two weeks,” Elster said. “It’s unfortunate, but they’ll go in again someday hopefully.”
Said Crowe: “Sam has hit the crossbar over and over this year. She has such a great shot, and when she hit that (crossbar) I’m thinking, ‘oh no.’ But they kept fighting.”
Much of that fight was repelling Redhawk attacks at the defensive end. Multiple steals or 50-50 wins by Polonus and Emily DeVaux were just part of the success.
“I thought Karsyn Stirrett at an outside back made some really big plays,” Crowe said. “When they got in behind she was able to cover. And Reyse Stirrett in the middle - both of the Stirrett twins played outstanding. And Sam Elster every game does such a good job. I thought our effort overall was very good.”
A great Redhawk threat came with 23:20 left in regulation. A nice send towards the net by Taylor Stenmark connected with Kayla Burke near the left post, whose 6-yard shot was denied by Tiger goalkeeper Emma Veselsky’s diving save.
Naperville defender Caitlin Reice and Tunney made several nice defensive plays to repel the Tigers. Tunney and Kayla Rowan were especially effective at sending dangerous balls to the offensive third.
“They tried playing it over, and we predicted it,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “We just tried to win as many 50-50 balls as we could and not let them get behind us.”
The Tigers had a great chance on Elster’s corner kick into the crease with 19:30 left in regulation. But Dressler nicely reached above the crowd to punch the ball away.
A Rowan-to-Meridith Hannan connection began a Redhawk chance with 4:50 left, which Veselsky denied with her catch of Kirsten Dorgan’s end line cross.
“To be honest with you, both teams had their opportunities but I really liked our second half of the game into the overtime” Watson said, “I felt like we had the majority of the opportunities. But we couldn’t find the one to go in, and it’s too bad. I feel bad for the girls.”
The Redhawks’ grueling regular season schedule (the DVC plus Barrington, St. Charles East, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley) was of little benefit when it came to seeding.
“We played very well,” Watson said. “We deserved better. There’s no way we’re a seven-seed.
“They (Plainfield North) had to beat a very good team to win a regional, and I feel very bad for our girls because if you put us in any other sectional, we’re a one- or a two- (seed). But that’s all sour grapes. You have to score a goal to win a game, and we didn’t do that.”
Crowe agreed about the rough regional road.
“There’s a lot of regionals out there that they’re going to win,” she said. “It’s tough for one of our two teams to lose in that situation.”
Even after Christmas’ goal put the Redhawks in a 1-0 hole, 5:40 remained for Naperville Central to rally.
Instead, the Tigers stayed on the offensive, Natalie Auble had three quality shots in the next three minutes (one a Dressler save of a 22-yarder, then the next two barely wide or high off nice Elster passes).
Naperville Central then mounted a furious last push. A DeVaux steal of a pass in the box with1:25 left ended one threat. That was followed by a Tunney pass to Kincaide that resulted in a 25-yard shot wide left with 20 seconds to go.
The regional title celebration soon followed for the Tigers.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Elster said. “Naperville Central’s a great team. Knowing that we were able to get an accomplishment like that gives us confidence for the rest of the season.
“I think our team chemistry is so great and we all play hard for each other. That’s why we’re so successful.”
“It’s amazing,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “We were kind of worrying about it in the second half and as it went into double overtime, but we finished it and I think we deserved it.”
Her twin sister Reyse had a similar take on the battle with the Redhawks.
“I was really excited for this game,” Reyse Stirrett said. “I knew they would be tough competition, but we gave it our all and we were lucky enough to finish it in the overtime.
“It was really physical, but we didn’t give up at all. I’m proud of our team, and I’m excited to see where we’re going to go.”
Unfortunately for the Redhawks, the season-ending setback also closed great careers for seniors like Tunney, Sisko, Kincaide and Stenmark.
“Anytime a season ends I feel bad for the seniors because they don’t get another crack at it,” Watson said. “It’s a wonderful group of girls. I didn’t expect it to end tonight. I felt we were playing well enough to get through.”
Crowe effectively summed up the feelings when two quality teams clash for 100 minutes of hard fought regional soccer.
“I felt like had we lost at the end, we left everything out there,” Crowe said. “And I think they probably feel the same way, that they left everything out there.”
While enjoying its biggest postseason win ever, the Tigers hope more May celebrations are still to come.
“We need to keep up the intensity and take it game by game, focus on each team and just give our all,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “If we give it that effort I think we’ll go far.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK: Kinzly Dressler
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Meredith Tunney
D: Taylor Stenmark
D: Caitlin Reice
M: Kayla Rowan
M: Alison Kincaide
M: Kirsten Dorgan
M: Isabel Reedy
F: Mackenzie Sisko
F: Meridith Hannan
Plainfield North
GK: Emma Veselsky
D: Brooke Polonus
D: Emily DeVaux
D: Abby Gustafson
D: Karsyn Stirrett
M: Sam Elster
M: Jessica Christmas
M: Reyse Stirrett
M: Renae Blevins
F: Natalie Auble
F: Megan Breier
MVP of the Match: Sam Elster, MF, Plainfield North
in May, regional title win over Naperville C.
Goal in 2nd overtime earns sectional date with Metea Valley
By Dave Owen
Wins over Oswego and West Aurora in regional title games the past two years were solid steps up the ladder for the Plainfield North program.
But the Tigers knew a regional three-peat would produce a new level of respect.
With perennially strong Naperville Central the opponent in Friday’s Class 3A Plainfield North regional final, the Tigers (17-3-2) and Redhawks (11-9-2) combined in a physical battle of back-and-forth chances to play 94-plus minutes of scoreless soccer.
Then with 5:40 left in the second overtime of a non-golden goal session, Brooke Polonus’ 50-yard free kick after a Redhawk foul broke the ice in unlikely fashion.
Sam Elster fielded the perfectly-struck ball deep in the box but was knocked down in a battle for the loose ball with goalkeeper Kinzly Dressler. Tiger teammate Jessica Christmas gathered the rebound for a point-blank score for the only goal of the game.
“Brooke played a great ball in, and I was fortunate to get a piece of it,” Elster said. “I didn’t get it to go in, but luckily Jess was there and she finished it really well.”
The Christmas present in May was a welcome sight for Plainfield North. The Tigers advance to play host Metea Valley, an upset winner over Waubonsie Valley, in the sectional semifinals Tuesday.
Plainfield North coach Jane Crowe didn’t have a bird’s-eye view of the play.
“I didn’t see how the ball landed,” she said. “I saw Sam make the run in and she and the keeper both went for the ball. Jess was in the right spot and finished.
“We said if you just keep going at the goal, something is going to bounce your way, and you’re going to get the opportunity.”
Christmas’ extra effort to finish the play paid off.
“I was just ready,” Christmas said. “I saw Sam going in and was ready for the rebound, and luckily I got it in.”
As for Naperville Central, the play marked a rare flaw shown by either defense all night.
“The two girls (Elster and Christmas) were unmarked, and I don’t know how that happened,” Redhawks coach Ed Watson said. “We lost track of marks.”
For the first time since consecutive 1-0 regional final losses to Metea Valley (2012) and Naperville Central (2011), Plainfield North was back in the tough position of having to defeat an elite Naperville team to advance to sectionals.
This time, the 2015 PepsiCo Showdown runner-up Tigers were ready.
“They were a tough team,” Christmas said of the Redhawks. “We both came out hard and they were good competition, but overall I think that we did a good job.”
Even holding the No. 2 seed against the seventh-seeded Redhawks, the Tigers felt they had something to prove.
“We’re always the underdog,” Christmas said, “so it was nice to come out and win against them, show other teams what we can do and show that we are good competition.”
The two teams were in a tight battle from the start, with both defenses locking the door on any close-in chances.
A typical sequence came 13:30 before halftime. The Tigers’ Abby Gustafson nicely won a 50-50 ball near midfield, but after a foul, Polonus’ 40-yard free kick was intercepted in the box and cleared by the Redhawks’ Mackenzie Sisko.
Plainfield North’s Megan Breier was the focus late in the half. First, her deflection of a bad pass near the Redhawk net with 2:12 left resulted in goalkeeper Dressler barely beating Breier to the loose ball.
Breier was briefly shaken up on that contact near the crease. Then just 38 seconds later, she fell to the field after her attempt to kick the ball near midfield and never returned. Crowe later said she had suffered a broken toe that will likely end her season.
Naperville Central came out of the halftime break rolling, as Amanda Murphy and Meredith Tunney both sent shots just wide of the post in the first two minutes.
But Plainfield North answered 10 minutes later with the best chance of regulation.
Off a pass from Natalie Auble, Elster lined an 18-yard shot from the left side that clanged off the crossbar. An ensuing 10-yard shot on the rebound by Erin Chynoweth went over the net.
“I’ve hit the crossbar it seems like every single game for the last two weeks,” Elster said. “It’s unfortunate, but they’ll go in again someday hopefully.”
Said Crowe: “Sam has hit the crossbar over and over this year. She has such a great shot, and when she hit that (crossbar) I’m thinking, ‘oh no.’ But they kept fighting.”
Much of that fight was repelling Redhawk attacks at the defensive end. Multiple steals or 50-50 wins by Polonus and Emily DeVaux were just part of the success.
“I thought Karsyn Stirrett at an outside back made some really big plays,” Crowe said. “When they got in behind she was able to cover. And Reyse Stirrett in the middle - both of the Stirrett twins played outstanding. And Sam Elster every game does such a good job. I thought our effort overall was very good.”
A great Redhawk threat came with 23:20 left in regulation. A nice send towards the net by Taylor Stenmark connected with Kayla Burke near the left post, whose 6-yard shot was denied by Tiger goalkeeper Emma Veselsky’s diving save.
Naperville defender Caitlin Reice and Tunney made several nice defensive plays to repel the Tigers. Tunney and Kayla Rowan were especially effective at sending dangerous balls to the offensive third.
“They tried playing it over, and we predicted it,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “We just tried to win as many 50-50 balls as we could and not let them get behind us.”
The Tigers had a great chance on Elster’s corner kick into the crease with 19:30 left in regulation. But Dressler nicely reached above the crowd to punch the ball away.
A Rowan-to-Meridith Hannan connection began a Redhawk chance with 4:50 left, which Veselsky denied with her catch of Kirsten Dorgan’s end line cross.
“To be honest with you, both teams had their opportunities but I really liked our second half of the game into the overtime” Watson said, “I felt like we had the majority of the opportunities. But we couldn’t find the one to go in, and it’s too bad. I feel bad for the girls.”
The Redhawks’ grueling regular season schedule (the DVC plus Barrington, St. Charles East, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley) was of little benefit when it came to seeding.
“We played very well,” Watson said. “We deserved better. There’s no way we’re a seven-seed.
“They (Plainfield North) had to beat a very good team to win a regional, and I feel very bad for our girls because if you put us in any other sectional, we’re a one- or a two- (seed). But that’s all sour grapes. You have to score a goal to win a game, and we didn’t do that.”
Crowe agreed about the rough regional road.
“There’s a lot of regionals out there that they’re going to win,” she said. “It’s tough for one of our two teams to lose in that situation.”
Even after Christmas’ goal put the Redhawks in a 1-0 hole, 5:40 remained for Naperville Central to rally.
Instead, the Tigers stayed on the offensive, Natalie Auble had three quality shots in the next three minutes (one a Dressler save of a 22-yarder, then the next two barely wide or high off nice Elster passes).
Naperville Central then mounted a furious last push. A DeVaux steal of a pass in the box with1:25 left ended one threat. That was followed by a Tunney pass to Kincaide that resulted in a 25-yard shot wide left with 20 seconds to go.
The regional title celebration soon followed for the Tigers.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Elster said. “Naperville Central’s a great team. Knowing that we were able to get an accomplishment like that gives us confidence for the rest of the season.
“I think our team chemistry is so great and we all play hard for each other. That’s why we’re so successful.”
“It’s amazing,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “We were kind of worrying about it in the second half and as it went into double overtime, but we finished it and I think we deserved it.”
Her twin sister Reyse had a similar take on the battle with the Redhawks.
“I was really excited for this game,” Reyse Stirrett said. “I knew they would be tough competition, but we gave it our all and we were lucky enough to finish it in the overtime.
“It was really physical, but we didn’t give up at all. I’m proud of our team, and I’m excited to see where we’re going to go.”
Unfortunately for the Redhawks, the season-ending setback also closed great careers for seniors like Tunney, Sisko, Kincaide and Stenmark.
“Anytime a season ends I feel bad for the seniors because they don’t get another crack at it,” Watson said. “It’s a wonderful group of girls. I didn’t expect it to end tonight. I felt we were playing well enough to get through.”
Crowe effectively summed up the feelings when two quality teams clash for 100 minutes of hard fought regional soccer.
“I felt like had we lost at the end, we left everything out there,” Crowe said. “And I think they probably feel the same way, that they left everything out there.”
While enjoying its biggest postseason win ever, the Tigers hope more May celebrations are still to come.
“We need to keep up the intensity and take it game by game, focus on each team and just give our all,” Karsyn Stirrett said. “If we give it that effort I think we’ll go far.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK: Kinzly Dressler
D: Amanda Murphy
D: Meredith Tunney
D: Taylor Stenmark
D: Caitlin Reice
M: Kayla Rowan
M: Alison Kincaide
M: Kirsten Dorgan
M: Isabel Reedy
F: Mackenzie Sisko
F: Meridith Hannan
Plainfield North
GK: Emma Veselsky
D: Brooke Polonus
D: Emily DeVaux
D: Abby Gustafson
D: Karsyn Stirrett
M: Sam Elster
M: Jessica Christmas
M: Reyse Stirrett
M: Renae Blevins
F: Natalie Auble
F: Megan Breier
MVP of the Match: Sam Elster, MF, Plainfield North