It's 1 and won for Naperville Central
against Wheaton Warrenville South
Redhawks trend holds up in 1-0 DVC win
Matt LeCren
WHEATON -- Caitlin Reice has been starting on Naperville Central’s backline for four years, so she knows the drill.
Make a mistake that leads to a goal and there is a good chance the Redhawks will lose.
On one hand, that puts a lot of pressure on defenders. On the other, it precludes them from getting bored.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency in the back because we know without scoring so many goals, we really have to keep it out of our end,” Reice said. “So I don’t think there is a bad pressure; it’s just knowing that we really need to work hard 100 percent of the time.”
Naperville Central historically has been one of the best defensive teams in the area. The Redhawks’ offensive struggles are also no secret.
So when Caroline Reedy scored her first goal of the season Monday night against Wheaton Warrenville South, the defenders rejoiced right along with her.
“It’s great to have that sense of momentum going into the second half, which we haven’t had lately,” Reice said. “It’s usually been tied at the half, so it’s good for us. We know we can kind of relax a little bit and just play our game.”
That game is a scrappy style of defense that is hard to break down, especially when the Redhawks are sitting on a lead.
Wheaton Warrenville South couldn’t break down that defense and was knocked from the ranks of the DuPage Valley Conference unbeatens as the Redhawks eked out a 1-0 victory at Red Grange Field.
“I guess we’ve continued our streak of if we score (we) don’t (lose),” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “Scoring the first goal helps. It was a nice finish by Reedy.”
The sophomore broke through with 1:28 to go in the first half. Katie Anderson lobbed a pass over the defense to Reedy, who was open in the middle of the box.
She settled the ball and rifled a 15-yard drive top shelf. It stood up as her first career game-winner.
“Meredith McGuire brought it from the midfield,” Reedy said. “She played an amazing ball, and Katie Anderson did a great job of moving some defenders out of the way so that I could have the hit.
“It was great. I’m glad I was able to help the team get another win.”
Nearly two-thirds of the way through the regular season, the Redhawks (6-5-2, 3-2-0) have shown a consistency in their results. Naperville Central is 6-0-2 when scoring at least one goal and all six of its wins have been by shutout. The Redhawks have needed great defense to win -- three of their victories have come by 1-0 margins and two others were 2-0 games.
Conversely, each defeat has come via a shutout.
“I think consistency is definitely key for us at this point,” Reice said. “It’s just focus, and I think confidence as well.
“We have a younger team, so it’s just making sure that everyone knows that we’re capable of staying with every team that we play. We just need to stay consistent.”
So far, the Redhawks have been consistently inconsistent. They have yet to win consecutive games but have lost back-to-back games only once.
Which team shows up is anyone’s guess, as evidenced by last week’s results. The Redhawks suffered one-sided losses to Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley sandwiched around a 1-0 win over Waubonsie Valley.
How do they deal with the ups and downs?
“I think it’s a lot of teamwork and encouraging each other and once we get one in the back of the net, we’re going to want to get more,” Reedy said. “I think all of us really wanted to win, and all of us worked hard for it today.”
Reedy nearly bagged a second goal with 16:40 to go in the second half. Her 12-yard shot from the right side of the Tigers’ box got past goalkeeper Abbie Brennan and was headed inside the far post, but Wheaton Warrenville South’s Emily Calloway cleared it off the line.
The Tigers (5-4-0, 2-1-0) attacked with a little more vigor after that but the Redhawks backline was unyielding. That came as no surprise to Reedy.
“There’s been a lot of changes with the lineup, but we’ve got a solid backline,” Reedy said. “So I don’t think we can do much better than what we have.”
She’ll get no argument from Tigers coach Guy Callipari, whose team put only one shot on goal against Redhawks goalkeeper Kinzly Dressler.
The Tigers’ only solid chance came at the 34:50 mark of the second half. Sophomore Allie Anderson teed up a 30-yard free kick from the right wing, but the shot hit the crossbar and caromed away.
“You’ve just got to give credit where credit is due here,” Callipari said. “I think Naperville Central is very organized.
“They are stiff opposition defensively. They’re strong. They work really hard on the body just trying to get you off-balance a little bit. Every time we’d try to get into a little bit of rhythm, they always tried to interfere with that process.
“And they got the one they needed, and that’s been their fingerprint all season as well as ours. So it was a matter of who was going to get that first goal and then who was going to sit back a little bit and defend.”
The Tigers have defended well. They have conceded only eight goals, winning two games by shutout and losing three in similar fashion.
Monday, Wheaton Warrenville South’s only brief lapse was costly.
“We didn’t clear well enough and (Reedy) is there, she settled it and looked up and had good placement,” Callipari said. “She did well with it.”
But Callipari has been pleased overall with the Tigers’ slow but steady progress. The team returned only a few full-time starters.
“I am proud of the fact that in the last 25 minutes we transitioned through three formations. I thought they did a nice job with organization and their understanding of their roles and managing the game and trying to create opportunities while playing against the clock as well as the opposition,” Callipari said. “For young kids that’s really tough to do. I didn’t think there was panic. There was understanding.”
The Tigers’ backline, led by senior Julia Hildebrand and fellow returning starter Maria Dohse, has been as formidable as it is young. Dohse and Maddie Monaco, who had two sensational blocked shots, are sophomores.
“We’ve been playing pretty good,” Monaco said. “We’ve been working really hard because usually we’re the smallest team out there, so we’ve been playing really tough and giving it our all.
“From our first game we’ve definitely come a long way, and I think we still have so much more to come.”
Callipari thinks the same of Monaco, a varsity rookie.
“She’s a kid that doesn’t play all year-round but you can tell that athletically she is certainly capable. And she’s hungry, and she’s very intense,” Callipari said.
“Her technical ability in transition, we’re looking for that to improve as she gets more comfortable with playing time.
“She’s coming off a slight injury and didn’t play much in the last week and a half so this is new minutes for her in a starting role, and I thought she accepted the responsibility well and played well.”
Despite the loss, the Tigers are still in the DVC race. They will take a break from league play when they travel to Springfield to play three games in 24 hours in the Cyclone Invitational at Sacred Heart-Griffin.
“It didn’t work out for us tonight, but they’re young and we’ll just keep on working,” Callipari said. “You can tell they’re not deflated. They’re defeated, but not deflated.
“We’ve got Springfield. I know they’re excited about that. We’re playing some opposition we never see and the overnight is always exciting for them. We’ve got some things to look forward to, and we’ll try to get back in the hunt in the DVC.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Kinzly Dressler
D Grace Anderson
D Caitlin Reice
D Sarah Avery
D Maggie Hillman
M Abigail Hillman
M Madison Redeker
M Meridith Hannan
M Meredith McGuire
F Caroline Reedy
F Katie Anderson
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Julia Hildebrand
D Claire Kiple
D Maria Dohse
D Maddie Monaco
M Emily Calloway
M Evelyn Demsher
M Ellery Fahey
M Allie Anderson
F Audrey Siebert
F Paige Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Caroline Reedy, so., F, Naperville Central
against Wheaton Warrenville South
Redhawks trend holds up in 1-0 DVC win
Matt LeCren
WHEATON -- Caitlin Reice has been starting on Naperville Central’s backline for four years, so she knows the drill.
Make a mistake that leads to a goal and there is a good chance the Redhawks will lose.
On one hand, that puts a lot of pressure on defenders. On the other, it precludes them from getting bored.
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency in the back because we know without scoring so many goals, we really have to keep it out of our end,” Reice said. “So I don’t think there is a bad pressure; it’s just knowing that we really need to work hard 100 percent of the time.”
Naperville Central historically has been one of the best defensive teams in the area. The Redhawks’ offensive struggles are also no secret.
So when Caroline Reedy scored her first goal of the season Monday night against Wheaton Warrenville South, the defenders rejoiced right along with her.
“It’s great to have that sense of momentum going into the second half, which we haven’t had lately,” Reice said. “It’s usually been tied at the half, so it’s good for us. We know we can kind of relax a little bit and just play our game.”
That game is a scrappy style of defense that is hard to break down, especially when the Redhawks are sitting on a lead.
Wheaton Warrenville South couldn’t break down that defense and was knocked from the ranks of the DuPage Valley Conference unbeatens as the Redhawks eked out a 1-0 victory at Red Grange Field.
“I guess we’ve continued our streak of if we score (we) don’t (lose),” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “Scoring the first goal helps. It was a nice finish by Reedy.”
The sophomore broke through with 1:28 to go in the first half. Katie Anderson lobbed a pass over the defense to Reedy, who was open in the middle of the box.
She settled the ball and rifled a 15-yard drive top shelf. It stood up as her first career game-winner.
“Meredith McGuire brought it from the midfield,” Reedy said. “She played an amazing ball, and Katie Anderson did a great job of moving some defenders out of the way so that I could have the hit.
“It was great. I’m glad I was able to help the team get another win.”
Nearly two-thirds of the way through the regular season, the Redhawks (6-5-2, 3-2-0) have shown a consistency in their results. Naperville Central is 6-0-2 when scoring at least one goal and all six of its wins have been by shutout. The Redhawks have needed great defense to win -- three of their victories have come by 1-0 margins and two others were 2-0 games.
Conversely, each defeat has come via a shutout.
“I think consistency is definitely key for us at this point,” Reice said. “It’s just focus, and I think confidence as well.
“We have a younger team, so it’s just making sure that everyone knows that we’re capable of staying with every team that we play. We just need to stay consistent.”
So far, the Redhawks have been consistently inconsistent. They have yet to win consecutive games but have lost back-to-back games only once.
Which team shows up is anyone’s guess, as evidenced by last week’s results. The Redhawks suffered one-sided losses to Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley sandwiched around a 1-0 win over Waubonsie Valley.
How do they deal with the ups and downs?
“I think it’s a lot of teamwork and encouraging each other and once we get one in the back of the net, we’re going to want to get more,” Reedy said. “I think all of us really wanted to win, and all of us worked hard for it today.”
Reedy nearly bagged a second goal with 16:40 to go in the second half. Her 12-yard shot from the right side of the Tigers’ box got past goalkeeper Abbie Brennan and was headed inside the far post, but Wheaton Warrenville South’s Emily Calloway cleared it off the line.
The Tigers (5-4-0, 2-1-0) attacked with a little more vigor after that but the Redhawks backline was unyielding. That came as no surprise to Reedy.
“There’s been a lot of changes with the lineup, but we’ve got a solid backline,” Reedy said. “So I don’t think we can do much better than what we have.”
She’ll get no argument from Tigers coach Guy Callipari, whose team put only one shot on goal against Redhawks goalkeeper Kinzly Dressler.
The Tigers’ only solid chance came at the 34:50 mark of the second half. Sophomore Allie Anderson teed up a 30-yard free kick from the right wing, but the shot hit the crossbar and caromed away.
“You’ve just got to give credit where credit is due here,” Callipari said. “I think Naperville Central is very organized.
“They are stiff opposition defensively. They’re strong. They work really hard on the body just trying to get you off-balance a little bit. Every time we’d try to get into a little bit of rhythm, they always tried to interfere with that process.
“And they got the one they needed, and that’s been their fingerprint all season as well as ours. So it was a matter of who was going to get that first goal and then who was going to sit back a little bit and defend.”
The Tigers have defended well. They have conceded only eight goals, winning two games by shutout and losing three in similar fashion.
Monday, Wheaton Warrenville South’s only brief lapse was costly.
“We didn’t clear well enough and (Reedy) is there, she settled it and looked up and had good placement,” Callipari said. “She did well with it.”
But Callipari has been pleased overall with the Tigers’ slow but steady progress. The team returned only a few full-time starters.
“I am proud of the fact that in the last 25 minutes we transitioned through three formations. I thought they did a nice job with organization and their understanding of their roles and managing the game and trying to create opportunities while playing against the clock as well as the opposition,” Callipari said. “For young kids that’s really tough to do. I didn’t think there was panic. There was understanding.”
The Tigers’ backline, led by senior Julia Hildebrand and fellow returning starter Maria Dohse, has been as formidable as it is young. Dohse and Maddie Monaco, who had two sensational blocked shots, are sophomores.
“We’ve been playing pretty good,” Monaco said. “We’ve been working really hard because usually we’re the smallest team out there, so we’ve been playing really tough and giving it our all.
“From our first game we’ve definitely come a long way, and I think we still have so much more to come.”
Callipari thinks the same of Monaco, a varsity rookie.
“She’s a kid that doesn’t play all year-round but you can tell that athletically she is certainly capable. And she’s hungry, and she’s very intense,” Callipari said.
“Her technical ability in transition, we’re looking for that to improve as she gets more comfortable with playing time.
“She’s coming off a slight injury and didn’t play much in the last week and a half so this is new minutes for her in a starting role, and I thought she accepted the responsibility well and played well.”
Despite the loss, the Tigers are still in the DVC race. They will take a break from league play when they travel to Springfield to play three games in 24 hours in the Cyclone Invitational at Sacred Heart-Griffin.
“It didn’t work out for us tonight, but they’re young and we’ll just keep on working,” Callipari said. “You can tell they’re not deflated. They’re defeated, but not deflated.
“We’ve got Springfield. I know they’re excited about that. We’re playing some opposition we never see and the overnight is always exciting for them. We’ve got some things to look forward to, and we’ll try to get back in the hunt in the DVC.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Kinzly Dressler
D Grace Anderson
D Caitlin Reice
D Sarah Avery
D Maggie Hillman
M Abigail Hillman
M Madison Redeker
M Meridith Hannan
M Meredith McGuire
F Caroline Reedy
F Katie Anderson
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Julia Hildebrand
D Claire Kiple
D Maria Dohse
D Maddie Monaco
M Emily Calloway
M Evelyn Demsher
M Ellery Fahey
M Allie Anderson
F Audrey Siebert
F Paige Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Caroline Reedy, so., F, Naperville Central