Barger’s bomb with time ticking
drives Naperville North over Central
40-yard free kick with 35 seconds left
nets 1-0 win, 'old man' Konrad's 300th win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – With overtime looming, Naperville North midfielder Cam Redeke thought teammate Alex Barger was going to serve his free kick into the penalty area.
Barger, though, had another idea.
The sophomore blasted the ball 40 yards through a gloomy mist and into the net with 35 seconds remaining Tuesday night and gave the host Huskies a 1-0 win over Naperville Central and sole possession of the DuPage Valley Conference lead.
It was yet another fantastic finish in a storied rivalry that has been full of them. While this one was by no means a masterpiece – the teams combined for only five shots – it was memorable and historic.
The result gave Naperville North coach Jim Konrad his 300th-career victory. The milestone was made even sweeter, because it came against the Huskies’ greatest rival.
“If you hang around long enough, the wins pile up, and I’ve been blessed to have a bunch of really good teams, especially the last four or five years,” said Konrad, who is 300-65-29 in his 17th season at the helm. The list of accomplishments include three-consecutive state titles from 2016-18. “They’ve really put up some big numbers in the win category.
“It’s always special competing against Troy (Adams), who I consider a close friend, and Central. We have a really healthy rivalry with them.
“It’s special to do it when Naperville is all together after all this COVID nonsense.
It’s an honor for me, for sure, but it speaks volumes about our program more than it does me.”
The program has produced many special players over the last several decades and Barger is the next in line. The sophomore sensation already has seven goals and five assists in seven games this season, his first as a forward after starting at left back as a freshman and in club.
Teammates and opponents are still getting acquainted with just how good Barger can be and what he can do.
“At first, I thought he was going to whip it in the box and then he ended up just hitting a sweet shot,” Redeke said. “I was at the top of the box and seeing it cross the line was awesome.”
Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Caden Redpath was equally surprised to see the ball end up in the back of the net, but he didn’t feel as good about it.
“It was a hard shot,” Redpath said. “It’s disappointing, because our wall was set up to be there, but he found a way to slip it in there.
“I did everything I could, and it just hit off my hands and went in. It stinks.”
As Konrad noted, the game could have gone either way, but the Huskies (5-2-0, 2-0-0) gradually wore down the Redhawks in the second half, controlled a lot of loose balls and forced center backs Evan Lueckhoff and Evan King to keep busy blocking shots.
Redpath made two saves and North defender Josh Kaufmann narrowly missed the right post on a one-timer from 15 yards after Barger had cut past a defender along the right endline following a short corner kick.
Barger’s free kick wasn’t a high-percentage shot, even though he had a slight wind behind him. He just knew time was melting away.
“I was just hoping to put it on target,” Barger said. “The conditions aren’t the greatest for the keeper and the back line.
“One minute on the clock, you’ve just got to do something with it, so I put it in the back of the net. It’s definitely one I’m going to remember against a great team from the other side of Naperville.”
So will Konrad, who no longer is surprised by Barger’s strong play.
“Alex has been special all year, and he was special again tonight to bail us out with the long-range bomb,” Konrad said. “It could have gone either way. I’m thrilled to get my 300th win.”
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams was not thrilled with his team’s play.
“We got outworked,” Adams said. “They played more physical than we did.
“At the end of the day, if you get outworked and the other team is more physical, you’re going to lose. And that’s what happened the second half.
“The last 30 minutes we did nothing but chase. I don’t know if we need to get stronger or if we need to get more aggressive or if we need to learn how to tackle, but you’re not going to beat many good teams that way.
“They played more aggressive, and I think they wanted it more.”
Redpath didn’t disagree.
“I think our first half was one of our better halves,” Redpath said. “Second half we kind of slowed down and they were able to beat us in the back a little bit and had some more chances and corner kicks. They had a better offensive game the second half.”
As a result, the Redhawks (2-2-3, 2-1-0) now need help from other teams to prevent the Huskies from winning a 28th DVC title. Redeke knew how important this result was.
“It was awesome beating them,” Redeke said. “It’s the biggest game of the year for us, because it puts us in the driver’s seat to win conference.”
A title this year would be an impressive feat considering the Huskies graduated nine starters. Barger and Kaufmann are the only returnees with starting experience.
What's the reason behind the program's success?
“I wouldn’t even say there’s secret sauce,” Barger said. “It’s hard work we’re putting in.”
Konrad has put in a lot of hard work, too, first as a player and then an assistant coach under Dave Bucher at Naperville North, and finally as the program’s boss beginning in 2003. Bucher, who went 367-114-67 in 23 seasons and guided the Huskies to their first state championship in 1998, and Konrad have combined to coach all but four seasons since the program’s inception.
Konrad's career numbers and achievements are staggering. Fifteen of his 16-completed seasons have featured six or fewer losses and 10 campaigns posted four defeats or less. He's had six 20-plus win teams, which include his Huskies championship teams. The 2018 club produced Illinois' first undefeated, untied titleist. From 2017-2019 Naperville North won 45-straight games and was unbeaten in 47 in a row. Naperville North's record during its three-year stranglehold on the state Class 3A title was 74-3-4.
“I came here as a 14-year-old kid, played here for four years,” Konrad said. “It was a heckuva soccer program at that point in my life, and obviously I was drawn to come back and coach here.
“It’s funny how quickly you become an old man. It seemed yesterday I was in my first couple games out here and time’s been flying.
“It’s a neat thing to be able to accomplish it, and I’m chasing down Coach Bucher. He was my coach and someone I really look up to.
“My son (Ryan) is on the team this year so it’s kind of fun to share the moment with him, too.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Caden Redpath
D Mateo Lopez
D Evan King
D Evan Lueckhoff
D Ben Tietjen
M Joshua Weigel
M Sean O’Reilly
M Eric Sonnenschein
M Johnny Kim
FJoseph DeLuca
F Nathan Dodsworth
Naperville North
GK Pablo Jara
D Alex Fisher
D Spencer Gaccione
D Adam Zielke
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Cam Redeke
M Jacob Ryu
M Nikhil Javeri
M Eion Galpin
F Keegan Flaherty
F Alex Barger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Alex Barger, F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Alex Barger
drives Naperville North over Central
40-yard free kick with 35 seconds left
nets 1-0 win, 'old man' Konrad's 300th win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – With overtime looming, Naperville North midfielder Cam Redeke thought teammate Alex Barger was going to serve his free kick into the penalty area.
Barger, though, had another idea.
The sophomore blasted the ball 40 yards through a gloomy mist and into the net with 35 seconds remaining Tuesday night and gave the host Huskies a 1-0 win over Naperville Central and sole possession of the DuPage Valley Conference lead.
It was yet another fantastic finish in a storied rivalry that has been full of them. While this one was by no means a masterpiece – the teams combined for only five shots – it was memorable and historic.
The result gave Naperville North coach Jim Konrad his 300th-career victory. The milestone was made even sweeter, because it came against the Huskies’ greatest rival.
“If you hang around long enough, the wins pile up, and I’ve been blessed to have a bunch of really good teams, especially the last four or five years,” said Konrad, who is 300-65-29 in his 17th season at the helm. The list of accomplishments include three-consecutive state titles from 2016-18. “They’ve really put up some big numbers in the win category.
“It’s always special competing against Troy (Adams), who I consider a close friend, and Central. We have a really healthy rivalry with them.
“It’s special to do it when Naperville is all together after all this COVID nonsense.
It’s an honor for me, for sure, but it speaks volumes about our program more than it does me.”
The program has produced many special players over the last several decades and Barger is the next in line. The sophomore sensation already has seven goals and five assists in seven games this season, his first as a forward after starting at left back as a freshman and in club.
Teammates and opponents are still getting acquainted with just how good Barger can be and what he can do.
“At first, I thought he was going to whip it in the box and then he ended up just hitting a sweet shot,” Redeke said. “I was at the top of the box and seeing it cross the line was awesome.”
Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Caden Redpath was equally surprised to see the ball end up in the back of the net, but he didn’t feel as good about it.
“It was a hard shot,” Redpath said. “It’s disappointing, because our wall was set up to be there, but he found a way to slip it in there.
“I did everything I could, and it just hit off my hands and went in. It stinks.”
As Konrad noted, the game could have gone either way, but the Huskies (5-2-0, 2-0-0) gradually wore down the Redhawks in the second half, controlled a lot of loose balls and forced center backs Evan Lueckhoff and Evan King to keep busy blocking shots.
Redpath made two saves and North defender Josh Kaufmann narrowly missed the right post on a one-timer from 15 yards after Barger had cut past a defender along the right endline following a short corner kick.
Barger’s free kick wasn’t a high-percentage shot, even though he had a slight wind behind him. He just knew time was melting away.
“I was just hoping to put it on target,” Barger said. “The conditions aren’t the greatest for the keeper and the back line.
“One minute on the clock, you’ve just got to do something with it, so I put it in the back of the net. It’s definitely one I’m going to remember against a great team from the other side of Naperville.”
So will Konrad, who no longer is surprised by Barger’s strong play.
“Alex has been special all year, and he was special again tonight to bail us out with the long-range bomb,” Konrad said. “It could have gone either way. I’m thrilled to get my 300th win.”
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams was not thrilled with his team’s play.
“We got outworked,” Adams said. “They played more physical than we did.
“At the end of the day, if you get outworked and the other team is more physical, you’re going to lose. And that’s what happened the second half.
“The last 30 minutes we did nothing but chase. I don’t know if we need to get stronger or if we need to get more aggressive or if we need to learn how to tackle, but you’re not going to beat many good teams that way.
“They played more aggressive, and I think they wanted it more.”
Redpath didn’t disagree.
“I think our first half was one of our better halves,” Redpath said. “Second half we kind of slowed down and they were able to beat us in the back a little bit and had some more chances and corner kicks. They had a better offensive game the second half.”
As a result, the Redhawks (2-2-3, 2-1-0) now need help from other teams to prevent the Huskies from winning a 28th DVC title. Redeke knew how important this result was.
“It was awesome beating them,” Redeke said. “It’s the biggest game of the year for us, because it puts us in the driver’s seat to win conference.”
A title this year would be an impressive feat considering the Huskies graduated nine starters. Barger and Kaufmann are the only returnees with starting experience.
What's the reason behind the program's success?
“I wouldn’t even say there’s secret sauce,” Barger said. “It’s hard work we’re putting in.”
Konrad has put in a lot of hard work, too, first as a player and then an assistant coach under Dave Bucher at Naperville North, and finally as the program’s boss beginning in 2003. Bucher, who went 367-114-67 in 23 seasons and guided the Huskies to their first state championship in 1998, and Konrad have combined to coach all but four seasons since the program’s inception.
Konrad's career numbers and achievements are staggering. Fifteen of his 16-completed seasons have featured six or fewer losses and 10 campaigns posted four defeats or less. He's had six 20-plus win teams, which include his Huskies championship teams. The 2018 club produced Illinois' first undefeated, untied titleist. From 2017-2019 Naperville North won 45-straight games and was unbeaten in 47 in a row. Naperville North's record during its three-year stranglehold on the state Class 3A title was 74-3-4.
“I came here as a 14-year-old kid, played here for four years,” Konrad said. “It was a heckuva soccer program at that point in my life, and obviously I was drawn to come back and coach here.
“It’s funny how quickly you become an old man. It seemed yesterday I was in my first couple games out here and time’s been flying.
“It’s a neat thing to be able to accomplish it, and I’m chasing down Coach Bucher. He was my coach and someone I really look up to.
“My son (Ryan) is on the team this year so it’s kind of fun to share the moment with him, too.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Caden Redpath
D Mateo Lopez
D Evan King
D Evan Lueckhoff
D Ben Tietjen
M Joshua Weigel
M Sean O’Reilly
M Eric Sonnenschein
M Johnny Kim
FJoseph DeLuca
F Nathan Dodsworth
Naperville North
GK Pablo Jara
D Alex Fisher
D Spencer Gaccione
D Adam Zielke
M Tyson Amoo-Mensah
M Cam Redeke
M Jacob Ryu
M Nikhil Javeri
M Eion Galpin
F Keegan Flaherty
F Alex Barger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Alex Barger, F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Alex Barger