O’Connor’s dramatic OT save
keeps Napervilles knotted
Central GK's leaping deflection with 3 ticks left preserves 1-1 draw
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Branch Rickey once said baseball is a game of inches.
He would have said the same thing about soccer had he still been alive to watch the ending of Thursday’s DuPage Valley Conference showdown between Naperville North and Naperville Central.
Naperville Central goalkeeper Abby O’Connor stands 69 inches tall, and she needed every last 1/16th of an inch to tip a drive from Emily Dulik into the crossbar with 3 seconds remaining in the second overtime, thus preserving a 1-1 tie.
The fantastic finish to another superlative battle between the crosstown rivals started with a free kick beyond midfield, continued with a wide-open Dulik ripping a shot from 17 yards and ended with O’Connor leaping as high as she could to deflect it off the woodwork.
Naperville Central forward Emma Irle, whose 23-yard free kick at the 19:49 mark of the first half gave the Redhawks (3-1-2, 1-0-1) a lead that would stand for 48 minutes, called the play “an insane save.”
It left Dulik holding her head in disbelief and O’Connor – and all of her teammates breathing a sigh of relief.
“It felt very, very close,” O’Connor said. “I was very stressed out.
“It is the last milliseconds of the game, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘All you have to do is not let it go in, just don’t let it go in.’
“It was the heat of the moment. Very grateful for fingertips.”
The Redhawks, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, could be forgiven for feeling less than satisfied at a game they could have won after leading until the 69th minute. But they’re also fortunate not to lose, as the host and no. 5 Huskies showed true grit in overcoming disappointment and a determined and highly talented foe to nearly pull out an unlikely win.
“I would say ties are the worst because you felt so close, you were right there, especially in this game,” said O’Connor, who made four saves in the second half after fellow junior Trinity Strang stopped two shots in the first half. “We had multiple opportunities, especially in overtime.
“But I’m still incredibly proud of my team for grinding it out for an extra 20 minutes, especially against our crosstown rival. I know how stressful and intense that can be.”
The last-second play wasn’t the first intense moment O’Connor experienced, or the first time she denied Dulik.
With the Huskies (2-0-1, 2-0-1) trailing 1-0, Dulik had a golden opportunity to get the equalizer when North was awarded a penalty kick with 35:47 to go in the second half. But O’Connor lunged to her left to make the save.
The rebound popped out to the left of Dulik, who got to the ball under pressure from two defenders, but fired the rebound over the crossbar.
“Honestly, I know the player from previous matches,” O’Connor said. “I know she’s a righty; and I know she tends to swing across her body, because she’s a power shooter and not a placement shooter.
“So, I just guessed right, and I had a little bit of luck on my side.”
Hard-fought matches like nearly all of the North-Central tilts sometimes are decided by luck, but winners also make their own luck. So it was on both goals which came from nearly identical spots on the field.
Irle’s free kick from outside the top left corner of the 18 curled over the head of North goalkeeper Rosy Viton and tucked inside the right post.
“Obviously, I did not know if that was going in or not until it barely went in,” Irle said. “(Naperville Central coach Ed) Watson just told me to hit it at the scoreboard because the wind was coming up. I was like, ‘OK.’”
The Loyola-bound Irle is arguably Central’s most dangerous player – and certainly its fastest – but she usually does most of her damage during the run of play.
“I never take free kicks anymore,” Irle said. “The last time I scored was against North two years ago, so I was really working up for this game because we have this big reputation of never having won against North since I’ve been in school.
“So we need to win. We need to finish it, because I just want to be able to go home and be like, ‘Oh, we finally beat them.’”
While that didn’t happen, the impatience is understandable. After all, this match was played nine years and one day after the last time the Redhawks beat North, a shootout win in the final of the Naperville Invitational in 2012, ironically a year in which the Huskies won the state championship.
While the two sides have played plenty of close games since then, including several ties and overtime decisions, the Huskies have emerged unscathed.
Watson knows why it happened this time.
“We allowed them to get the ball out of bounds deep, and they’re very good at those restarts,” Watson said. “We didn’t do the job that we needed to do to clear the ball; and that’s how the goal was scored, and that’s how the penalty kick happened.
“It was all generated out of not clearing the ball out of our end. So obviously that’s what we’re going to be working on to help them get better.
“But I’m pretty pleased with how the girls played today, and I’m sure they’re pleased with how they played.”
So, too, are the Huskies, who got a notable goal of their own from junior defender Leah Jacobs with 11:57 remaining in regulation. The Redhawks couldn’t clear a corner kick and the ball came out to Jacobs, who one-timed a 23-yard shot inside the right post for the equalizer.
“One of my teammates, I believe it was Taylor Korosec but I’m not positive, played it back to me, and I just saw an opportunity and just tried to hit it far post,” said Jacobs, who was playing just her third varsity game. “It just goes to show the energy that our team has.
“We all worked for each other for the whole 100 minutes, and it was a great response after conceding the first goal. It was just a great team effort overall.”
And it came from all levels of the field. Dulik, Korosec and Cameron DeCook turned up the heat on Central’s defense, while the midfield led by Cameron Dinkla, Madison Korosec and Nora Fitzgerald gradually gained the upper hand after intermission.
And goalkeeper Abby Haskell, who relieved Viton at halftime, came up with a game-saving play at the 3:55 mark of the first overtime, coming out to the edge of the 6 to make a reflex save on Molly O’Rear’s snap-shot from near the penalty spot that came after a long ball over the top of the defense.
“Any time you play Central it’s going to be a fantastic game,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Tonight was no different.
“I thought they’ve got an unbelievably talented group, and I feel that we’ve got a great group as well. They took it to us in the first 15-20 minutes.
“The wind kicked up really bad, and the girl buries a free kick. They had a couple other chances that they could have capitalized on, but I thought for the last 60 minutes we were all over them, deserved to at least get one goal.
“The resolve of the group to go down one goal, miss a PK and continue to fight shows what kind of group this is. Even though we’re never satisfied with a tie, I think we did a lot of good things today.
“I’m happy for the kids to be able to come out here and represent the school, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they represented us tonight.”
Irle was proud of how the Redhawks represented.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do, but I think we definitely brought it out tonight,” Irle said. “It would have been nice to win, but it was nice to keep it 1-1 and not lose.”
The best part is the Huskies and Redhawks will play again at Memorial Stadium on May 18. Because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, DVC teams are playing each other twice this season, meaning the league race is far from over.
O’Connor vows that the result will be different next time.
“I think we learned that it’s time for North’s victory ride to end and that we’re going to be the ones to do it,” O’Connor said. “And next game when we come back, we’re going to come back faster and stronger, and we’re going to send them home.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Trinity Strang
D Samantha Sharp
D Malia Velker
D Ella Burke
D Sophia Skoubis
M Katie Dalton
M Sullivan Schubel
M Megan Norkett
F Emma Irle
F Molly O’Rear
F Lauren Thorne
Naperville North
GK Rosy Viton
D Leah Jacobs
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
D Ellie Gerner
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
M Nora Fitzgerald
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
F Emily Dulik
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby O’Connor, jr., GK, Naperville Central.
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville Central – Emma Irle 19:49 remaining
Second half
Naperville North – Leah Jacobs 11:57 remaining
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
keeps Napervilles knotted
Central GK's leaping deflection with 3 ticks left preserves 1-1 draw
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Branch Rickey once said baseball is a game of inches.
He would have said the same thing about soccer had he still been alive to watch the ending of Thursday’s DuPage Valley Conference showdown between Naperville North and Naperville Central.
Naperville Central goalkeeper Abby O’Connor stands 69 inches tall, and she needed every last 1/16th of an inch to tip a drive from Emily Dulik into the crossbar with 3 seconds remaining in the second overtime, thus preserving a 1-1 tie.
The fantastic finish to another superlative battle between the crosstown rivals started with a free kick beyond midfield, continued with a wide-open Dulik ripping a shot from 17 yards and ended with O’Connor leaping as high as she could to deflect it off the woodwork.
Naperville Central forward Emma Irle, whose 23-yard free kick at the 19:49 mark of the first half gave the Redhawks (3-1-2, 1-0-1) a lead that would stand for 48 minutes, called the play “an insane save.”
It left Dulik holding her head in disbelief and O’Connor – and all of her teammates breathing a sigh of relief.
“It felt very, very close,” O’Connor said. “I was very stressed out.
“It is the last milliseconds of the game, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘All you have to do is not let it go in, just don’t let it go in.’
“It was the heat of the moment. Very grateful for fingertips.”
The Redhawks, ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, could be forgiven for feeling less than satisfied at a game they could have won after leading until the 69th minute. But they’re also fortunate not to lose, as the host and no. 5 Huskies showed true grit in overcoming disappointment and a determined and highly talented foe to nearly pull out an unlikely win.
“I would say ties are the worst because you felt so close, you were right there, especially in this game,” said O’Connor, who made four saves in the second half after fellow junior Trinity Strang stopped two shots in the first half. “We had multiple opportunities, especially in overtime.
“But I’m still incredibly proud of my team for grinding it out for an extra 20 minutes, especially against our crosstown rival. I know how stressful and intense that can be.”
The last-second play wasn’t the first intense moment O’Connor experienced, or the first time she denied Dulik.
With the Huskies (2-0-1, 2-0-1) trailing 1-0, Dulik had a golden opportunity to get the equalizer when North was awarded a penalty kick with 35:47 to go in the second half. But O’Connor lunged to her left to make the save.
The rebound popped out to the left of Dulik, who got to the ball under pressure from two defenders, but fired the rebound over the crossbar.
“Honestly, I know the player from previous matches,” O’Connor said. “I know she’s a righty; and I know she tends to swing across her body, because she’s a power shooter and not a placement shooter.
“So, I just guessed right, and I had a little bit of luck on my side.”
Hard-fought matches like nearly all of the North-Central tilts sometimes are decided by luck, but winners also make their own luck. So it was on both goals which came from nearly identical spots on the field.
Irle’s free kick from outside the top left corner of the 18 curled over the head of North goalkeeper Rosy Viton and tucked inside the right post.
“Obviously, I did not know if that was going in or not until it barely went in,” Irle said. “(Naperville Central coach Ed) Watson just told me to hit it at the scoreboard because the wind was coming up. I was like, ‘OK.’”
The Loyola-bound Irle is arguably Central’s most dangerous player – and certainly its fastest – but she usually does most of her damage during the run of play.
“I never take free kicks anymore,” Irle said. “The last time I scored was against North two years ago, so I was really working up for this game because we have this big reputation of never having won against North since I’ve been in school.
“So we need to win. We need to finish it, because I just want to be able to go home and be like, ‘Oh, we finally beat them.’”
While that didn’t happen, the impatience is understandable. After all, this match was played nine years and one day after the last time the Redhawks beat North, a shootout win in the final of the Naperville Invitational in 2012, ironically a year in which the Huskies won the state championship.
While the two sides have played plenty of close games since then, including several ties and overtime decisions, the Huskies have emerged unscathed.
Watson knows why it happened this time.
“We allowed them to get the ball out of bounds deep, and they’re very good at those restarts,” Watson said. “We didn’t do the job that we needed to do to clear the ball; and that’s how the goal was scored, and that’s how the penalty kick happened.
“It was all generated out of not clearing the ball out of our end. So obviously that’s what we’re going to be working on to help them get better.
“But I’m pretty pleased with how the girls played today, and I’m sure they’re pleased with how they played.”
So, too, are the Huskies, who got a notable goal of their own from junior defender Leah Jacobs with 11:57 remaining in regulation. The Redhawks couldn’t clear a corner kick and the ball came out to Jacobs, who one-timed a 23-yard shot inside the right post for the equalizer.
“One of my teammates, I believe it was Taylor Korosec but I’m not positive, played it back to me, and I just saw an opportunity and just tried to hit it far post,” said Jacobs, who was playing just her third varsity game. “It just goes to show the energy that our team has.
“We all worked for each other for the whole 100 minutes, and it was a great response after conceding the first goal. It was just a great team effort overall.”
And it came from all levels of the field. Dulik, Korosec and Cameron DeCook turned up the heat on Central’s defense, while the midfield led by Cameron Dinkla, Madison Korosec and Nora Fitzgerald gradually gained the upper hand after intermission.
And goalkeeper Abby Haskell, who relieved Viton at halftime, came up with a game-saving play at the 3:55 mark of the first overtime, coming out to the edge of the 6 to make a reflex save on Molly O’Rear’s snap-shot from near the penalty spot that came after a long ball over the top of the defense.
“Any time you play Central it’s going to be a fantastic game,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Tonight was no different.
“I thought they’ve got an unbelievably talented group, and I feel that we’ve got a great group as well. They took it to us in the first 15-20 minutes.
“The wind kicked up really bad, and the girl buries a free kick. They had a couple other chances that they could have capitalized on, but I thought for the last 60 minutes we were all over them, deserved to at least get one goal.
“The resolve of the group to go down one goal, miss a PK and continue to fight shows what kind of group this is. Even though we’re never satisfied with a tie, I think we did a lot of good things today.
“I’m happy for the kids to be able to come out here and represent the school, and I couldn’t be prouder of how they represented us tonight.”
Irle was proud of how the Redhawks represented.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do, but I think we definitely brought it out tonight,” Irle said. “It would have been nice to win, but it was nice to keep it 1-1 and not lose.”
The best part is the Huskies and Redhawks will play again at Memorial Stadium on May 18. Because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions, DVC teams are playing each other twice this season, meaning the league race is far from over.
O’Connor vows that the result will be different next time.
“I think we learned that it’s time for North’s victory ride to end and that we’re going to be the ones to do it,” O’Connor said. “And next game when we come back, we’re going to come back faster and stronger, and we’re going to send them home.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Trinity Strang
D Samantha Sharp
D Malia Velker
D Ella Burke
D Sophia Skoubis
M Katie Dalton
M Sullivan Schubel
M Megan Norkett
F Emma Irle
F Molly O’Rear
F Lauren Thorne
Naperville North
GK Rosy Viton
D Leah Jacobs
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
D Ellie Gerner
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
M Nora Fitzgerald
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
F Emily Dulik
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby O’Connor, jr., GK, Naperville Central.
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville Central – Emma Irle 19:49 remaining
Second half
Naperville North – Leah Jacobs 11:57 remaining
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring