Shumate gives Naperville North edge over Naperville Central in DuPage Valley finale
Junior's goal and assist lead the way in 2-1 Senior Night win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Like her teammates, Naperville North sophomore Emily Dulik was a little down in the dumps after Tuesday’s 1-0 upset loss to Metea Valley knocked the Huskies out of the DuPage Valley Conference race.
But she knew there wasn’t much time to feel sorry because a visit from crosstown rival Naperville Central was coming just 24 hours later. If that wasn’t enough incentive, Wednesday night’s match had even more special meaning for the Huskies, who are ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“It was hard last night, but we knew (tonight) was Senior Night,” Dulik said. “We wanted to do it for the seniors, so we just gave it everything we’ve got. We left it all on the field, and we did our very best.”
Dulik did her part, scoring her first varsity goal off an assist from junior Leah Shumate midway through the second half. That goal turned out to be the game-winner as the Huskies held on for a ragged 2-1 victory.
The decisive play came with 24:07 remaining. Shumate whipped a corner kick in from the right side, and Dulik redirected it toward the lower right corner of the net.
Naperville Central goalkeeper Amber Hunter stopped the seven-yard shot but couldn’t hang on to the spinning ball, which trickled over the line.
“Leah played a really great ball, and it was coming so hard across the net,” Dulik said. “So I just tried to get anything I had on it and put it towards the goal. It went in.”
After struggling for most of the match, the Huskies (8-5-3, 2-1-1) regained their equilibrium after Dulik’s goal. They weren’t crisp offensively but managed to control the action.
“The first part of the second half, I don’t know if we were tired or whatever,” Shumate said. “But then we really came to play. Once we got that second goal, I felt like we kept our momentum.
“(Beating Central) is probably one of the best things to do, especially at your home field against your rivals. That gets us ready for the playoffs.”
Shumate was one of the few players to generate any offense. She took all five of North’s corner kicks and most of the free kicks, including a 37-yard rocket into the wind that snuck under the crossbar to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead at the 6:42 mark of the first half.
Shumate had to wait a few minutes before she could celebrate because the whistle did not blow right away even though the ball hit the underside of the top netting before caroming straight down.
The no-call touched off a scramble in front in which Katie Murphy booted the ball off Hunter and just over the goal line.
After two conferences between the center official and linesman, North was awarded the goal.
“I had to make sure to hit it hard, because we were going into the wind,” Shumate said. “If it wasn’t going in itself, Katie Murphy was there to finish it. So either way, we were set.”
But not for long.
The Redhawks (8-8-1, 1-3-0) equalized when junior Liz Barker scored with 2:37 remaining. Loyola-bound senior Abbey Hillman raced into the right side of the box before crossing in front to Barker, who volleyed it in.
“It was so awesome,” Barker said. “It was actually my first goal of the season, so it was a really good feeling.
“Me and Abbey Hillman have been playing together for a really long time, so getting the assist from her was an awesome feeling.”
But it was the only such feeling for the Redhawks, who like the Huskies unleashed 10 shots. But North goalie Amanda Johnson made four saves and the Redhawks sent several dangerous free kick opportunities over the crossbar.
“Our effort was good,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “Our execution was horrible.
“We gave them too many restarts, and we squandered all of ours.”
That’s been a common if uncomfortable theme for the Redhawks this season. They did not rally a second time, though sophomore defender Emma Irle nearly got the equalizer on a heady play with 15:35 to go.
North was called for a foul just outside the top of the box. Irle opted for a quick restart and sent her 22-yard free kick around the defensive wall, but Johnson lunged to her right to make the save.
“We really thought we were going to tie it up, but we just couldn’t get that (second goal),” Barker said. “It’s really disappointing.
“We lose to North every year, but it’s always a hard-fought game. This was a good game. Everyone worked hard, and we all thought we were going to get the outcome we wanted, but we didn’t.”
Naperville North got its result, and they did it without captain Reilly Riggs. The Northwestern-bound defender suffered a concussion in the loss to Metea and was ruled out for the final two regular-season games.
But North’s defense was still strong. Senior Avery Kotrba stepped in for Riggs and did an admirable job. That helped the Huskies settle down.
“At first we were really anxious,” Dulik said. “The ball was up in the air.
“The thing for us was to relax, play our game and stick to what we know we can do and that’s just connecting passes and getting forward and trying to get shots on goal.”
Goletz, whose team has played arguably the toughest schedule in the state, was pleased to see the Huskies grind out a win when they weren’t at their best.
“It’s tough when you know you’ve knocked yourself out of the conference championship the night before, then we lose our captain and center back, Reilly Riggs, to a concussion last night,” Goletz said. “There’s a lot of emotion that goes into that, and I challenged them.
“Their effort and their enthusiasm and their ability to fight game in and game out of an impossible schedule that we put together has been impressive.
“There’s some games that we’ve dropped at times and some games that we might have squeaked out that we probably weren’t the better team in, so I think it’s kind of evened itself out.”
Despite the pedestrian win-loss record, the Huskies are the no. 1 seed at the Class 3A East Aurora Sectional, which begins with regional action next Tuesday. Second-seeded and 10th-ranked Neuqua Valley and third-seeded and 14th-ranked Waubonsie Valley have better records and are playing well, but Goletz knows the Huskies, while vulnerable, will be tough to knock out.
“Whatever happens in the playoffs, I know these guys are battle-tested,” Goletz said. “We know they’re willing to give us everything they have.
“Tonight was a gritty effort. It wasn’t a great game, ton of fouls, no flow but we did a great job of limiting chances.
“I think there’s so much parity this year. I think we can hang with anybody. But at the same time, we’ve shown we can drop games that we shouldn’t drop. The girls understand that.”
And they are ready.
“We’re confident,” Dulik said. “The past is in the past. We’re going to play our very hardest and give it all we’ve got.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Amber Hunter
D Emma Irle
D Grace Anderson
D Malia Velker
D Abbie Hillman
D Sophia Skoubis
D Caroline Giannone
M Sullivan Schubel
M Maddie Mills
F Sarah Scoles
F Caroline Reedy
Naperville North
GK Amanda Johnson
D Avery Kotrba
D Paige Sylvester
D Jordan Leonard
D Emily Magee
M Maddie Schlecht
M Leah Shumate
M Taylor Klaiber
F Hannah Martin
F Emily Dulik
F Katie Murphy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leah Shumate, jr., Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
NN – Leah Shumate 6:42
NC – Liz Barker (Abbey Hillman) 2:37
Second Half
NN – Emily Dulik (Shumate) 24:07
Junior's goal and assist lead the way in 2-1 Senior Night win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Like her teammates, Naperville North sophomore Emily Dulik was a little down in the dumps after Tuesday’s 1-0 upset loss to Metea Valley knocked the Huskies out of the DuPage Valley Conference race.
But she knew there wasn’t much time to feel sorry because a visit from crosstown rival Naperville Central was coming just 24 hours later. If that wasn’t enough incentive, Wednesday night’s match had even more special meaning for the Huskies, who are ranked no. 8 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“It was hard last night, but we knew (tonight) was Senior Night,” Dulik said. “We wanted to do it for the seniors, so we just gave it everything we’ve got. We left it all on the field, and we did our very best.”
Dulik did her part, scoring her first varsity goal off an assist from junior Leah Shumate midway through the second half. That goal turned out to be the game-winner as the Huskies held on for a ragged 2-1 victory.
The decisive play came with 24:07 remaining. Shumate whipped a corner kick in from the right side, and Dulik redirected it toward the lower right corner of the net.
Naperville Central goalkeeper Amber Hunter stopped the seven-yard shot but couldn’t hang on to the spinning ball, which trickled over the line.
“Leah played a really great ball, and it was coming so hard across the net,” Dulik said. “So I just tried to get anything I had on it and put it towards the goal. It went in.”
After struggling for most of the match, the Huskies (8-5-3, 2-1-1) regained their equilibrium after Dulik’s goal. They weren’t crisp offensively but managed to control the action.
“The first part of the second half, I don’t know if we were tired or whatever,” Shumate said. “But then we really came to play. Once we got that second goal, I felt like we kept our momentum.
“(Beating Central) is probably one of the best things to do, especially at your home field against your rivals. That gets us ready for the playoffs.”
Shumate was one of the few players to generate any offense. She took all five of North’s corner kicks and most of the free kicks, including a 37-yard rocket into the wind that snuck under the crossbar to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead at the 6:42 mark of the first half.
Shumate had to wait a few minutes before she could celebrate because the whistle did not blow right away even though the ball hit the underside of the top netting before caroming straight down.
The no-call touched off a scramble in front in which Katie Murphy booted the ball off Hunter and just over the goal line.
After two conferences between the center official and linesman, North was awarded the goal.
“I had to make sure to hit it hard, because we were going into the wind,” Shumate said. “If it wasn’t going in itself, Katie Murphy was there to finish it. So either way, we were set.”
But not for long.
The Redhawks (8-8-1, 1-3-0) equalized when junior Liz Barker scored with 2:37 remaining. Loyola-bound senior Abbey Hillman raced into the right side of the box before crossing in front to Barker, who volleyed it in.
“It was so awesome,” Barker said. “It was actually my first goal of the season, so it was a really good feeling.
“Me and Abbey Hillman have been playing together for a really long time, so getting the assist from her was an awesome feeling.”
But it was the only such feeling for the Redhawks, who like the Huskies unleashed 10 shots. But North goalie Amanda Johnson made four saves and the Redhawks sent several dangerous free kick opportunities over the crossbar.
“Our effort was good,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “Our execution was horrible.
“We gave them too many restarts, and we squandered all of ours.”
That’s been a common if uncomfortable theme for the Redhawks this season. They did not rally a second time, though sophomore defender Emma Irle nearly got the equalizer on a heady play with 15:35 to go.
North was called for a foul just outside the top of the box. Irle opted for a quick restart and sent her 22-yard free kick around the defensive wall, but Johnson lunged to her right to make the save.
“We really thought we were going to tie it up, but we just couldn’t get that (second goal),” Barker said. “It’s really disappointing.
“We lose to North every year, but it’s always a hard-fought game. This was a good game. Everyone worked hard, and we all thought we were going to get the outcome we wanted, but we didn’t.”
Naperville North got its result, and they did it without captain Reilly Riggs. The Northwestern-bound defender suffered a concussion in the loss to Metea and was ruled out for the final two regular-season games.
But North’s defense was still strong. Senior Avery Kotrba stepped in for Riggs and did an admirable job. That helped the Huskies settle down.
“At first we were really anxious,” Dulik said. “The ball was up in the air.
“The thing for us was to relax, play our game and stick to what we know we can do and that’s just connecting passes and getting forward and trying to get shots on goal.”
Goletz, whose team has played arguably the toughest schedule in the state, was pleased to see the Huskies grind out a win when they weren’t at their best.
“It’s tough when you know you’ve knocked yourself out of the conference championship the night before, then we lose our captain and center back, Reilly Riggs, to a concussion last night,” Goletz said. “There’s a lot of emotion that goes into that, and I challenged them.
“Their effort and their enthusiasm and their ability to fight game in and game out of an impossible schedule that we put together has been impressive.
“There’s some games that we’ve dropped at times and some games that we might have squeaked out that we probably weren’t the better team in, so I think it’s kind of evened itself out.”
Despite the pedestrian win-loss record, the Huskies are the no. 1 seed at the Class 3A East Aurora Sectional, which begins with regional action next Tuesday. Second-seeded and 10th-ranked Neuqua Valley and third-seeded and 14th-ranked Waubonsie Valley have better records and are playing well, but Goletz knows the Huskies, while vulnerable, will be tough to knock out.
“Whatever happens in the playoffs, I know these guys are battle-tested,” Goletz said. “We know they’re willing to give us everything they have.
“Tonight was a gritty effort. It wasn’t a great game, ton of fouls, no flow but we did a great job of limiting chances.
“I think there’s so much parity this year. I think we can hang with anybody. But at the same time, we’ve shown we can drop games that we shouldn’t drop. The girls understand that.”
And they are ready.
“We’re confident,” Dulik said. “The past is in the past. We’re going to play our very hardest and give it all we’ve got.”
Starting lineups
Naperville Central
GK Amber Hunter
D Emma Irle
D Grace Anderson
D Malia Velker
D Abbie Hillman
D Sophia Skoubis
D Caroline Giannone
M Sullivan Schubel
M Maddie Mills
F Sarah Scoles
F Caroline Reedy
Naperville North
GK Amanda Johnson
D Avery Kotrba
D Paige Sylvester
D Jordan Leonard
D Emily Magee
M Maddie Schlecht
M Leah Shumate
M Taylor Klaiber
F Hannah Martin
F Emily Dulik
F Katie Murphy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leah Shumate, jr., Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
NN – Leah Shumate 6:42
NC – Liz Barker (Abbey Hillman) 2:37
Second Half
NN – Emily Dulik (Shumate) 24:07