Naperville N. adds to regionals collection
Huskies beat host Lockport 4-0 for 12th crown in last 13 years
By Matt Le Cren
LOCKPORT – Naperville North senior Jack Barry was sporting a nasty knot on his forehead Friday afternoon.
It was a painful reminder from his collision with Lockport goalkeeper Dominik Wistocki in the early minutes of the Class 3A Lockport Regional final.
Barry and Wistocki knocked heads going for a loose ball, a confrontation which left Wistocki dripping blood on the grass.
Wistocki left but returned a few minutes later with a bandage wrapped around his head and seconds later made an impressive save on a breakaway by Patrick Koenig.
But Barry and his teammates had already done all the damage they would need to doom the host Porters’ upset bid.
Barry’s long throw-in from the left side set up Ian Guppy’s goal just 1:10 into the match and the Huskies poured in three second half goals en route to a 4-0 victory.
The regional championship was the 12th in the past 13 years and 25th overall, all since 1985, for Naperville North, which extended its winning streak to 14.
The defending state champion Huskies (22-1-1) return home to take on Metea Valley (15-7-2) in Tuesday’s Naperville North Sectional semifinals.
“We’re really excited,” Barry said. “We couldn’t ask for a better situation.
“We’re going back home playing well, and we’re going to get hopefully two games in front of our home fans who have really been great. There were a ton of people here today.
“I can’t say enough of the support we’ve gotten all year, and we’re just excited to keep playing.”
Barry, who along with fellow midfielder Ethan Harvey had a goal and an assist, was so excited to be playing Friday that he didn’t realize how gnarly his injury looked.
“I didn’t really feel it until right after I came off at the end,” Barry said after accepting an ice bag from a trainer. “Now I’m starting to feel it.
“I’m trying to get rid of the swelling. I didn’t realize how bad it was until people were like, ‘What happened to your head?’”
The Porters (9-6-5) was asking the same thing about their season after playing tough defense and holding their own in the midfield for the first 40 minutes against the top-seeded Huskies.
The answer, of course, was Barry happened.
The Porters gave up a throw-in within 40 yards of their own goal in the opening minute. That’s a cardinal sin against the Huskies, who are well-known for their ability to exploit Barry’s arms.
Barry’s heave from the left side again found the head of rangy defender Colin Iverson, who nodded the ball across the crease to Ian Guppy on the far post. Guppy’s smart left-footed strike from six yards beat Wistocki, who had no chance.
It was Guppy’s team-leading 14th goal of the season and Barry’s 20th assist, most of which have come on throw-ins.
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad recognizes the dilemma teams face when surrendering set pieces against his team.
“It’s a tough situation,” Konrad said. “We played (Lyons) years ago and they were every bit as good as we are on restarts and you just hold your breath and battle and hope the ball gets knocked away.
“It’s hard. It’s like any sport -- if you execute the plays and you get fortunate (you will succeed). We got fortunate.
“Colin got to it and just had the right slip on it, and Ian is so good with both feet. He’s dangerous. He caught it on the short hop and buried it. It’s tough to defend.”
It’s tough to figure out who is more important to North’s success on throw-ins. Barry is a former shortstop, while the 6-foot-4 Iverson is a tall target with a knack for flicking headers where they need to go.
“It’s always a challenge because usually I get double- and triple-teamed,” Iverson said. “But Barry is just on the mark every time.
“I really don’t have to do much. It’s all him.”
But when asked how a defense can stop him, Barry deflects credit to Iverson.
“Tackle this guy, I think,” Barry said pointing to Iverson. “A lot of teams know it’s coming and still aren’t able to do anything. I don’t know what you do.”
Neither did the Porters, who gamely stayed in the game until just after intermission, when the Huskies again struck early on a set piece.
This time Iverson got the goal, his 13th of the year, on header off a Harvey corner kick with 38:08 to go.
Naperville North extended the lead to 3-0 seven minutes later when Koenig ran onto a cross-field pass from Barry and scored on a sharp finish to the far post. Barry then got in on the act, bagging his 10th goal off a feed from sophomore Ty Konrad with 10:35 to go.
But it was Guppy’s goal that set the tone.
“In big games like this it’s vital to just get on them right away,” Barry said. “If you can score a goal, that’s great.
“We were just really trying to focus on coming out strong. After (Tuesday’s 6-0 win over Batavia) we felt like we were kind of caught on the back foot for the first 15 minutes. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to and today we really feel like we got out there right away and dominated the game.”
Coach Konrad was impressed at how the Huskies managed to do that despite impressive resistance from the Porters, who upset Neuqua Valley 4-3 in the semifinals.
“They’re a good team,” Konrad said. “(Midfielder Nick Kowalczyk) is a special player. I was super impressed with him, and he was one of the better kids we’ve seen this year.
“They did some nice combinations in the midfield. We knew going in that they are very good at looking to connect from one player to the next and look to slip it in.
“I thought my backline was fantastic tonight. They did a great job of staying ball-side, inside shoulder, didn’t give them good channels to get through. We tackled well, cleared balls well.
“Eventually we created a couple chances and finished them. That corner kick in the second half was a great one. We ran a little different play than we usually run. I’m glad that worked out for us. Got to keep people guessing.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tommy Welch
D Cesar Recendez
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
D Matt Bilardello
M Ethan Harvey
M Jack Barry
M Will Ritzmann
F Patrick Koenig
F Ian Guppy
F Ty Konrad
Lockport
GK Dominik Wistocki
D David Napoli
D Justin Biela
D Charlie Garcia
D Quinn Roth
M Nick Kowalczyk
M Jose Mendoza
M Zac Fox
M Eric Keta
M David Pansckyk
F Ramon Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Jack Barry, M, Naperville North
Scoring summary
1st Half
Naperville North – Ian Guppy (Colin Iverson, Jack Barry) 38:50
2nd Half
Naperville North – Colin Iverson (Ethan Harvey) 38:08
Naperville North – Patrick Koenig (Barry) 31:11
Naperville North – Barry (Ty Konrad) 10:35
Huskies beat host Lockport 4-0 for 12th crown in last 13 years
By Matt Le Cren
LOCKPORT – Naperville North senior Jack Barry was sporting a nasty knot on his forehead Friday afternoon.
It was a painful reminder from his collision with Lockport goalkeeper Dominik Wistocki in the early minutes of the Class 3A Lockport Regional final.
Barry and Wistocki knocked heads going for a loose ball, a confrontation which left Wistocki dripping blood on the grass.
Wistocki left but returned a few minutes later with a bandage wrapped around his head and seconds later made an impressive save on a breakaway by Patrick Koenig.
But Barry and his teammates had already done all the damage they would need to doom the host Porters’ upset bid.
Barry’s long throw-in from the left side set up Ian Guppy’s goal just 1:10 into the match and the Huskies poured in three second half goals en route to a 4-0 victory.
The regional championship was the 12th in the past 13 years and 25th overall, all since 1985, for Naperville North, which extended its winning streak to 14.
The defending state champion Huskies (22-1-1) return home to take on Metea Valley (15-7-2) in Tuesday’s Naperville North Sectional semifinals.
“We’re really excited,” Barry said. “We couldn’t ask for a better situation.
“We’re going back home playing well, and we’re going to get hopefully two games in front of our home fans who have really been great. There were a ton of people here today.
“I can’t say enough of the support we’ve gotten all year, and we’re just excited to keep playing.”
Barry, who along with fellow midfielder Ethan Harvey had a goal and an assist, was so excited to be playing Friday that he didn’t realize how gnarly his injury looked.
“I didn’t really feel it until right after I came off at the end,” Barry said after accepting an ice bag from a trainer. “Now I’m starting to feel it.
“I’m trying to get rid of the swelling. I didn’t realize how bad it was until people were like, ‘What happened to your head?’”
The Porters (9-6-5) was asking the same thing about their season after playing tough defense and holding their own in the midfield for the first 40 minutes against the top-seeded Huskies.
The answer, of course, was Barry happened.
The Porters gave up a throw-in within 40 yards of their own goal in the opening minute. That’s a cardinal sin against the Huskies, who are well-known for their ability to exploit Barry’s arms.
Barry’s heave from the left side again found the head of rangy defender Colin Iverson, who nodded the ball across the crease to Ian Guppy on the far post. Guppy’s smart left-footed strike from six yards beat Wistocki, who had no chance.
It was Guppy’s team-leading 14th goal of the season and Barry’s 20th assist, most of which have come on throw-ins.
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad recognizes the dilemma teams face when surrendering set pieces against his team.
“It’s a tough situation,” Konrad said. “We played (Lyons) years ago and they were every bit as good as we are on restarts and you just hold your breath and battle and hope the ball gets knocked away.
“It’s hard. It’s like any sport -- if you execute the plays and you get fortunate (you will succeed). We got fortunate.
“Colin got to it and just had the right slip on it, and Ian is so good with both feet. He’s dangerous. He caught it on the short hop and buried it. It’s tough to defend.”
It’s tough to figure out who is more important to North’s success on throw-ins. Barry is a former shortstop, while the 6-foot-4 Iverson is a tall target with a knack for flicking headers where they need to go.
“It’s always a challenge because usually I get double- and triple-teamed,” Iverson said. “But Barry is just on the mark every time.
“I really don’t have to do much. It’s all him.”
But when asked how a defense can stop him, Barry deflects credit to Iverson.
“Tackle this guy, I think,” Barry said pointing to Iverson. “A lot of teams know it’s coming and still aren’t able to do anything. I don’t know what you do.”
Neither did the Porters, who gamely stayed in the game until just after intermission, when the Huskies again struck early on a set piece.
This time Iverson got the goal, his 13th of the year, on header off a Harvey corner kick with 38:08 to go.
Naperville North extended the lead to 3-0 seven minutes later when Koenig ran onto a cross-field pass from Barry and scored on a sharp finish to the far post. Barry then got in on the act, bagging his 10th goal off a feed from sophomore Ty Konrad with 10:35 to go.
But it was Guppy’s goal that set the tone.
“In big games like this it’s vital to just get on them right away,” Barry said. “If you can score a goal, that’s great.
“We were just really trying to focus on coming out strong. After (Tuesday’s 6-0 win over Batavia) we felt like we were kind of caught on the back foot for the first 15 minutes. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to and today we really feel like we got out there right away and dominated the game.”
Coach Konrad was impressed at how the Huskies managed to do that despite impressive resistance from the Porters, who upset Neuqua Valley 4-3 in the semifinals.
“They’re a good team,” Konrad said. “(Midfielder Nick Kowalczyk) is a special player. I was super impressed with him, and he was one of the better kids we’ve seen this year.
“They did some nice combinations in the midfield. We knew going in that they are very good at looking to connect from one player to the next and look to slip it in.
“I thought my backline was fantastic tonight. They did a great job of staying ball-side, inside shoulder, didn’t give them good channels to get through. We tackled well, cleared balls well.
“Eventually we created a couple chances and finished them. That corner kick in the second half was a great one. We ran a little different play than we usually run. I’m glad that worked out for us. Got to keep people guessing.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tommy Welch
D Cesar Recendez
D Mitch Konrad
D Colin Iverson
D Matt Bilardello
M Ethan Harvey
M Jack Barry
M Will Ritzmann
F Patrick Koenig
F Ian Guppy
F Ty Konrad
Lockport
GK Dominik Wistocki
D David Napoli
D Justin Biela
D Charlie Garcia
D Quinn Roth
M Nick Kowalczyk
M Jose Mendoza
M Zac Fox
M Eric Keta
M David Pansckyk
F Ramon Garcia
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Jack Barry, M, Naperville North
Scoring summary
1st Half
Naperville North – Ian Guppy (Colin Iverson, Jack Barry) 38:50
2nd Half
Naperville North – Colin Iverson (Ethan Harvey) 38:08
Naperville North – Patrick Koenig (Barry) 31:11
Naperville North – Barry (Ty Konrad) 10:35