Naperville North’s Barger makes
winning moves vs. Metea Valley
Huskies sophomore has goal, assist in 2-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
AURORA — “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” a melancholy King says in Shakespeare's “Henry IV, Part II.”
Alex Barger is the closest thing to an heir in local prep soccer terms.
On the eve of the special spring season, Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said, “Based on his freshman year performance, he has the opportunity to be one of Naperville North’s all-time greats.”
Barger is not one to back down from a challenge.
“We’re a program coming off of losing a lot of seniors and great players,” Barger said. “I am ready to step into the role and fill that gap, and so are the other guys.”’
Barger provided a thrilling overview of his skill, vision and shotmaking creativity with a goal and assist in the no. 6 Huskies’ 2-1 victory over Metea Valley in DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday night.
Naperville North (7-2-0, 3-0-0) maintained its first place conference position.
All the scoring happened in the final 12 minutes of action. What led up to that was not exactly covering-your-eyes awful or uninspiring.
After a week and a half off due to spring break, the level of play was more disconnected than sustained.
Rather than a connective whole, the game was more often a series of fragmentary and off-rhythm actions in search of stability and order.
“We’ve had to hold onto 0-0 games so many times this year,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “A little bit of that luck would go a long way to maybe easing the burden of our kids.
“They’re playing with such pressure on them because of the score being 0-0.”
Metea Valley (1-7-1, 0-3-1) had one of the best first half scoring threats in the closing seconds. Off a free kick, reserve midfielder Adrian Gonzalez caught the deflection and rifled a short volley that was just wide.
“The amount of one-goal losses we’ve had has been super frustrating,” Robinson said. “I’m so proud of how our kids have maintained a positive mindset and kept working.”
Barger was completing middle school as the Huskies captured their third consecutive Class 3A state championship with their perfect season in the fall of 2018.
He entered the program as a player to watch, a nervy and fearless kid with quickness, a superb touch on the ball and the ability to impact outcomes.
“This next group of guys who were in junior high watching us win those state championships, they want to replace what those guys have done, which is virtually impossible,” Konrad said.
“They’ve definitely embraced the expectations of the program.”
Naperville North now has more sophomores (10) than seniors on its roster (8). They also have nine juniors.
“A lot of these (sophomores) are my friends, and a lot of them were on the JV last year,” Barger said. “They were really tight and have great chemistry.
“Now they’re coming up here and helping us out. We’re a young team, but we are making those passes and making the plays we need to make in order to get the key result.”
Reflective of the wider team performance, Barger was more active and engaged in the second half. Naperville North ramped up its energy level and looked more connected and assertive offensively.
Barger had a couple of sharp balls, a left-footed blast and a corner kick that he nearly bent inside the near post.
Metea Valley keeper Oscar Mejia was superb, reacting to the developing pressure with aplomb and cool. He twice cut off angles that denied the Huskies.
He also stopped a rocket by sophomore Aidan McMahon in the 60th minute.
“The boys played great,” Metea Valley midfielder Drew Marquardt said. “We had our chances. We just had to finish them. We had a lot of opportunities. We moved the ball well.
“We played just as well as they did.”
Barger and junior midfielder Cameron Radeke took the game over as the Huskies broke through in the 68th minute.
Radeke had the ball on the right wing and directed a cross that Barger brilliantly caught as he warded off a defender. With his back to the goal, he controlled the ball with his left foot and wheeled and drilled the ball inside the near post.
“We got the ball out wide, and the ball came into the box, and I got the touch,” Barger said. “We finally got the hang of it, and got the things that we needed.
“We definitely started the game slowly, and I think that was definitely a kick-start for us.”
Naperville North felt the relief.
“I didn’t know if Alex was going to get the cross, but I ended up finding him and that was a great finish,” Radeke said.
“There was definitely a sense of relief, and I think everybody just calmed down a bit and started playing better.”
Naperville North did not rest there, either. Jacob Rye created another advantage a few minutes later and was knocked down from behind.
Awarded the free kick just outside the top of the box, Barger optimized his options. He went against the grain, not taking the immediate shot.
He slotted the ball right to a streaking Radeke, who instantaneously turned and fired in a 12-yarder in the 73rd minute for the 2-0 lead.
“I wanted to catch them off guard,” Barger said. “I play club with Cameron, so we have a little connection. I looked at home and made a little eye contact with him, and I was able to find him.”
Barger earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his outstanding play.
“All the sophomores and the freshmen coming up have a lot to live up to for the past five years,” Radeke said. “The whole program has been nothing but success.
“The next group is coming up through the ranks hopefully to keep North North.”
Metea Valley was dejected though showed terrific moxie and fight until the very end. Midfielder Ethan Danehl created several sharp scoring chances.
The spirit was underscored by Marquardt. With 10.3 seconds remaining, awarded a free kick just over 50 yards out, he lofted a high ball that took a wicked bounce for a surprising goal.
“We did give them a run for their money,” Marquardt said. “We fought until the end. We’ve done it the whole year.
“We are just unlucky this year.”
Robinson said normally coming within one goal against Naperville North was an acceptable result. Under a different context, he sees a team fighting for their own validation.
“They work so hard and play so hard, from the starting 11 to every kid who comes in off the bench,” Robinson said. “We work and play so hard, I am very proud of them.
“We are grinding for a win. The hope we could get one so the kids could have a little bit more of a peace of mind. They deserve more success than what they’ve had this year.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Pablo Jara
D: Alex Fisher
D: Spencer Gaccione
D: Adam Zielke
D: Josh Kaufman
MF: Tyson Amoo-Mensah
MF: Cam Radeke
MF: Jacob Ryu
MF: Pablo Olano
F: Alex Barger
F: Keegan Flaherty
Metea Valley
GK: Oscar Mejia
D: Adam Casselman
D: Evan Bach
D: Joseph Fitzgerald
D: Clark Simonich
MF: Colin Bastianoni
MF: Tyler Green
MF: Drew Marquardt
MF: Nick Sanchez
F: Reece Taylor
F: Henry Moreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Barger, soph., F, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North—Alex Barger (Cam Radeke), 68th minute
Naperville North—Radeke (Barger), 73rd minute
Metea Valley—Drew Marquardt (free kick), 80th minute
winning moves vs. Metea Valley
Huskies sophomore has goal, assist in 2-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
AURORA — “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,” a melancholy King says in Shakespeare's “Henry IV, Part II.”
Alex Barger is the closest thing to an heir in local prep soccer terms.
On the eve of the special spring season, Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said, “Based on his freshman year performance, he has the opportunity to be one of Naperville North’s all-time greats.”
Barger is not one to back down from a challenge.
“We’re a program coming off of losing a lot of seniors and great players,” Barger said. “I am ready to step into the role and fill that gap, and so are the other guys.”’
Barger provided a thrilling overview of his skill, vision and shotmaking creativity with a goal and assist in the no. 6 Huskies’ 2-1 victory over Metea Valley in DuPage Valley Conference play Tuesday night.
Naperville North (7-2-0, 3-0-0) maintained its first place conference position.
All the scoring happened in the final 12 minutes of action. What led up to that was not exactly covering-your-eyes awful or uninspiring.
After a week and a half off due to spring break, the level of play was more disconnected than sustained.
Rather than a connective whole, the game was more often a series of fragmentary and off-rhythm actions in search of stability and order.
“We’ve had to hold onto 0-0 games so many times this year,” Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson said. “A little bit of that luck would go a long way to maybe easing the burden of our kids.
“They’re playing with such pressure on them because of the score being 0-0.”
Metea Valley (1-7-1, 0-3-1) had one of the best first half scoring threats in the closing seconds. Off a free kick, reserve midfielder Adrian Gonzalez caught the deflection and rifled a short volley that was just wide.
“The amount of one-goal losses we’ve had has been super frustrating,” Robinson said. “I’m so proud of how our kids have maintained a positive mindset and kept working.”
Barger was completing middle school as the Huskies captured their third consecutive Class 3A state championship with their perfect season in the fall of 2018.
He entered the program as a player to watch, a nervy and fearless kid with quickness, a superb touch on the ball and the ability to impact outcomes.
“This next group of guys who were in junior high watching us win those state championships, they want to replace what those guys have done, which is virtually impossible,” Konrad said.
“They’ve definitely embraced the expectations of the program.”
Naperville North now has more sophomores (10) than seniors on its roster (8). They also have nine juniors.
“A lot of these (sophomores) are my friends, and a lot of them were on the JV last year,” Barger said. “They were really tight and have great chemistry.
“Now they’re coming up here and helping us out. We’re a young team, but we are making those passes and making the plays we need to make in order to get the key result.”
Reflective of the wider team performance, Barger was more active and engaged in the second half. Naperville North ramped up its energy level and looked more connected and assertive offensively.
Barger had a couple of sharp balls, a left-footed blast and a corner kick that he nearly bent inside the near post.
Metea Valley keeper Oscar Mejia was superb, reacting to the developing pressure with aplomb and cool. He twice cut off angles that denied the Huskies.
He also stopped a rocket by sophomore Aidan McMahon in the 60th minute.
“The boys played great,” Metea Valley midfielder Drew Marquardt said. “We had our chances. We just had to finish them. We had a lot of opportunities. We moved the ball well.
“We played just as well as they did.”
Barger and junior midfielder Cameron Radeke took the game over as the Huskies broke through in the 68th minute.
Radeke had the ball on the right wing and directed a cross that Barger brilliantly caught as he warded off a defender. With his back to the goal, he controlled the ball with his left foot and wheeled and drilled the ball inside the near post.
“We got the ball out wide, and the ball came into the box, and I got the touch,” Barger said. “We finally got the hang of it, and got the things that we needed.
“We definitely started the game slowly, and I think that was definitely a kick-start for us.”
Naperville North felt the relief.
“I didn’t know if Alex was going to get the cross, but I ended up finding him and that was a great finish,” Radeke said.
“There was definitely a sense of relief, and I think everybody just calmed down a bit and started playing better.”
Naperville North did not rest there, either. Jacob Rye created another advantage a few minutes later and was knocked down from behind.
Awarded the free kick just outside the top of the box, Barger optimized his options. He went against the grain, not taking the immediate shot.
He slotted the ball right to a streaking Radeke, who instantaneously turned and fired in a 12-yarder in the 73rd minute for the 2-0 lead.
“I wanted to catch them off guard,” Barger said. “I play club with Cameron, so we have a little connection. I looked at home and made a little eye contact with him, and I was able to find him.”
Barger earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his outstanding play.
“All the sophomores and the freshmen coming up have a lot to live up to for the past five years,” Radeke said. “The whole program has been nothing but success.
“The next group is coming up through the ranks hopefully to keep North North.”
Metea Valley was dejected though showed terrific moxie and fight until the very end. Midfielder Ethan Danehl created several sharp scoring chances.
The spirit was underscored by Marquardt. With 10.3 seconds remaining, awarded a free kick just over 50 yards out, he lofted a high ball that took a wicked bounce for a surprising goal.
“We did give them a run for their money,” Marquardt said. “We fought until the end. We’ve done it the whole year.
“We are just unlucky this year.”
Robinson said normally coming within one goal against Naperville North was an acceptable result. Under a different context, he sees a team fighting for their own validation.
“They work so hard and play so hard, from the starting 11 to every kid who comes in off the bench,” Robinson said. “We work and play so hard, I am very proud of them.
“We are grinding for a win. The hope we could get one so the kids could have a little bit more of a peace of mind. They deserve more success than what they’ve had this year.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Pablo Jara
D: Alex Fisher
D: Spencer Gaccione
D: Adam Zielke
D: Josh Kaufman
MF: Tyson Amoo-Mensah
MF: Cam Radeke
MF: Jacob Ryu
MF: Pablo Olano
F: Alex Barger
F: Keegan Flaherty
Metea Valley
GK: Oscar Mejia
D: Adam Casselman
D: Evan Bach
D: Joseph Fitzgerald
D: Clark Simonich
MF: Colin Bastianoni
MF: Tyler Green
MF: Drew Marquardt
MF: Nick Sanchez
F: Reece Taylor
F: Henry Moreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Barger, soph., F, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North—Alex Barger (Cam Radeke), 68th minute
Naperville North—Radeke (Barger), 73rd minute
Metea Valley—Drew Marquardt (free kick), 80th minute