Naperville North’s late 3-goal lead
barely holds up vs. Neuqua Valley
Huskies hold on, win 3-2 after Wildcats score twice in 78th minute
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North forwards Taylor Korosec and Cameron DeCook went to the same middle school, so they “have been aware of” each other, as DeCook put it, for a while.
It’s safe to say opponents are soon going to be "aware of" them, if they aren’t already.
The pair were two of the many players who made their long-awaited varsity debuts Thursday for the Huskies, who are ranked seventh in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The results were encouraging.
DeCook, a sophomore, hit the crossbar in the first half and later set up the first of Korosec’s two goals as the Huskies built a three-goal lead before holding off a very late rally from no. 9 Neuqua Valley to win 3-2.
Naperville North coach Steve Goletz called this year’s roster the youngest he’s ever fielded in terms of varsity experience, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic wiping out the 2020 season.
Indeed, only senior forward Emily Dulik, senior midfielder Nora Fitzgerald and junior defender Ellie Gerner have seen any minutes at the varsity level
“We’ve got a lot of juniors on the roster, but with the pandemic last year we missed a whole year,” Goletz said. “There were a lot of first-time varsity minutes tonight.
“I challenged the girls before the game that I wanted to see what we had as a group. How hard are we willing to compete and how much are we going to battle as a team, and they answered the bell for 77 minutes.”
Korosec, one of 12 juniors on North’s roster, was the first to ring the proverbial bell for North when she tapped home DeCook’s cross from the right side of the box to break a scoreless tie at the 21:45 mark of the second half.
“I got it from Olivia (Anderson),” DeCook said. “She passed it wide, and I didn’t know whether I was going to get there because it was a lofty ball.
“But with the bounce it had no backspin. It just stayed, and I was able to take a touch wide and center it for Taylor.”
Korosec was wide open in the six and had an easy strike for her first varsity goal.
“It was a good cross,” Korosec said. “It was right in front of the goal.
“It felt good to get the season off the right way. We would have both been on the team last year, so it was something that for the past two seasons we’ve been working on a lot in practice. Finally getting able to play a game, we were waiting for it.”
The Huskies didn’t have to wait long to get another goal.
This time it was senior forward Megan Cablk, another first-time varsity player, bagging her first score. She took a perfect lead pass from junior midfielder Cameron Dinkla and tucked a 23-yard shot inside the left post to make it 2-0 at the 11:57 mark.
Korosec struck again with 3:41 to go, heading home a long free kick from junior defender Lucy Iverson to give North (1-0-0, 1-0-0 DuPage Valley Conference), a seemingly safe 3-0 lead.
That wasn’t the case.
Neuqua Valley (1-2-0, 0-1-0) got on the board 50 seconds later when Xavier recruit Katelyn Nardulli scored on a 23-yard free kick. North goalkeeper Rosy Viton got a hand on the ball, deflecting it into the underside of the crossbar, but it came down across the goal line.
Only 25 seconds after that, Neuqua closed to 3-2 as a Grace Williams cross deflected off a defender and past Viton with 2:26 remaining.
“I feel like we could have given up when that third goal went in,” Neuqua Valley forward Abby Michalczyk said. “It showed the character of the team getting one goal and then another.”
Neither team got a shot off in the final two minutes, but there was excitement on Neuqua’s side and nervousness on North’s.
“I think the energy rose once we scored,” Michalczyk said. “It was a great feeling seeing the ball in the back of the net.
“We’re all really proud of each other. We all came together, and I think that was our moment of let’s keep it going, we can win this. We all wanted to push harder and harder because we all have a really big competitive desire to win.”
Neuqua’s rally stunned but didn’t topple the Huskies, who prevailed in their first match since beating Barrington in the 2019 Class 3A state championship match.
“It was definitely a change of pace when they got their goal and then we were fighting to not let a third goal in,” DeCook said. “We were still fighting to maybe score another goal to widen the gap.”
Goletz was happy to see the resiliency.
“It’s great that you can have a learning lesson on a win and that was, we were up 3-0, we take our foot off the pedal, now it’s 3-2 and we’re scrambling,” Goletz said. “To be able to get our composure and see it out was great.
“Credit to Neuqua. It was good free kick and then the girl generated a chance out wide. We didn’t do a good enough job marking out there or in the box. Now all of a sudden, it’s 3-2 and we’re in a panic. But overall, couldn’t have been more proud.”
Goletz also was proud of the job Korosec’s twin sister, Madison, did in the midfield against Neuqua star Brooke Miller, who wasn’t able to generate many scoring chances.
“Madison Korosec, as a center midfielder, battled with Brooke Miller, who I think is one of the best players in the state of Illinois and to go pound-for-pound with her and to limit her to very little influential chances was great,” Goletz said. “With a kid like that, all you’re trying to do is slow her down. Madison did every bit of that.
“That was a huge highlight for me that will probably go unnoticed. You see the goals, you see the great clears by our backline, but I think the grunt work was done in the middle of the field. Madison was fantastic tonight.”
That effort was even more impressive considering midfield play has been the Wildcats’ strength so far.
“We didn’t quit,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “That was a positive.
“I like that we stayed with it. We could have dropped our heads down 3-0, but we kept fighting.
“Our defenders had to be very tired today because it was a lot of chasing, a lot of physical play. I thought (North) defended (Miller) pretty well.”
While most of the Huskies are new, DeCook realizes they will have a target on their backs as the reigning state champions. But she’s OK with that.
“It’s definitely exciting,” DeCook said. “There’s definitely a little bit of pressure, and it was nerve-wracking going into it because, obviously, North has a very successful soccer program.
“But it’s really exciting that we’re able to come out with a win. It’s bright for the future.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Leah Jacobs
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
D Ellie Gerner
M Madison Korosec
M Nora Fitzgerald
M Olivia Anderson
F Emily Dulik
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
Neuqua Valley
GK Tara Tesmond
D Lauryn Adamski
D Maya Stone
D Maddy McGrath
D Kyra O’Brien
M Kassie Salviola
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Frannie Keen
M Grace Williams
M Brooke Miller
F Abby Michalczyk
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Taylor Korosec, jr., F, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Taylor Korosec (Cameron DeCook) 21:45 remaining
Naperville North – Megan Cablk (Cameron Dinkla) 11:57 remaining
Naperville North – Korosec (Lucy Iverson) 3:41 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Katelyn Nardulli 2:51 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Grace Williams 2:26 remaining
barely holds up vs. Neuqua Valley
Huskies hold on, win 3-2 after Wildcats score twice in 78th minute
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North forwards Taylor Korosec and Cameron DeCook went to the same middle school, so they “have been aware of” each other, as DeCook put it, for a while.
It’s safe to say opponents are soon going to be "aware of" them, if they aren’t already.
The pair were two of the many players who made their long-awaited varsity debuts Thursday for the Huskies, who are ranked seventh in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The results were encouraging.
DeCook, a sophomore, hit the crossbar in the first half and later set up the first of Korosec’s two goals as the Huskies built a three-goal lead before holding off a very late rally from no. 9 Neuqua Valley to win 3-2.
Naperville North coach Steve Goletz called this year’s roster the youngest he’s ever fielded in terms of varsity experience, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic wiping out the 2020 season.
Indeed, only senior forward Emily Dulik, senior midfielder Nora Fitzgerald and junior defender Ellie Gerner have seen any minutes at the varsity level
“We’ve got a lot of juniors on the roster, but with the pandemic last year we missed a whole year,” Goletz said. “There were a lot of first-time varsity minutes tonight.
“I challenged the girls before the game that I wanted to see what we had as a group. How hard are we willing to compete and how much are we going to battle as a team, and they answered the bell for 77 minutes.”
Korosec, one of 12 juniors on North’s roster, was the first to ring the proverbial bell for North when she tapped home DeCook’s cross from the right side of the box to break a scoreless tie at the 21:45 mark of the second half.
“I got it from Olivia (Anderson),” DeCook said. “She passed it wide, and I didn’t know whether I was going to get there because it was a lofty ball.
“But with the bounce it had no backspin. It just stayed, and I was able to take a touch wide and center it for Taylor.”
Korosec was wide open in the six and had an easy strike for her first varsity goal.
“It was a good cross,” Korosec said. “It was right in front of the goal.
“It felt good to get the season off the right way. We would have both been on the team last year, so it was something that for the past two seasons we’ve been working on a lot in practice. Finally getting able to play a game, we were waiting for it.”
The Huskies didn’t have to wait long to get another goal.
This time it was senior forward Megan Cablk, another first-time varsity player, bagging her first score. She took a perfect lead pass from junior midfielder Cameron Dinkla and tucked a 23-yard shot inside the left post to make it 2-0 at the 11:57 mark.
Korosec struck again with 3:41 to go, heading home a long free kick from junior defender Lucy Iverson to give North (1-0-0, 1-0-0 DuPage Valley Conference), a seemingly safe 3-0 lead.
That wasn’t the case.
Neuqua Valley (1-2-0, 0-1-0) got on the board 50 seconds later when Xavier recruit Katelyn Nardulli scored on a 23-yard free kick. North goalkeeper Rosy Viton got a hand on the ball, deflecting it into the underside of the crossbar, but it came down across the goal line.
Only 25 seconds after that, Neuqua closed to 3-2 as a Grace Williams cross deflected off a defender and past Viton with 2:26 remaining.
“I feel like we could have given up when that third goal went in,” Neuqua Valley forward Abby Michalczyk said. “It showed the character of the team getting one goal and then another.”
Neither team got a shot off in the final two minutes, but there was excitement on Neuqua’s side and nervousness on North’s.
“I think the energy rose once we scored,” Michalczyk said. “It was a great feeling seeing the ball in the back of the net.
“We’re all really proud of each other. We all came together, and I think that was our moment of let’s keep it going, we can win this. We all wanted to push harder and harder because we all have a really big competitive desire to win.”
Neuqua’s rally stunned but didn’t topple the Huskies, who prevailed in their first match since beating Barrington in the 2019 Class 3A state championship match.
“It was definitely a change of pace when they got their goal and then we were fighting to not let a third goal in,” DeCook said. “We were still fighting to maybe score another goal to widen the gap.”
Goletz was happy to see the resiliency.
“It’s great that you can have a learning lesson on a win and that was, we were up 3-0, we take our foot off the pedal, now it’s 3-2 and we’re scrambling,” Goletz said. “To be able to get our composure and see it out was great.
“Credit to Neuqua. It was good free kick and then the girl generated a chance out wide. We didn’t do a good enough job marking out there or in the box. Now all of a sudden, it’s 3-2 and we’re in a panic. But overall, couldn’t have been more proud.”
Goletz also was proud of the job Korosec’s twin sister, Madison, did in the midfield against Neuqua star Brooke Miller, who wasn’t able to generate many scoring chances.
“Madison Korosec, as a center midfielder, battled with Brooke Miller, who I think is one of the best players in the state of Illinois and to go pound-for-pound with her and to limit her to very little influential chances was great,” Goletz said. “With a kid like that, all you’re trying to do is slow her down. Madison did every bit of that.
“That was a huge highlight for me that will probably go unnoticed. You see the goals, you see the great clears by our backline, but I think the grunt work was done in the middle of the field. Madison was fantastic tonight.”
That effort was even more impressive considering midfield play has been the Wildcats’ strength so far.
“We didn’t quit,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “That was a positive.
“I like that we stayed with it. We could have dropped our heads down 3-0, but we kept fighting.
“Our defenders had to be very tired today because it was a lot of chasing, a lot of physical play. I thought (North) defended (Miller) pretty well.”
While most of the Huskies are new, DeCook realizes they will have a target on their backs as the reigning state champions. But she’s OK with that.
“It’s definitely exciting,” DeCook said. “There’s definitely a little bit of pressure, and it was nerve-wracking going into it because, obviously, North has a very successful soccer program.
“But it’s really exciting that we’re able to come out with a win. It’s bright for the future.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Leah Jacobs
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
D Ellie Gerner
M Madison Korosec
M Nora Fitzgerald
M Olivia Anderson
F Emily Dulik
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
Neuqua Valley
GK Tara Tesmond
D Lauryn Adamski
D Maya Stone
D Maddy McGrath
D Kyra O’Brien
M Kassie Salviola
M Katelyn Nardulli
M Frannie Keen
M Grace Williams
M Brooke Miller
F Abby Michalczyk
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Taylor Korosec, jr., F, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North – Taylor Korosec (Cameron DeCook) 21:45 remaining
Naperville North – Megan Cablk (Cameron Dinkla) 11:57 remaining
Naperville North – Korosec (Lucy Iverson) 3:41 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Katelyn Nardulli 2:51 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Grace Williams 2:26 remaining