Welch sets record, Naperville N. edges NV
Senior nabs 34th career clean sheet, Huskies edge Wildcats 1-0
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The philosophy is simple yet sound.
The best way to get around a defense is to get the ball out wide to a winger, who takes the ball into the corner and sends a cross high into the penalty area, hoping to create chaos among defenders while a runner gets a foot or head on the ball.
Yet even the law of gravity seems to get suspended when Naperville North goalkeeper Tom Welch is playing.
Science, of course, says what goes up must come down. Except the majority of balls crossed into the Naperville North box never come down, no matter how high they soar.
That’s because they are picked out of the air by the 6-foot-8 Welch, who turns dangerous opportunities into feeble failures.
“He takes so much away in the air from the other team,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “A regular goalkeeper would face six or seven more shots a game that Tommy takes away because the ball gets gobbled up before it gets across.”
So how do you beat the Huskies?
For the past calendar year, you don’t.
How do you even get a shot off?
For the first 48 minutes Tuesday, Neuqua Valley didn’t.
It’s become numbingly, if impressively, common the past couple of seasons. Welch, the reigning Chicagoland Soccer and Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year, has backstopped the Huskies to the last two state championships and is unquestionably the best goalie in school history.
Now he’s officially in the record books.
Welch made only one official save – and cut off several crosses – in helping the Huskies edge host Neuqua 1-0 in DuPage Valley Conference action.
It was Welch’s 34th career shutout, which reset a school record set by Steve Hipp, who graduated in 1992.
“I knew it was coming, but when you put a good back four in front of me with Colin and all these guys and a team that wants to work hard defensively, it’s bound to happen,” Welch said. “It just happened to be this game. The fun part now is how far can we push it.”
Indeed, the Huskies (8-0-0, 2-0-0) show no sign of conceding many goals any time soon. They stretched their winning streak to 28 games, dating back to September 9, 2017, and have given up only eight goals during that span. That includes two goals this season.
A blank sheet is almost expected now.
“I come into every game looking to get a shutout,” Welch said. “You saw in the state tournament we didn’t win a game by more than three goals or anything crazy.
“It’s our defense that our program is built on, and the culture that coach Konrad has built of defense first. We get goals in some sloppy ways, but defensively we’re sound. That’s how we win.”
That’s how the Huskies beat the Wildcats (4-3-1, 0-1-0), who played tenaciously but mustered only three shots. Only one – a soft header by Sean Osoba with 29:47 left in the second half – was on goal.
“They’re a great team,” Neuqua Valley senior David Kuhn said. “He’s a great goalkeeper.
“Not only that, basically any shot from outside the 18 probably will not get by them. They only thing that I think you can honestly get is like a ball to the back post like we did last year on the counterattack. We got lucky enough to score.”
Not that it did any good. The Huskies rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win that game 2-1.
This time it would be the Wildcats that needed a rally, which never materialized. The Huskies outshot them 20-3 and should have scored at least three goals, but missed several point-blank chances.
In fact, the only goal of the game came on arguably the weakest shot. Once again, it was 6-foot-4 defender Colin Iverson that tallied it on a header, though it must have seemed like a slow-motion car crash to the Wildcats.
Ty Konrad launched a free kick from far out on the right wing. Iverson rose up and the ball nicked his head before bouncing slowly toward the net.
Two Neuqua defenders and goalkeeper Luke Molnar all watched the ball bounce three times before sneaking inside the right post. It was a classic case of each player waiting for one of the others to make a play.
“I actually thought I had a bad header,” Iverson said of his sixth goal of the season. “I put it on goal, and sometimes it just happens.
“It was just miscommunication between the goalie and backline. It worked out.”
Not that the Huskies need any luck, but Jim Konrad said luck sometimes shines on those who persevere.
“If the ball is in front of the net enough, eventually you might get lucky,” Jim Konrad said. “And that happened today. We were fortunate to score that goal today.”
The Huskies are deadly on set pieces and the key for their opponent is keeping Iverson away from the ball when he is in the box, a task easier said than done. The Wildcats actually did a good job of it -- as Iverson had only three shots.
“I was on Colin just trying to disrupt his run, and unfortunately he got a little touch, the slightest touch, and it just bounced,” Kuhn said. “It was a very slow ball and the keeper and the guy on the back post hesitated, and unfortunately it went in between them.
“I was telling them before the game, just don’t be scared of it. Just go for the ball and clear it.”
The Huskies’ backline of Iverson, Christian Romano, Cam Ferus and Cesar Recendez clears nearly everything, rarely leaving Welch with much to do. That was the irony of Welch’s setting the record on Tuesday, a day in which he rarely saw action, though he did have to leave the game briefly after taking a shot to the ribs in a collision with Neuqua star Jose Navarro.
“I didn’t get anything (difficult) today, and I got bored,” Welch said. “I was kind of like not into it, so that’s when I came out, and I almost got hurt.”
Afterward, Welch and Iverson took turns heaping credit on each other.
“The shutout record is going to have my name on it, but really it should have the year on it because they way this team works defensively,” Welch said. “I get all this praise, but there definitely should be a lot more for the back four, the midfield and forwards.
“Even the forwards defend really well. It’s the whole team’s honor, not just mine.”
True, but count Iverson among those in awe of Welch’s athleticism.
“Obviously I think our defense played really well, but Tom’s just a freak athlete,” Iverson said. “I’m so happy for him. I think it’s such a great accomplishment.
“We always take a lot of pride in (the shutouts). We do a lot of work, but Tom’s definitely there when we slip up, and we’re grateful for that.”
Welch impacts the game not only physically but mentally.
“(Tom’s size) is very intimidating,” Iverson said. “You hear guys all the time on the field talk about how tall he is and how scared they are of him.
“He’s such a friendly guy, but it’s so funny because the intimidation factor is huge.”
It’s not just Welch who intimidates opponents. Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez said some Wildcats were worried more about their marks even when Neuqua was attacking.
“You’ve got to give it to them,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a great defense and then, too, it’s how much are you worried about that counter?
“Because I know many times we had the ball and (one of our players) was like, ‘But I have someone here.’ Wait a second, who has the ball? We’re attacking, don’t forget that.
“If they’re attacking, OK, this is my mark, but we have the ball, why are we worried about leaving someone behind. It’s almost like you’re thinking, what if we lose it on a counter? We can’t worry about that.”
Despite the loss, neither Gonzalez or Kuhn was worried about the Wildcats.
“This is our first conference game,” Kuhn said. “Great competition.
“I think we played well. We stepped up. Unfortunately, they got that lucky goal. But I’m really excited for this year.”
While his team can’t match Naperville North’s depth, Gonzalez at least knows his best 11 can.
“To me this was the start of our season, and it was a good way to start the season,” Gonzalez said. “Everything else was preseason, and we were doing a lot of rotations.
“We actually found such a niche, and now we know what we have.”
Jim Konrad knows too.
“It wasn’t a pretty game, but it was a DVC game,” he said. “We know we’re always going to get Neuqua’s best shot.
“They’re a tough team, and they played hard.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Cam Ferus
D Cesar Recendez
D Christian Romano
D Colin Iverson
M Myles Barry
M Nata Rojas
M Zach Smith
M Ali Khorfan
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Neuqua Valley
GK Luke Molnar
D Kevin Wu
D Ben Head
D Mac Lehman
D Brandon Szabo
M Tom Bludgeon
M David Kuhn
M Anthony Safo
M Ryan Matthews
M Jose Navarro
F Michael Klecka
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Colin Iverson, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North – Colin Iverson (Ty Konrad) 18:32
Second half
None
Senior nabs 34th career clean sheet, Huskies edge Wildcats 1-0
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The philosophy is simple yet sound.
The best way to get around a defense is to get the ball out wide to a winger, who takes the ball into the corner and sends a cross high into the penalty area, hoping to create chaos among defenders while a runner gets a foot or head on the ball.
Yet even the law of gravity seems to get suspended when Naperville North goalkeeper Tom Welch is playing.
Science, of course, says what goes up must come down. Except the majority of balls crossed into the Naperville North box never come down, no matter how high they soar.
That’s because they are picked out of the air by the 6-foot-8 Welch, who turns dangerous opportunities into feeble failures.
“He takes so much away in the air from the other team,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “A regular goalkeeper would face six or seven more shots a game that Tommy takes away because the ball gets gobbled up before it gets across.”
So how do you beat the Huskies?
For the past calendar year, you don’t.
How do you even get a shot off?
For the first 48 minutes Tuesday, Neuqua Valley didn’t.
It’s become numbingly, if impressively, common the past couple of seasons. Welch, the reigning Chicagoland Soccer and Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year, has backstopped the Huskies to the last two state championships and is unquestionably the best goalie in school history.
Now he’s officially in the record books.
Welch made only one official save – and cut off several crosses – in helping the Huskies edge host Neuqua 1-0 in DuPage Valley Conference action.
It was Welch’s 34th career shutout, which reset a school record set by Steve Hipp, who graduated in 1992.
“I knew it was coming, but when you put a good back four in front of me with Colin and all these guys and a team that wants to work hard defensively, it’s bound to happen,” Welch said. “It just happened to be this game. The fun part now is how far can we push it.”
Indeed, the Huskies (8-0-0, 2-0-0) show no sign of conceding many goals any time soon. They stretched their winning streak to 28 games, dating back to September 9, 2017, and have given up only eight goals during that span. That includes two goals this season.
A blank sheet is almost expected now.
“I come into every game looking to get a shutout,” Welch said. “You saw in the state tournament we didn’t win a game by more than three goals or anything crazy.
“It’s our defense that our program is built on, and the culture that coach Konrad has built of defense first. We get goals in some sloppy ways, but defensively we’re sound. That’s how we win.”
That’s how the Huskies beat the Wildcats (4-3-1, 0-1-0), who played tenaciously but mustered only three shots. Only one – a soft header by Sean Osoba with 29:47 left in the second half – was on goal.
“They’re a great team,” Neuqua Valley senior David Kuhn said. “He’s a great goalkeeper.
“Not only that, basically any shot from outside the 18 probably will not get by them. They only thing that I think you can honestly get is like a ball to the back post like we did last year on the counterattack. We got lucky enough to score.”
Not that it did any good. The Huskies rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win that game 2-1.
This time it would be the Wildcats that needed a rally, which never materialized. The Huskies outshot them 20-3 and should have scored at least three goals, but missed several point-blank chances.
In fact, the only goal of the game came on arguably the weakest shot. Once again, it was 6-foot-4 defender Colin Iverson that tallied it on a header, though it must have seemed like a slow-motion car crash to the Wildcats.
Ty Konrad launched a free kick from far out on the right wing. Iverson rose up and the ball nicked his head before bouncing slowly toward the net.
Two Neuqua defenders and goalkeeper Luke Molnar all watched the ball bounce three times before sneaking inside the right post. It was a classic case of each player waiting for one of the others to make a play.
“I actually thought I had a bad header,” Iverson said of his sixth goal of the season. “I put it on goal, and sometimes it just happens.
“It was just miscommunication between the goalie and backline. It worked out.”
Not that the Huskies need any luck, but Jim Konrad said luck sometimes shines on those who persevere.
“If the ball is in front of the net enough, eventually you might get lucky,” Jim Konrad said. “And that happened today. We were fortunate to score that goal today.”
The Huskies are deadly on set pieces and the key for their opponent is keeping Iverson away from the ball when he is in the box, a task easier said than done. The Wildcats actually did a good job of it -- as Iverson had only three shots.
“I was on Colin just trying to disrupt his run, and unfortunately he got a little touch, the slightest touch, and it just bounced,” Kuhn said. “It was a very slow ball and the keeper and the guy on the back post hesitated, and unfortunately it went in between them.
“I was telling them before the game, just don’t be scared of it. Just go for the ball and clear it.”
The Huskies’ backline of Iverson, Christian Romano, Cam Ferus and Cesar Recendez clears nearly everything, rarely leaving Welch with much to do. That was the irony of Welch’s setting the record on Tuesday, a day in which he rarely saw action, though he did have to leave the game briefly after taking a shot to the ribs in a collision with Neuqua star Jose Navarro.
“I didn’t get anything (difficult) today, and I got bored,” Welch said. “I was kind of like not into it, so that’s when I came out, and I almost got hurt.”
Afterward, Welch and Iverson took turns heaping credit on each other.
“The shutout record is going to have my name on it, but really it should have the year on it because they way this team works defensively,” Welch said. “I get all this praise, but there definitely should be a lot more for the back four, the midfield and forwards.
“Even the forwards defend really well. It’s the whole team’s honor, not just mine.”
True, but count Iverson among those in awe of Welch’s athleticism.
“Obviously I think our defense played really well, but Tom’s just a freak athlete,” Iverson said. “I’m so happy for him. I think it’s such a great accomplishment.
“We always take a lot of pride in (the shutouts). We do a lot of work, but Tom’s definitely there when we slip up, and we’re grateful for that.”
Welch impacts the game not only physically but mentally.
“(Tom’s size) is very intimidating,” Iverson said. “You hear guys all the time on the field talk about how tall he is and how scared they are of him.
“He’s such a friendly guy, but it’s so funny because the intimidation factor is huge.”
It’s not just Welch who intimidates opponents. Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez said some Wildcats were worried more about their marks even when Neuqua was attacking.
“You’ve got to give it to them,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a great defense and then, too, it’s how much are you worried about that counter?
“Because I know many times we had the ball and (one of our players) was like, ‘But I have someone here.’ Wait a second, who has the ball? We’re attacking, don’t forget that.
“If they’re attacking, OK, this is my mark, but we have the ball, why are we worried about leaving someone behind. It’s almost like you’re thinking, what if we lose it on a counter? We can’t worry about that.”
Despite the loss, neither Gonzalez or Kuhn was worried about the Wildcats.
“This is our first conference game,” Kuhn said. “Great competition.
“I think we played well. We stepped up. Unfortunately, they got that lucky goal. But I’m really excited for this year.”
While his team can’t match Naperville North’s depth, Gonzalez at least knows his best 11 can.
“To me this was the start of our season, and it was a good way to start the season,” Gonzalez said. “Everything else was preseason, and we were doing a lot of rotations.
“We actually found such a niche, and now we know what we have.”
Jim Konrad knows too.
“It wasn’t a pretty game, but it was a DVC game,” he said. “We know we’re always going to get Neuqua’s best shot.
“They’re a tough team, and they played hard.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK Tom Welch
D Cam Ferus
D Cesar Recendez
D Christian Romano
D Colin Iverson
M Myles Barry
M Nata Rojas
M Zach Smith
M Ali Khorfan
F Patrick Koenig
F Ty Konrad
Neuqua Valley
GK Luke Molnar
D Kevin Wu
D Ben Head
D Mac Lehman
D Brandon Szabo
M Tom Bludgeon
M David Kuhn
M Anthony Safo
M Ryan Matthews
M Jose Navarro
F Michael Klecka
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match – Colin Iverson, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North – Colin Iverson (Ty Konrad) 18:32
Second half
None