Dinkla's answer against Barrington
keys Naperville North title
Senior quickly responds to deficit, Huskies prevail in 2 OT
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North midfielder Cameron Dinkla didn’t get mad when Barrington freshman Piper Lucier scored on a great 23-yard shot to break a scoreless tie in the second half of the Naperville Invitational championship match on Saturday.
But the senior did get even. Fast.
Dinkla answered Lucier’s strike with a tremendous goal of her own just 41 seconds later and turned the momentum of the match. Naperville North went on to win 2-1 in double overtime at Memorial Stadium.
Dinkla’s goal, which came with 24:17 left in the second half, came on a 25-yard runner that was perfectly placed inside the left post.
“After they scored, I really wanted to pump up the team, and I felt energized,” Dinkla said. “Then I just got the opportunity to turn the girl, and I had space. So, I kept going and knocked a long shot in.
“It was definitely a big goal, and I wanted to step up to the plate.”
Dinkla is just the latest player to do so for the Huskies (14-1-2), who ended Barrington’s 14-game winning streak and beat the Fillies for the second time this season. A new protagonist emerges seemingly every game.
“Cam is so special in regards to be a true two-way midfielder,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Cam’s work-rate the last two years has just been incredible.
“She’s digging balls out; she’s turning and running at their back line. Madison (Korosec) and Ellie (Gerner) both grinded today, but Cam was the one that stood out, and we need the different players to step up at different times.”
The goal was the sixth of the season for Dinkla, putting her third on the Huskies’ scoring list behind North Alabama recruit Olivia Anderson and center back Norah Barry.
“I couldn’t be happier for Cam to get such a great goal, because she is a kid who every single day comes and works, gives us exactly what she’s given us all year,” Goletz said. “She means so much to us.
“She is so consistent and to have a special moment like that, it really got us back into that game. It was unbelievable.”
It all too believable – and not in a df way – to Barrington coach Ryan Stengren, whose Fillies (14-2) are winless against the Huskies but unbeaten good\
“We didn’t respond well after we scored, and (later) we gave up a set piece goal,” Stengren said. “That’s a bad ingredient against a really good defensive team.
“What they do, they do very well. They’re probably one of the best in the state at doing what they do.”
The set piece goal came with 6:03 to go in the first overtime when two defenders – junior Maggie Fitzgerald and senior Norah Barry – teamed up for the winning goal.
Barry tossed a long throw-in from the right side across the goal mouth to Fitzgerald for a clean finish inside the left post. If that sounds eerily familiar, it’s because Fitzgerald scored the game-winning goal on the exact same play, from the same spot on the same field off a throw from the same spot from Barry, just 18 hours earlier against Lyons.
That, too, was a game-winner. Fitzgerald now has four goals, three of which have been game-winners.
“There’s no secret,” Goletz said. “We love to try to get the ball in the box on restarts, and Maggie is so good with her feet and so calm.
“It fell to her last night, and she buried it. Ball falls to her again today and she buries it.”
Fitzgerald is one of only two non-seniors – and the only one on the backline – who started for the Huskies.
“She takes criticism; she takes feedback,” Goletz said. “We know she’s someone who we want the ball to fall to in the box, because we know she can handle the big moment.”
The Huskies have handled plenty of big moments this season. In winning the Naperville Invitational for the first time since 2016 and fourth time overall, they have stamped themselves as top contenders to win another state championship.
“I’m really proud of what my team accomplished today,” Naperville North defender Lucy Iverson said. “We really played our best.
“In the first half we struggled a little bit, but I think we really came out with a lot of aggressiveness and really fought to win the game in the second half.”
That they did. After the Fillies played them to a stalemate before the break, the Huskies were the better team, especially after going down a goal.
“The first half wasn’t good enough by us, and the girls knew that,” Goletz said. “They had an excuse built in that they’re tired, and I challenged them because I know this group is special.
“I know sometimes they need a little bit of a push, and I told them it had to come from within them in the second half. The second half was ridiculously good by us.”
Good teams beat other good teams. Great teams can come from behind to beat good teams. That’s what Naperville North did.
“To take a goal and come back was just incredible,” Goletz said. “That’s why this group has been so fun to be around.
“They keep fighting and fighting. There are times I get frustrated, because I know how special they can be. When you play game after game after game, it’s an unrealistic expectation that I put on them to be great.
“But I know they can do it, and I think they want that expectation. They proved that in the second half and overtime to beat a very good team.”
Indeed, the Huskies won their third game over a ranked opponent in less than 48 hours. Barrington was playing for the fourth time since Wednesday, having beaten two teams, including previously unbeaten Naperville Central in the semifinals, to reach the title game.
“Ryan’s teams are always so organized. They’re so good,” Goletz said. “To run the gauntlet the last month and to come out of it with the championship feels so good right now.”
Stengren didn’t feel too good about losing, but the big picture makes him optimistic.
“We’ve learned a lot about ourselves these last two weeks in this tournament, so I feel pretty confident,” Stengren said. “I got a lot of girls in the game today, so that was good.”
But it was Dinkla and her teammates who walked off with the tournament trophy.
“It feels good,” Dinkla said. “This is a really tough tournament, especially with everyone playing games back-to-back. Everyone was tired, but we were able to grind it out and dig deep.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK Abby Raynor
D Meredith McGreevy
D Gracie Stagnito
D Kathleen Baker
D Ellie Sanchez
M Nicole Gwiasda
M Brooke Brown
M Kaitlin Taylor
F Piper Lucier
F Kate Lubinsky
F Sarah Sarnowski
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Peyton Hegner
D Maggie Fitzgerald
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
M Ellie Gerner
F Taylor Korosec
F Olivia Anderson
F Rachael Noren
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Cameron Dinkla, sr., MF, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Barrington – Piper Lucier 24:58 remaining
Naperville North – Cameron Dinkla 24:17 remaining
First overtime
Naperville North – Maggie Fitzgerald (Norah Barry) 6:03 remaining
Second overtime
No scoring
keys Naperville North title
Senior quickly responds to deficit, Huskies prevail in 2 OT
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North midfielder Cameron Dinkla didn’t get mad when Barrington freshman Piper Lucier scored on a great 23-yard shot to break a scoreless tie in the second half of the Naperville Invitational championship match on Saturday.
But the senior did get even. Fast.
Dinkla answered Lucier’s strike with a tremendous goal of her own just 41 seconds later and turned the momentum of the match. Naperville North went on to win 2-1 in double overtime at Memorial Stadium.
Dinkla’s goal, which came with 24:17 left in the second half, came on a 25-yard runner that was perfectly placed inside the left post.
“After they scored, I really wanted to pump up the team, and I felt energized,” Dinkla said. “Then I just got the opportunity to turn the girl, and I had space. So, I kept going and knocked a long shot in.
“It was definitely a big goal, and I wanted to step up to the plate.”
Dinkla is just the latest player to do so for the Huskies (14-1-2), who ended Barrington’s 14-game winning streak and beat the Fillies for the second time this season. A new protagonist emerges seemingly every game.
“Cam is so special in regards to be a true two-way midfielder,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Cam’s work-rate the last two years has just been incredible.
“She’s digging balls out; she’s turning and running at their back line. Madison (Korosec) and Ellie (Gerner) both grinded today, but Cam was the one that stood out, and we need the different players to step up at different times.”
The goal was the sixth of the season for Dinkla, putting her third on the Huskies’ scoring list behind North Alabama recruit Olivia Anderson and center back Norah Barry.
“I couldn’t be happier for Cam to get such a great goal, because she is a kid who every single day comes and works, gives us exactly what she’s given us all year,” Goletz said. “She means so much to us.
“She is so consistent and to have a special moment like that, it really got us back into that game. It was unbelievable.”
It all too believable – and not in a df way – to Barrington coach Ryan Stengren, whose Fillies (14-2) are winless against the Huskies but unbeaten good\
“We didn’t respond well after we scored, and (later) we gave up a set piece goal,” Stengren said. “That’s a bad ingredient against a really good defensive team.
“What they do, they do very well. They’re probably one of the best in the state at doing what they do.”
The set piece goal came with 6:03 to go in the first overtime when two defenders – junior Maggie Fitzgerald and senior Norah Barry – teamed up for the winning goal.
Barry tossed a long throw-in from the right side across the goal mouth to Fitzgerald for a clean finish inside the left post. If that sounds eerily familiar, it’s because Fitzgerald scored the game-winning goal on the exact same play, from the same spot on the same field off a throw from the same spot from Barry, just 18 hours earlier against Lyons.
That, too, was a game-winner. Fitzgerald now has four goals, three of which have been game-winners.
“There’s no secret,” Goletz said. “We love to try to get the ball in the box on restarts, and Maggie is so good with her feet and so calm.
“It fell to her last night, and she buried it. Ball falls to her again today and she buries it.”
Fitzgerald is one of only two non-seniors – and the only one on the backline – who started for the Huskies.
“She takes criticism; she takes feedback,” Goletz said. “We know she’s someone who we want the ball to fall to in the box, because we know she can handle the big moment.”
The Huskies have handled plenty of big moments this season. In winning the Naperville Invitational for the first time since 2016 and fourth time overall, they have stamped themselves as top contenders to win another state championship.
“I’m really proud of what my team accomplished today,” Naperville North defender Lucy Iverson said. “We really played our best.
“In the first half we struggled a little bit, but I think we really came out with a lot of aggressiveness and really fought to win the game in the second half.”
That they did. After the Fillies played them to a stalemate before the break, the Huskies were the better team, especially after going down a goal.
“The first half wasn’t good enough by us, and the girls knew that,” Goletz said. “They had an excuse built in that they’re tired, and I challenged them because I know this group is special.
“I know sometimes they need a little bit of a push, and I told them it had to come from within them in the second half. The second half was ridiculously good by us.”
Good teams beat other good teams. Great teams can come from behind to beat good teams. That’s what Naperville North did.
“To take a goal and come back was just incredible,” Goletz said. “That’s why this group has been so fun to be around.
“They keep fighting and fighting. There are times I get frustrated, because I know how special they can be. When you play game after game after game, it’s an unrealistic expectation that I put on them to be great.
“But I know they can do it, and I think they want that expectation. They proved that in the second half and overtime to beat a very good team.”
Indeed, the Huskies won their third game over a ranked opponent in less than 48 hours. Barrington was playing for the fourth time since Wednesday, having beaten two teams, including previously unbeaten Naperville Central in the semifinals, to reach the title game.
“Ryan’s teams are always so organized. They’re so good,” Goletz said. “To run the gauntlet the last month and to come out of it with the championship feels so good right now.”
Stengren didn’t feel too good about losing, but the big picture makes him optimistic.
“We’ve learned a lot about ourselves these last two weeks in this tournament, so I feel pretty confident,” Stengren said. “I got a lot of girls in the game today, so that was good.”
But it was Dinkla and her teammates who walked off with the tournament trophy.
“It feels good,” Dinkla said. “This is a really tough tournament, especially with everyone playing games back-to-back. Everyone was tired, but we were able to grind it out and dig deep.”
Starting lineups
Barrington
GK Abby Raynor
D Meredith McGreevy
D Gracie Stagnito
D Kathleen Baker
D Ellie Sanchez
M Nicole Gwiasda
M Brooke Brown
M Kaitlin Taylor
F Piper Lucier
F Kate Lubinsky
F Sarah Sarnowski
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Peyton Hegner
D Maggie Fitzgerald
D Lucy Iverson
D Norah Barry
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
M Ellie Gerner
F Taylor Korosec
F Olivia Anderson
F Rachael Noren
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Cameron Dinkla, sr., MF, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Barrington – Piper Lucier 24:58 remaining
Naperville North – Cameron Dinkla 24:17 remaining
First overtime
Naperville North – Maggie Fitzgerald (Norah Barry) 6:03 remaining
Second overtime
No scoring