Naperville North’s Riggs has
day to remember vs. Carmel
Celebrates birthday with goal in 2-0 Huskies victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
EVANSTON -- Reilly Riggs insists she does not pay much attention to her own birthday. Her elite talent and all-around abilities function as their own just reward and calling card.
Still, she made her 18th birthday even more memorable when she scored the game-winning goal on a header and played her customary disruptive defense as Naperville North, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, defeated Carmel 2-0 in the opening round of pool play in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Saturday afternoon.
For scoring the game-winner and also shutting down an offensively dangerous team to help the Huskies earn their second shutout, Reilly Riggs was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
Riggs also gave the local soccer aficionados a prelude of things to come as the Northwestern recruit flashed her special abilities. At nearly 5-feet-11 inches, she combines size, range and an ideal physical presence to impact the game in multiple ways.
In a game by her own admission and that of her coach that the Huskies were far from their best, her first half goal helped break through the inconsistent play.
“We started out really slow in the first half, and it did not really look like us,” Riggs said. “We did not play how we usually do. One of my goals this year is just to get out on restarts and have those opportunities for us. In the big games, they mean a lot and, I want to get those chances a lot.”
In the 26th minute off the left wing, midfielder Katie Murphy played the initial ball as Riggs alertly utilized her size to play the header in directing the ball inside the near post.
Until then Carmel had the upper hand. The Corsairs enjoyed the advantage in shots and possession in the final third. Senior forward Zenaya Barnes was electric and dangerous, creating mismatches or slotting the ball to sophomore forward Liz Galla.
Galla forced Huskies’ keeper Amanda Johnson into making two early saves, including a shot from about 19 yards from the left wing that required Johnson to go high in snaring the ball.
Carmel entered the game loaded with possibilities on offense and eager to gain the necessary experience for its back. The Corsairs surrendered a combined 12 goals in games against Warren and Marist.
The Naperville North game was an almost existential threat to where the team stands, according to coach Ray Krawzak.
“We assume we are going to make some mistakes in the back because that is our level of experience,” he said. “Keeping it a competitive match all the way through was very important given our last couple of games ended with us questioning whether we still believed in ourselves.”
Barnes, a Chicagoland Soccer all-state player last year, led the Corsairs with 15 goals in 2018 and her emergence was a key reason Carmel qualified for a Class 3A supersectional. With Galla, Barnes and the Salvi sisters, Olivia and Mia, Carmel is a team primed to make an offensive impact.
Naperville North (3-2-1) extended its unbeaten streak to four games. Coming off its best performance of the year in a 3-1 victory over no. 20 Waubonsie Valley, the Huskies were off and a step slow.
“I think there was a little bit of a letdown in terms of our mentality,” coach Steve Goletz said. “You play a very good Waubonsie team who all of these kids grow up playing against, and it’s a huge rivalry game. I challenged them today and asked what was the group going to look like.”
Naperville North started only four players against Carmel who started on last year’s Class 3A third place team. The most significant absence is two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state midfielder and Illinois recruit Katelynn Buescher, who was one of six Division I players on the squad.
“We came out a little slower than we liked,” junior forward Hannah Martin said. “I think that is the difference so far with this year’s team. Last year we had so many college recruits, you are going to be better because of the difference in talent, but now we have to be more focused and zoned in. It is going to take more hard work, which I think this team has in them, in order for us to reach our full potential.”
With Riggs and Paige Sylvester patrolling the back, Naperville North has an air tight defense. While Carmel had success moving the ball and getting into position, Riggs made sure they never were truly dangerous -- a point Krawzak agreed on.
“While it looked like we were hanging with them, it was not really enough,” he said. “We were not getting the opportunities. We were not getting quality shots on target. That is the next step for us. We need our attack to find the back of the net.
“In our next game we are looking to see if our attack shows up a little more.”
Mia Salvi, a sophomore midfielder, is part of the talented family line that has sustained the Corsairs’ success. Her older sister Angie Salvi, now at the University of Vermont, was the leading scorer on the 2015 Class AA state championship team.
Despite the loss, Carmel (2-5-0) showed a much tougher spine, and that mattered.
“The past few games, against Warren and Marist, each time they scored we shut down,” Mia Salvi said. “I think today we really learned what we did the past few games and the outcome we had and we realized, we need to bounce back and play even harder.”
Martin scored the crucial second goal at the start of the second half. Carmel keeper Taylor Zelich was pulled off her line in an effort to get a ball on the left wing. Huskies’ forward Emily Dulik beat her to the ball and slotted the pass to Martin for the 42nd minute goal.
Riggs and Martin each have two goals on the year.
Losses to start the new year to top-ranked Barrington and no. 8 St. Charles East jolted Naperville North. Martin earned all-state recognition after leading the Huskies in scoring last year. Her continued elevation as an elite player is central to Naperville North maintaining its elite status.
“Every team we schedule this season is really hard, so I think he first two losses were difficult,” Martin said. “They were humbling because we did not lose much last year, but I think we are starting to get our momentum, especially after the Waubonsie game, that was a big confidence booster for us.”
Carmel looks to regroup and travels to Hinsdale Central for second round pool play on Monday. Playing in the tournament is a way for the team to adjust and learn on the fly, even if the results are not immediately in their favor.
“At this point in the season last year, we lost all of our games in this tournament and we finished out fantastic,” Krawzak said. “It is all about what you learn from this kind of thing. Hopefully we learned positive things. We did a nice job today of staying physical and not making it easy on them.”
Naperville North confronts another significant challenge when it returns to Evanston on Monday night to face the no. 5 Wildkits.
“I know Evanston is going to be really good and tough to beat, so I know we have to get things going offensively and keep shutting people out like we did today,” Martin said.
In a game likely to decide which team advances to the semifinal bracket on Thursday, Goletz said Naperville North has to play with greater intensity and purpose.
“The consistency of what we are doing has to get better,” Goletz said. “That is the test of this program. We lost so much from last year, and I have some kids who are getting their first minutes here at the start of the season. There is definitely a learning curve.
“We have had some good performances and some not-so-good performances. We have to find a way to level that out and see where we are as a group, because the gauntlet is ahead.”
The day finally belonged to Riggs. Her teammates sang happy birthday to her on the bus. The moment was hers.
“We lost a ton of great players from last year, but we have a lot of really good young players and people coming up,” Riggs said. “We are ready for the hard work and the battle. Right now we are just trying to get used to each other and play together.
“It has been good so far.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Amanda Johnson
D: Ellie Gerner
D: Paige Sylvester
D: Reilly Riggs
D: Emily Magee
MF: Jordan Leonard
MF: Leah Shumate
MF: Maddie Schlecht
MF: Katie Murphy
F: Hannah Martin
F: Emily Dulik
Carmel
GK: Taylor Zelich
D: Caitlin Teehan
D: Morgan Smola
D: Maddy Splitt
MF: Liz Galla
MF: Mia Salvi
MF: Olivia Pullin
MF: Olivia Salvi
F: Zenaya Barnes
F: Sarah Galla
F: Lucy Tarcha
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Reilly Riggs, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North—Reilly Riggs (Katie Murphy), 26th minute
Second half
Naperville North—Hannah Martin (Emily Dulik), 42nd minute
day to remember vs. Carmel
Celebrates birthday with goal in 2-0 Huskies victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
EVANSTON -- Reilly Riggs insists she does not pay much attention to her own birthday. Her elite talent and all-around abilities function as their own just reward and calling card.
Still, she made her 18th birthday even more memorable when she scored the game-winning goal on a header and played her customary disruptive defense as Naperville North, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, defeated Carmel 2-0 in the opening round of pool play in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Saturday afternoon.
For scoring the game-winner and also shutting down an offensively dangerous team to help the Huskies earn their second shutout, Reilly Riggs was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
Riggs also gave the local soccer aficionados a prelude of things to come as the Northwestern recruit flashed her special abilities. At nearly 5-feet-11 inches, she combines size, range and an ideal physical presence to impact the game in multiple ways.
In a game by her own admission and that of her coach that the Huskies were far from their best, her first half goal helped break through the inconsistent play.
“We started out really slow in the first half, and it did not really look like us,” Riggs said. “We did not play how we usually do. One of my goals this year is just to get out on restarts and have those opportunities for us. In the big games, they mean a lot and, I want to get those chances a lot.”
In the 26th minute off the left wing, midfielder Katie Murphy played the initial ball as Riggs alertly utilized her size to play the header in directing the ball inside the near post.
Until then Carmel had the upper hand. The Corsairs enjoyed the advantage in shots and possession in the final third. Senior forward Zenaya Barnes was electric and dangerous, creating mismatches or slotting the ball to sophomore forward Liz Galla.
Galla forced Huskies’ keeper Amanda Johnson into making two early saves, including a shot from about 19 yards from the left wing that required Johnson to go high in snaring the ball.
Carmel entered the game loaded with possibilities on offense and eager to gain the necessary experience for its back. The Corsairs surrendered a combined 12 goals in games against Warren and Marist.
The Naperville North game was an almost existential threat to where the team stands, according to coach Ray Krawzak.
“We assume we are going to make some mistakes in the back because that is our level of experience,” he said. “Keeping it a competitive match all the way through was very important given our last couple of games ended with us questioning whether we still believed in ourselves.”
Barnes, a Chicagoland Soccer all-state player last year, led the Corsairs with 15 goals in 2018 and her emergence was a key reason Carmel qualified for a Class 3A supersectional. With Galla, Barnes and the Salvi sisters, Olivia and Mia, Carmel is a team primed to make an offensive impact.
Naperville North (3-2-1) extended its unbeaten streak to four games. Coming off its best performance of the year in a 3-1 victory over no. 20 Waubonsie Valley, the Huskies were off and a step slow.
“I think there was a little bit of a letdown in terms of our mentality,” coach Steve Goletz said. “You play a very good Waubonsie team who all of these kids grow up playing against, and it’s a huge rivalry game. I challenged them today and asked what was the group going to look like.”
Naperville North started only four players against Carmel who started on last year’s Class 3A third place team. The most significant absence is two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state midfielder and Illinois recruit Katelynn Buescher, who was one of six Division I players on the squad.
“We came out a little slower than we liked,” junior forward Hannah Martin said. “I think that is the difference so far with this year’s team. Last year we had so many college recruits, you are going to be better because of the difference in talent, but now we have to be more focused and zoned in. It is going to take more hard work, which I think this team has in them, in order for us to reach our full potential.”
With Riggs and Paige Sylvester patrolling the back, Naperville North has an air tight defense. While Carmel had success moving the ball and getting into position, Riggs made sure they never were truly dangerous -- a point Krawzak agreed on.
“While it looked like we were hanging with them, it was not really enough,” he said. “We were not getting the opportunities. We were not getting quality shots on target. That is the next step for us. We need our attack to find the back of the net.
“In our next game we are looking to see if our attack shows up a little more.”
Mia Salvi, a sophomore midfielder, is part of the talented family line that has sustained the Corsairs’ success. Her older sister Angie Salvi, now at the University of Vermont, was the leading scorer on the 2015 Class AA state championship team.
Despite the loss, Carmel (2-5-0) showed a much tougher spine, and that mattered.
“The past few games, against Warren and Marist, each time they scored we shut down,” Mia Salvi said. “I think today we really learned what we did the past few games and the outcome we had and we realized, we need to bounce back and play even harder.”
Martin scored the crucial second goal at the start of the second half. Carmel keeper Taylor Zelich was pulled off her line in an effort to get a ball on the left wing. Huskies’ forward Emily Dulik beat her to the ball and slotted the pass to Martin for the 42nd minute goal.
Riggs and Martin each have two goals on the year.
Losses to start the new year to top-ranked Barrington and no. 8 St. Charles East jolted Naperville North. Martin earned all-state recognition after leading the Huskies in scoring last year. Her continued elevation as an elite player is central to Naperville North maintaining its elite status.
“Every team we schedule this season is really hard, so I think he first two losses were difficult,” Martin said. “They were humbling because we did not lose much last year, but I think we are starting to get our momentum, especially after the Waubonsie game, that was a big confidence booster for us.”
Carmel looks to regroup and travels to Hinsdale Central for second round pool play on Monday. Playing in the tournament is a way for the team to adjust and learn on the fly, even if the results are not immediately in their favor.
“At this point in the season last year, we lost all of our games in this tournament and we finished out fantastic,” Krawzak said. “It is all about what you learn from this kind of thing. Hopefully we learned positive things. We did a nice job today of staying physical and not making it easy on them.”
Naperville North confronts another significant challenge when it returns to Evanston on Monday night to face the no. 5 Wildkits.
“I know Evanston is going to be really good and tough to beat, so I know we have to get things going offensively and keep shutting people out like we did today,” Martin said.
In a game likely to decide which team advances to the semifinal bracket on Thursday, Goletz said Naperville North has to play with greater intensity and purpose.
“The consistency of what we are doing has to get better,” Goletz said. “That is the test of this program. We lost so much from last year, and I have some kids who are getting their first minutes here at the start of the season. There is definitely a learning curve.
“We have had some good performances and some not-so-good performances. We have to find a way to level that out and see where we are as a group, because the gauntlet is ahead.”
The day finally belonged to Riggs. Her teammates sang happy birthday to her on the bus. The moment was hers.
“We lost a ton of great players from last year, but we have a lot of really good young players and people coming up,” Riggs said. “We are ready for the hard work and the battle. Right now we are just trying to get used to each other and play together.
“It has been good so far.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Amanda Johnson
D: Ellie Gerner
D: Paige Sylvester
D: Reilly Riggs
D: Emily Magee
MF: Jordan Leonard
MF: Leah Shumate
MF: Maddie Schlecht
MF: Katie Murphy
F: Hannah Martin
F: Emily Dulik
Carmel
GK: Taylor Zelich
D: Caitlin Teehan
D: Morgan Smola
D: Maddy Splitt
MF: Liz Galla
MF: Mia Salvi
MF: Olivia Pullin
MF: Olivia Salvi
F: Zenaya Barnes
F: Sarah Galla
F: Lucy Tarcha
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Reilly Riggs, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North—Reilly Riggs (Katie Murphy), 26th minute
Second half
Naperville North—Hannah Martin (Emily Dulik), 42nd minute