Welch anchors Naperville N.'s repeat title
GK rock solid, Iverson scores in Huskies’ 1-0 win over Libertyville
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- His frame is long and sinewy. Tommy Welch has a commanding presence playing keeper. The impulse is to play large and dynamic. Welch comes by those properties naturally, a byproduct of biology, size and his seeming preternatural gifts.
Libertyville put him under constant assault. His mood and ability to stay composed was truly exceptional. He was remarkable throughout the state tournament, not giving up a goal despite his Naperville North team facing very dangerous and highly skilled offensive teams like Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Morton and St. Charles North the night before.
A Division I basketball recruit who is listed at 6-foot-6, but appears closer to 6-7 or possibly 6-8, Welch had the privilege of experience by dint of starting for the Huskies the year before. He felt comfortable. Everything else seemed to stop, time, motion, action. He played liked he saw everything cleanly, without interference.
“Every time they take a shot, your mind just goes blank and you do whatever you have to do to make sure the ball does not go into the back of the net,” Welch said.
In a riveting showdown of the state’s best two teams and two of the best in the country, Welch put on an extraordinary performance in registering a state record 13 saves as no. 2 Naperville North edged top-ranked Libertyville 1-0 on Colin Iverson’s late set piece goal to capture its second-consecutive Class 3A state championship Saturday night at Hoffman Estates High School.
Junior defender Colin Iverson scored the game-winner in the 66th minute on a beautifully designed set piece, a deep throw in from the left edge by senior midfielder Jack Barry. A rangy 6-2 defender, Iverson recorded his 15th goal. The vast majority, he said, were of a nearly identical make, developing off restarts and throw-ins, perfectly delivered by Barry.
“He just knows,” Iverson said about Barry, who set a new school record with his 22nd assist. “He perfectly places it. We have a lot of chemistry on this team. We have been playing together since we were little kids. I felt as the game got more and more pressured, we just bonded more and pushed harder. Even though they had the better play, we felt more confident.”
The Naperville North fans sensed the seriousness of the moment before the decisive throw-in. As the ball skipped out of bounds in favor of the Huskies, a group of about four students rushed to the rails to yell extra encouragement at Barry. His ability to throw the ball 30 yards into the box is a formidable weapon.
“I got it off the fly,” Iverson said. “I got a little touch, so did their keeper (Thomas Pearson) but it skipped a little bit.”
Naperville North (27-1-1) punctuated its remarkable back-to-back run with a 19-game winning streak. The Huskies avenged their only regular season setbacks against perfection -- a tight loss to rival Naperville Central and a draw with Morton -- by beating them, respectively, in a sectional final and the supersectional.
Naperville North also deprived Libertyville (20-1-2) of an unbeaten state run and ended its nine-game winning streak. In their impressive run, the Huskies did not concede a goal in their seven state tournament games.
The eerie mood and atmospheric backdrop -- the sky fog-streaked and majestic -- matched the remarkable play. The game surpassed expectations given the extraordinary confluence that allowed a rare and invigorating matchup of the last two state champions. The showdown was existential, the state’s best player, 6-2 Libertyville forward Ryan Wittenbrink against the state’s best defense.
As a precocious sophomore two years ago, Wittenbrink scored both goals to lead Libertyville to a 2-1 state championship victory over Quincy. Last year Naperville North rode a versatile big-play offense and lockdown defense in beating Barrington 3-1 in the state championship.
The bracket delivered, putting the two powerhouse programs on a collision course.
“Wittenbrink is an unbelievable player,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “We knew we were coming in tonight as the underdog. We knew they were better than us. If you compare them to us, player by player, they are without question more talented. The message was we did not have to be the best team. We just have to find a way to win the game.
“We knew coming into the game Tommy had to stand on his head for us, and he did. He’s a fantastic basketball player, but he could be a pro (in soccer). You don’t see kids like that who are so quick, so confident, strong and have such soft hands -- he catches everything. In a big moment, when you need your stud to come through, he did. Without question he won the game for us tonight with those four or five huge saves.”
The Barry-Iverson combination and the extraordinary play of Welch nullified the superior play of Libertyville. Behind the passionately cool play of Wittenbrink, with his deep forays into the Huskies’ box, the Wildcats dominated possession time and generated a huge advantage in shots on goal.
Wittenbrink generated seven shots on goal as Libertyville managed a 13-5 edge. The Wildcats took an astounding nine corner kicks in the first half alone and finished with 14.
“I think our backline played really well,” Wittenbrink said. “They got a good bounce on their goal. This one was not on our backline. The game came down to us not being able to finish balls.”
Midfielders Greg Krikorian and Tanner Kelly each hit the post. Another shot hit off the crossbar. In one of the most exhilarating moments of the first half, Wittenbrink got free behind the Huskies’ backline and hammered a laser that Welch brilliantly stabbed.
Welch earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play.
“We knew (Wittenbrink) was going to be a target for them,” Welch said. “He wants to shoot any time. I would not blame him, because he has a great shot.
"I was happy to be in there. It’s great to be able to shut out a team, and give us a chance to win the game. As the game wore on, I got more confident that we were going to get something in. Our goals are not pretty, but they go in and get the result we need.”
Libertyville dominated the game statistically but a subtle shift in momentum was discernible at the start of the second half. Naperville North sophomore forward Ty Konrad missed a short volley that constituted the Huskies’ best scoring threat. Senior midfielder Ethan Harvey drilled a left-footed rocket ball from about 25 yards that Pearson made a spectacular tip save on.
Barry scored the game-winner in the championship against Barrington last year.
“We really practice that go through a lot,” Barry said. “We have a couple of different patterns that we run and go off of that. At the end of the day it really comes down to going up and winning the individual battle on that head ball. We have been fortunate to get on the end of a lot of those balls. It speaks really to Colin and his ability to go up and get that.”
It was a particularly cruel twist for the Wildcats.
“They didn’t quit,” said Thunholm, who replaced the legendary Andy Bitta in directing the Wildcats to a state title appearance in his first year. “We have our heart broken right now, but they realize they left everything out there. I am so proud, the community is so proud. It’s crazy, you can dominate for 80 minutes and somebody bangs one in. We had a lot of younger kids, sophomores and juniors who started for us, and they are going to learn from this experience.
“That will get us more hungry for next year.”
Naperville North amassed its 21st shutout, a school record. The Huskies also set a new mark for single-season victories. The program brought home its sixth state trophy. The back-to-back titles are the program’s second and third state titles, following the 1998 team coached by Dave Bucher. Naperville North became the first large school repeat champion since Sandburg won Class AA state titles in 2001 and 2002.
“The boys really deserve all the credit,” Jim Konrad said. “All year they have absorbed pressure, been tough in the back and fought for each other. There have been times when one player gets beat but the rest of the team is where they are supposed to be and bail us out. That happened last night, and it happened today.
“For a team to give up zero goals in the tournament is a special accomplishment.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Tommy Welch
D: Matt Bilardello
D: Mitch Konrad
D: Colin Iverson
D: Cesar Recendez
MF: Ethan Harvey
MF: Ian Guppy
MF: Will Ritzmann
MF: Jack Barry
F: Patrick Koenig
F: Ty Konrad
Libertyville
GK: Thomas Pearson
D: Mason Williams
D: Grant Herbek
D: Nathan Pacholski
D: Austin Becker
MF: Riley Hoff
MF: Evan Rasmussen
MF: Greg Krikorian
MF: Will Powers
MF: Tanner Kelly
F: Ryan Wittenbrink
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Tommy Welch, jr., GK, Naperville North
Officials: M—Sam Nachampassack, AR1—Jeff Ryder, AR2—John Martelin, 4th—Hanah Shehaiber
Scoring summary
Second half
Naperville North—Colin Iverson (Jack Barry), 66th minute
GK rock solid, Iverson scores in Huskies’ 1-0 win over Libertyville
By Patrick Z. McGavin
HOFFMAN ESTATES -- His frame is long and sinewy. Tommy Welch has a commanding presence playing keeper. The impulse is to play large and dynamic. Welch comes by those properties naturally, a byproduct of biology, size and his seeming preternatural gifts.
Libertyville put him under constant assault. His mood and ability to stay composed was truly exceptional. He was remarkable throughout the state tournament, not giving up a goal despite his Naperville North team facing very dangerous and highly skilled offensive teams like Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Morton and St. Charles North the night before.
A Division I basketball recruit who is listed at 6-foot-6, but appears closer to 6-7 or possibly 6-8, Welch had the privilege of experience by dint of starting for the Huskies the year before. He felt comfortable. Everything else seemed to stop, time, motion, action. He played liked he saw everything cleanly, without interference.
“Every time they take a shot, your mind just goes blank and you do whatever you have to do to make sure the ball does not go into the back of the net,” Welch said.
In a riveting showdown of the state’s best two teams and two of the best in the country, Welch put on an extraordinary performance in registering a state record 13 saves as no. 2 Naperville North edged top-ranked Libertyville 1-0 on Colin Iverson’s late set piece goal to capture its second-consecutive Class 3A state championship Saturday night at Hoffman Estates High School.
Junior defender Colin Iverson scored the game-winner in the 66th minute on a beautifully designed set piece, a deep throw in from the left edge by senior midfielder Jack Barry. A rangy 6-2 defender, Iverson recorded his 15th goal. The vast majority, he said, were of a nearly identical make, developing off restarts and throw-ins, perfectly delivered by Barry.
“He just knows,” Iverson said about Barry, who set a new school record with his 22nd assist. “He perfectly places it. We have a lot of chemistry on this team. We have been playing together since we were little kids. I felt as the game got more and more pressured, we just bonded more and pushed harder. Even though they had the better play, we felt more confident.”
The Naperville North fans sensed the seriousness of the moment before the decisive throw-in. As the ball skipped out of bounds in favor of the Huskies, a group of about four students rushed to the rails to yell extra encouragement at Barry. His ability to throw the ball 30 yards into the box is a formidable weapon.
“I got it off the fly,” Iverson said. “I got a little touch, so did their keeper (Thomas Pearson) but it skipped a little bit.”
Naperville North (27-1-1) punctuated its remarkable back-to-back run with a 19-game winning streak. The Huskies avenged their only regular season setbacks against perfection -- a tight loss to rival Naperville Central and a draw with Morton -- by beating them, respectively, in a sectional final and the supersectional.
Naperville North also deprived Libertyville (20-1-2) of an unbeaten state run and ended its nine-game winning streak. In their impressive run, the Huskies did not concede a goal in their seven state tournament games.
The eerie mood and atmospheric backdrop -- the sky fog-streaked and majestic -- matched the remarkable play. The game surpassed expectations given the extraordinary confluence that allowed a rare and invigorating matchup of the last two state champions. The showdown was existential, the state’s best player, 6-2 Libertyville forward Ryan Wittenbrink against the state’s best defense.
As a precocious sophomore two years ago, Wittenbrink scored both goals to lead Libertyville to a 2-1 state championship victory over Quincy. Last year Naperville North rode a versatile big-play offense and lockdown defense in beating Barrington 3-1 in the state championship.
The bracket delivered, putting the two powerhouse programs on a collision course.
“Wittenbrink is an unbelievable player,” Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. “We knew we were coming in tonight as the underdog. We knew they were better than us. If you compare them to us, player by player, they are without question more talented. The message was we did not have to be the best team. We just have to find a way to win the game.
“We knew coming into the game Tommy had to stand on his head for us, and he did. He’s a fantastic basketball player, but he could be a pro (in soccer). You don’t see kids like that who are so quick, so confident, strong and have such soft hands -- he catches everything. In a big moment, when you need your stud to come through, he did. Without question he won the game for us tonight with those four or five huge saves.”
The Barry-Iverson combination and the extraordinary play of Welch nullified the superior play of Libertyville. Behind the passionately cool play of Wittenbrink, with his deep forays into the Huskies’ box, the Wildcats dominated possession time and generated a huge advantage in shots on goal.
Wittenbrink generated seven shots on goal as Libertyville managed a 13-5 edge. The Wildcats took an astounding nine corner kicks in the first half alone and finished with 14.
“I think our backline played really well,” Wittenbrink said. “They got a good bounce on their goal. This one was not on our backline. The game came down to us not being able to finish balls.”
Midfielders Greg Krikorian and Tanner Kelly each hit the post. Another shot hit off the crossbar. In one of the most exhilarating moments of the first half, Wittenbrink got free behind the Huskies’ backline and hammered a laser that Welch brilliantly stabbed.
Welch earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match distinction for his play.
“We knew (Wittenbrink) was going to be a target for them,” Welch said. “He wants to shoot any time. I would not blame him, because he has a great shot.
"I was happy to be in there. It’s great to be able to shut out a team, and give us a chance to win the game. As the game wore on, I got more confident that we were going to get something in. Our goals are not pretty, but they go in and get the result we need.”
Libertyville dominated the game statistically but a subtle shift in momentum was discernible at the start of the second half. Naperville North sophomore forward Ty Konrad missed a short volley that constituted the Huskies’ best scoring threat. Senior midfielder Ethan Harvey drilled a left-footed rocket ball from about 25 yards that Pearson made a spectacular tip save on.
Barry scored the game-winner in the championship against Barrington last year.
“We really practice that go through a lot,” Barry said. “We have a couple of different patterns that we run and go off of that. At the end of the day it really comes down to going up and winning the individual battle on that head ball. We have been fortunate to get on the end of a lot of those balls. It speaks really to Colin and his ability to go up and get that.”
It was a particularly cruel twist for the Wildcats.
“They didn’t quit,” said Thunholm, who replaced the legendary Andy Bitta in directing the Wildcats to a state title appearance in his first year. “We have our heart broken right now, but they realize they left everything out there. I am so proud, the community is so proud. It’s crazy, you can dominate for 80 minutes and somebody bangs one in. We had a lot of younger kids, sophomores and juniors who started for us, and they are going to learn from this experience.
“That will get us more hungry for next year.”
Naperville North amassed its 21st shutout, a school record. The Huskies also set a new mark for single-season victories. The program brought home its sixth state trophy. The back-to-back titles are the program’s second and third state titles, following the 1998 team coached by Dave Bucher. Naperville North became the first large school repeat champion since Sandburg won Class AA state titles in 2001 and 2002.
“The boys really deserve all the credit,” Jim Konrad said. “All year they have absorbed pressure, been tough in the back and fought for each other. There have been times when one player gets beat but the rest of the team is where they are supposed to be and bail us out. That happened last night, and it happened today.
“For a team to give up zero goals in the tournament is a special accomplishment.”
Starting lineups
Naperville North
GK: Tommy Welch
D: Matt Bilardello
D: Mitch Konrad
D: Colin Iverson
D: Cesar Recendez
MF: Ethan Harvey
MF: Ian Guppy
MF: Will Ritzmann
MF: Jack Barry
F: Patrick Koenig
F: Ty Konrad
Libertyville
GK: Thomas Pearson
D: Mason Williams
D: Grant Herbek
D: Nathan Pacholski
D: Austin Becker
MF: Riley Hoff
MF: Evan Rasmussen
MF: Greg Krikorian
MF: Will Powers
MF: Tanner Kelly
F: Ryan Wittenbrink
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Tommy Welch, jr., GK, Naperville North
Officials: M—Sam Nachampassack, AR1—Jeff Ryder, AR2—John Martelin, 4th—Hanah Shehaiber
Scoring summary
Second half
Naperville North—Colin Iverson (Jack Barry), 66th minute