SCN surges by New Trier in Naperville Inv.
North Stars declared co-champions after 4-1 semifinal win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The question, had it been asked before the game, would have been absurd.
But St. Charles North senior Claudia Najera had a pleased, if slightly stunned, look on her face when she got the query following the Naperville Invitational semifinals Friday night.
“Did you expect your team to score four goals on New Trier?” she was asked.
“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Najera said. “(The game) was really close.
“It was very physical, and we are very even teams. We were just all really composed in the box and all around the field.”
Indeed, the North Stars, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, were clinically efficient in putting away their scoring chances in a 4-1 victory over no. 4 New Trier, a team that rarely loses. For context, the Trevians had given up 10 goals in their previous 14 games this season; and had not surrendered more than two in a game since they joined Chicagoland Soccer for the 2017 season.
But St. Charles North (13-0-1) was impressive, getting goals from Talia Pellegrini and Najera in the first half and Sarah Andrey and Cece Wahlberg in the second half to extend its regular-season unbeaten streak to 57 games.
The North Stars and Barrington, which edged St. Charles East 1-0 in the other semifinal, were declared tournament co-champions after the championship match, which had been scheduled for Saturday and then postponed until Sunday, was canceled due to the scheduling issues.
“I’m really pleased with the way we played,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said. “The girls had fun out there. It was clear that they were enjoying what they were doing.
“This tournament is a long tournament, and we had other games in between. Mentally it can be challenging, and I was really impressed with the way these girls were able to show up to play and to enjoy it. It showed on the field.”
The North Stars were impressive defensively, especially in the first half when they held the Trevians (13-2-5) to only one shot.
But the offensive outburst was a revelation, especially since New Trier allowed only one shot in the first 18 minutes.
But St. Charles North opened the scoring in the 19th minute on a beautifully executed counterattack. Najera found defender Ali Wessel making an overlap run up the left wing, and Wessel took the ball to the corner before crossing sharply into the middle.
A New Trier defender knocked the ball away but Pellegrini, a sophomore midfielder who was called up to varsity early this month, intercepted it and ripped a shot off the hands of diving New Trier goalie Courtney Charchut.
It was Pellegrini’s first varsity goal.
“I think it was nice, because it really got us going,” Pellegrini said. “It helped us to continue on and get more goals.”
That it did. Najera got the second one seven minutes later, blasting a left-footed shot from 26 yards into the upper right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead. The North Stars thus became just the second team to score more than one goal on New Trier this season.
“I think the first 15 minutes we were really hectic and kind of nervous about it, but then once we started to settle down and play, I think that’s when we really came up big,” Najera said. “Talia finished, I finished, Cece, Andrey. We all really wanted this before the game, and we were all really excited.”
The excitement continued at both ends in the second half, though mostly for the North Stars.
The Trevians, who mustered only six shots, got their first prime scoring chance with 33:30 remaining. Emma Weaver’s corner kick to the near post found the head of Jenna Birdsell, but she nodded the ball wide of the left post with the net open.
Then the North Stars delivered the dagger when Maddie Rossi sent a 45-yard free kick from the right wing into the middle of the box, where Andrey scored on a leaping header to bump the lead to 3-0 with 27:38 to go.
New Trier got on the board at the 22:40 mark as Mia Sedgwick headed home a Weaver corner kick, but the Trevians’ celebration was didn’t last long.
Attacking off the kick-off, the North Stars scored 11 seconds later on a 35-yard shot up the middle from Wahlberg. The long-range blast seemed to surprise Charchut, who jumped and got both hands on the ball but was unable to stop it from rolling across the line.
“That was awesome because after you get a goal you feel confident,” Najera said. “(So for us) to be able to get one back within a minute was just awesome.”
St. Charles North and New Trier rarely play one another and figure to be two of the top contenders for the Class 3A state title, so the North Stars, who lost to the Trevians in supersectional games in 2016 and 2017, gained a measure of confidence
“It was really exciting, because they had something on us,” Najera said. “They’ve beaten us twice (in supersectionals) so to be able to beat them 4-1 was pretty cool.”
Harks was more focused on how his team played than who the opponent was.
“I think our focus all season has been trying to do what we do,” Harks said. “The fact that it was New Trier just meant that we knew it was going to be an amazing opponent.
“They are super-talented, strong, smart, well-coached, so it’s good to walk away with a win.”
New Trier coach Jim Burnside gave the North Stars their due.
“They played great,” Burnside said. “They took advantage of their opportunities.
“It was a physical, emotional game. It’s the semifinal of a tournament in the middle of the season, and we’ve been here many, many times and won some and lost some. Against great competition, that’s the way it goes.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Courtney Charchut
D Jenna Birdsell
D Josie Crumley
D Ava Shah
D Julia Goldish
M Kate Sawdey
M Lily Conley
F Alex Wirth
F Fallon Warshauer
F Mia Sedgwick
F Emma Weaver
St. Charles North
GK Sara Maleski
D Grace Barresi
D Makenna Collins
D Ali Wessel
D Alyssa Kraft
M Sami Rydberg
M Cece Wahlberg
M Claudia Najera
F Maddie Rossi
F Sarah Andrey
F Bridget Wolf
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Claudia Najera, MF, sr., St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN – Talia Pellegrini 21:23
SCN – Najera 14:58
Second half
SCN – Sarah Andrey (Maddie Rossi) 27:38
NT – Mia Sedgwick (Emma Weaver) 22:40
SCN – Cece Wahlberg 22:29
North Stars declared co-champions after 4-1 semifinal win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – The question, had it been asked before the game, would have been absurd.
But St. Charles North senior Claudia Najera had a pleased, if slightly stunned, look on her face when she got the query following the Naperville Invitational semifinals Friday night.
“Did you expect your team to score four goals on New Trier?” she was asked.
“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Najera said. “(The game) was really close.
“It was very physical, and we are very even teams. We were just all really composed in the box and all around the field.”
Indeed, the North Stars, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, were clinically efficient in putting away their scoring chances in a 4-1 victory over no. 4 New Trier, a team that rarely loses. For context, the Trevians had given up 10 goals in their previous 14 games this season; and had not surrendered more than two in a game since they joined Chicagoland Soccer for the 2017 season.
But St. Charles North (13-0-1) was impressive, getting goals from Talia Pellegrini and Najera in the first half and Sarah Andrey and Cece Wahlberg in the second half to extend its regular-season unbeaten streak to 57 games.
The North Stars and Barrington, which edged St. Charles East 1-0 in the other semifinal, were declared tournament co-champions after the championship match, which had been scheduled for Saturday and then postponed until Sunday, was canceled due to the scheduling issues.
“I’m really pleased with the way we played,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said. “The girls had fun out there. It was clear that they were enjoying what they were doing.
“This tournament is a long tournament, and we had other games in between. Mentally it can be challenging, and I was really impressed with the way these girls were able to show up to play and to enjoy it. It showed on the field.”
The North Stars were impressive defensively, especially in the first half when they held the Trevians (13-2-5) to only one shot.
But the offensive outburst was a revelation, especially since New Trier allowed only one shot in the first 18 minutes.
But St. Charles North opened the scoring in the 19th minute on a beautifully executed counterattack. Najera found defender Ali Wessel making an overlap run up the left wing, and Wessel took the ball to the corner before crossing sharply into the middle.
A New Trier defender knocked the ball away but Pellegrini, a sophomore midfielder who was called up to varsity early this month, intercepted it and ripped a shot off the hands of diving New Trier goalie Courtney Charchut.
It was Pellegrini’s first varsity goal.
“I think it was nice, because it really got us going,” Pellegrini said. “It helped us to continue on and get more goals.”
That it did. Najera got the second one seven minutes later, blasting a left-footed shot from 26 yards into the upper right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead. The North Stars thus became just the second team to score more than one goal on New Trier this season.
“I think the first 15 minutes we were really hectic and kind of nervous about it, but then once we started to settle down and play, I think that’s when we really came up big,” Najera said. “Talia finished, I finished, Cece, Andrey. We all really wanted this before the game, and we were all really excited.”
The excitement continued at both ends in the second half, though mostly for the North Stars.
The Trevians, who mustered only six shots, got their first prime scoring chance with 33:30 remaining. Emma Weaver’s corner kick to the near post found the head of Jenna Birdsell, but she nodded the ball wide of the left post with the net open.
Then the North Stars delivered the dagger when Maddie Rossi sent a 45-yard free kick from the right wing into the middle of the box, where Andrey scored on a leaping header to bump the lead to 3-0 with 27:38 to go.
New Trier got on the board at the 22:40 mark as Mia Sedgwick headed home a Weaver corner kick, but the Trevians’ celebration was didn’t last long.
Attacking off the kick-off, the North Stars scored 11 seconds later on a 35-yard shot up the middle from Wahlberg. The long-range blast seemed to surprise Charchut, who jumped and got both hands on the ball but was unable to stop it from rolling across the line.
“That was awesome because after you get a goal you feel confident,” Najera said. “(So for us) to be able to get one back within a minute was just awesome.”
St. Charles North and New Trier rarely play one another and figure to be two of the top contenders for the Class 3A state title, so the North Stars, who lost to the Trevians in supersectional games in 2016 and 2017, gained a measure of confidence
“It was really exciting, because they had something on us,” Najera said. “They’ve beaten us twice (in supersectionals) so to be able to beat them 4-1 was pretty cool.”
Harks was more focused on how his team played than who the opponent was.
“I think our focus all season has been trying to do what we do,” Harks said. “The fact that it was New Trier just meant that we knew it was going to be an amazing opponent.
“They are super-talented, strong, smart, well-coached, so it’s good to walk away with a win.”
New Trier coach Jim Burnside gave the North Stars their due.
“They played great,” Burnside said. “They took advantage of their opportunities.
“It was a physical, emotional game. It’s the semifinal of a tournament in the middle of the season, and we’ve been here many, many times and won some and lost some. Against great competition, that’s the way it goes.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK Courtney Charchut
D Jenna Birdsell
D Josie Crumley
D Ava Shah
D Julia Goldish
M Kate Sawdey
M Lily Conley
F Alex Wirth
F Fallon Warshauer
F Mia Sedgwick
F Emma Weaver
St. Charles North
GK Sara Maleski
D Grace Barresi
D Makenna Collins
D Ali Wessel
D Alyssa Kraft
M Sami Rydberg
M Cece Wahlberg
M Claudia Najera
F Maddie Rossi
F Sarah Andrey
F Bridget Wolf
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Claudia Najera, MF, sr., St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN – Talia Pellegrini 21:23
SCN – Najera 14:58
Second half
SCN – Sarah Andrey (Maddie Rossi) 27:38
NT – Mia Sedgwick (Emma Weaver) 22:40
SCN – Cece Wahlberg 22:29