Naperville North's spring break ends
in 2nd half vs. Neuqua Valley
Huskies awaken in last 20 minutes in 3-1 league win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE -- Naperville North forward Olivia Anderson wasn’t happy with how she played during a scoreless first half of Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference opener with Neuqua Valley.
The Huskies, who are ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, played listlessly in the face of a determined effort from a young and hungry opponent. Naperville North coach Steve Goletz had a few things to say to his team about that, but Anderson didn’t lack for motivation.
“Obviously Goletz was not happy with our first half, but I was thinking to myself I didn’t think I played the best half,” Anderson said. “So, I was like I can’t play any worse. I can only get better.
“I was just hoping our team would bring up the energy, because after spring break I feel like a lot of us were still in vacation mode. The second half really got us out of that.”
That it did, and Anderson was a big reason why. The North Alabama recruit, one of nine seniors in the starting lineup, scored the game-winning goal and assisted on Audrey Hartmann’s insurance goal to lift the host Huskies to a 3-1 victory.
“I told the kids it was a great lesson for us that you have to buy in and do the little things and details that we talk about,” Goletz said. “We didn’t do those in the first half.
“We weren’t tough, we didn’t hold balls under pressure, which gave them a chance to keep us under pressure. But then we dug ourselves out in the second half, and we scored three great goals.
“Audrey Hartmann had a great finish on the third one and Olivia was Olivia. She’s been special this year up-top, and she has by far been our most dangerous player. We’re going to continue to need that from her. I know we can be better in the attack, and that’s going to be the focus going forward.”
Anderson leads the Huskies (6-0-0, 1-0-0) with five goals and has scored in every game but one. She struck with 17:44 left on a 22-yard rip into the upper right corner of the Neuqua Valley net.
“Liv just puts her head down,” Naperville North midfielder Madison Korosec said. “She might mumble something funny under her breath, but she puts her head down, and she has a great shot.
“She’s scored almost a goal a game so it’s just been really nice to have a forward like that.”
Anderson’s goal, which gave North a 2-0 cushion, came just 2:26 after Cameron Dinkla opened the scoring with a great individual effort.
“The goal I scored was just kind of fun, because I don’t normally play in the center of our forward line,” Anderson said. “I’m normally out wide, so playing the position, I honestly didn’t really know what to do.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll just go chase the ball.’ I got it and then I just turned and shot it.”
Anderson’s goal gave the Huskies some much-needed breathing room after they went an hour without scoring against a team that had surrendered nine goals in its first two matches.
Dinkla finally broke through at the 20:10 mark when she got the ball about 45 yards from the goal, raced up the right wing past three defenders and tucked a shot inside the right post.
“I thought Cam Dinkla tonight was fantastic,” Goletz said. “Every time she got the ball and turned, she was dangerous.
“I always am on Cam about continuing to be more dangerous for herself. I think at times she’s too unselfish.
“She’s a great soccer player. She’s got a great feel for the game, too, but I think there are times where she can take it over even more than I think she even knows. That’s going to continue to help us to be better in the attack.”
Once it got going, the Naperville North attack never stopped. Neuqua Valley (0-3-0, 0-1-0) pulled within 2-1 on a great 18-yard shot to the top shelf from freshman striker Selma Larbi with 8:59 remaining. But Anderson and Hartmann teamed up four minutes later to dash any hopes of a comeback by the Wildcats.
Anderson got the ball in traffic just inside the 18, used some fancy footwork to free up some space and then saw Hartmann streaking in from her left.
Hartmann met Anderson’s lead pass near the penalty spot and buried a one-timer.
“Me and Audrey have connected really well recently,” Anderson said. “I think our connection off the field really helped me see where she was, and I think that’s one of our strongest parts of being on the team is just our chemistry. I saw her, and I knew she could bury it.”
The flurry in the last 20 minutes was more indicative of North’s offensive strength and what many expected the Huskies could do against the Wildcats, who have had a brutal early schedule that included losses to no. 9 Barrington and no. 6 St. Charles North.
But Neuqua Valley star Brooke Miller thinks the first half represents what the young Wildcats are capable of.
“Especially In the first half, I thought one thing we were doing maybe better than them was giving a lot of heart, a lot of effort,” Miller said. “We just fought the entire first half, going after every ball.
“Our word is ‘unite,’ and that’s because we like to call ourselves a family and just play for each other. I thought that’s what we were doing really well.
“We said no matter what the score is, we’re just going to try our hardest. I think that really helped us in the first half and even in the second half we had a lot of chances. We just need to work on finishing at our end of the 18 and what happens in our 18, but I think what happens from box to box is really good. We’re improving every single game.”
The Northwestern-bound Miller, a four-year starter who is considered one of the best players in the Midwest, is a natural center back who again is playing out of position at attacking center midfield. She was Neuqua Valley’s best player on the field as she tried to lead a squad that started four sophomores and two freshmen.
“It’s really great that a lot of our younger underclassmen have been able to step up,” Miller said. “So even though it’s my responsibility to take that leadership, the freshmen and sophomores do a really good job of picking up their responsibilities themselves.
“A lot of our freshmen are starting and playing a lot in the games, and they’re doing a good job.”
Indeed, Larbi was particularly impressive, getting off four shots, two of which were saved by North goalkeeper Abby Haskell. Freshman Chloe Orlow and sophomore Brianna Clasen also played well. That didn’t go unnoticed by Goletz.
“You had two freshmen out there that I thought were fantastic, gave us everything we could handle,” Goletz said. “I thought (Clasen) in the first half out left was very dangerous for them, and I thought (Larbi) the whole game was a load.
“For them to come in against a group of senior starters says something about them.”
Goletz expects veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau to have the Wildcats ready to rock if there is a rematch in the playoffs. The Wildcats will have plenty of motivation after the Huskies eliminated them in last year’s sectional semifinals.
“Joe’s team is only going to get better,” Goletz said. “He’s a great coach, and those girls are going to peak like they did last year. That’s a tough team that I don’t think anybody is going to want to play in the playoffs.”
Of course, the same thing can be said of the Huskies, who have allowed only two goals thanks to the play of SIU-Edwardsville recruit Haskell and the backline of Norah Barry, Lucy Iverson, Leah Jacobs and Maddie Fitzgerald.
Korosec, the defensive center midfielder, also has been outstanding, helping to shut down opponents’ star players while also tallying three assists. She did not allow Miller to get a shot in the run of play. Miller’s lone shot came on a 28-yard free kick which Haskell stopped with a leaping save.
“Brooke is really athletic and a lot of the girls who we play against are great athletes,” Korosec said. “I have to play my game and know what I can do to shut them down, not really focusing on what they’re doing.”
Goletz has been impressed with what Korosec has been doing defensively.
“To go toe-to-toe athletically with Brooke is saying something,” Goletz said. “Brooke is probably one of the best players in the Midwest. She’s a big, strong, fast athletic kid who’s got soft feet.
“I thought Madison did a really good job of neutralizing her. You’re never going to take a kid like that completely out of a game, but to slow her down and not let her beat us is a win in itself.
“She did it game after game last year as a junior, and she’s picked up where she’s left off. I don’t want to think about not having her on the field, because it’s going to be a huge piece to try to replace.”
Miller gave Korosec props for her play Tuesday.
“She’s a great player, and I think she does a really good job,” Miller said. “She’s really athletic.
“That’s one of the biggest things. Honestly, the toughest thing is that she just takes the space in front of me. I know my coaches knew it was going to happen.
“What we’ve been trying to focus on is I get the ball and then distribute it and run back in for the cross, just because I’m not going to take her on and then have somebody else come and then I have to take on the whole team on myself. I have teammates that can help me get the job done in the middle and then also to the outside.”
The Wildcats came up short Tuesday, but Miller is optimistic about her young teammates, particularly Larbi.
“We’re really excited to have her up there because there’s a lot of things that we can do, especially combining with each other,” Miller said. “A lot of our freshmen are starting and playing a lot in the games. They’re doing a good job. I can’t complain at all about our underclassmen.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Ellie Rubin
D Lauryn Adamski
D Kassie Salviola
D Reagan Rushing
D Kate Wohlfeil
M Lauren Milani
M Chloe Orlow
M Brooke Miller
M Grace Petrina
F Brianna Clasen
F Selma Larbi
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Norah Barry
D Lucy Iverson
D Ellie Gerner
D Maddie Fitzgerald
M Peyton Hegner
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
F Olivia Anderson
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Anderson, F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
2nd Half
Naperville North – Cameron Dinkla 20:10 remaining
Naperville North – Olivia Anderson 17:44 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Selma Larbi 8:59 remaining
Naperville North – Audrey Hartmann (Anderson) 5:01 remaining
in 2nd half vs. Neuqua Valley
Huskies awaken in last 20 minutes in 3-1 league win
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE -- Naperville North forward Olivia Anderson wasn’t happy with how she played during a scoreless first half of Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference opener with Neuqua Valley.
The Huskies, who are ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, played listlessly in the face of a determined effort from a young and hungry opponent. Naperville North coach Steve Goletz had a few things to say to his team about that, but Anderson didn’t lack for motivation.
“Obviously Goletz was not happy with our first half, but I was thinking to myself I didn’t think I played the best half,” Anderson said. “So, I was like I can’t play any worse. I can only get better.
“I was just hoping our team would bring up the energy, because after spring break I feel like a lot of us were still in vacation mode. The second half really got us out of that.”
That it did, and Anderson was a big reason why. The North Alabama recruit, one of nine seniors in the starting lineup, scored the game-winning goal and assisted on Audrey Hartmann’s insurance goal to lift the host Huskies to a 3-1 victory.
“I told the kids it was a great lesson for us that you have to buy in and do the little things and details that we talk about,” Goletz said. “We didn’t do those in the first half.
“We weren’t tough, we didn’t hold balls under pressure, which gave them a chance to keep us under pressure. But then we dug ourselves out in the second half, and we scored three great goals.
“Audrey Hartmann had a great finish on the third one and Olivia was Olivia. She’s been special this year up-top, and she has by far been our most dangerous player. We’re going to continue to need that from her. I know we can be better in the attack, and that’s going to be the focus going forward.”
Anderson leads the Huskies (6-0-0, 1-0-0) with five goals and has scored in every game but one. She struck with 17:44 left on a 22-yard rip into the upper right corner of the Neuqua Valley net.
“Liv just puts her head down,” Naperville North midfielder Madison Korosec said. “She might mumble something funny under her breath, but she puts her head down, and she has a great shot.
“She’s scored almost a goal a game so it’s just been really nice to have a forward like that.”
Anderson’s goal, which gave North a 2-0 cushion, came just 2:26 after Cameron Dinkla opened the scoring with a great individual effort.
“The goal I scored was just kind of fun, because I don’t normally play in the center of our forward line,” Anderson said. “I’m normally out wide, so playing the position, I honestly didn’t really know what to do.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ll just go chase the ball.’ I got it and then I just turned and shot it.”
Anderson’s goal gave the Huskies some much-needed breathing room after they went an hour without scoring against a team that had surrendered nine goals in its first two matches.
Dinkla finally broke through at the 20:10 mark when she got the ball about 45 yards from the goal, raced up the right wing past three defenders and tucked a shot inside the right post.
“I thought Cam Dinkla tonight was fantastic,” Goletz said. “Every time she got the ball and turned, she was dangerous.
“I always am on Cam about continuing to be more dangerous for herself. I think at times she’s too unselfish.
“She’s a great soccer player. She’s got a great feel for the game, too, but I think there are times where she can take it over even more than I think she even knows. That’s going to continue to help us to be better in the attack.”
Once it got going, the Naperville North attack never stopped. Neuqua Valley (0-3-0, 0-1-0) pulled within 2-1 on a great 18-yard shot to the top shelf from freshman striker Selma Larbi with 8:59 remaining. But Anderson and Hartmann teamed up four minutes later to dash any hopes of a comeback by the Wildcats.
Anderson got the ball in traffic just inside the 18, used some fancy footwork to free up some space and then saw Hartmann streaking in from her left.
Hartmann met Anderson’s lead pass near the penalty spot and buried a one-timer.
“Me and Audrey have connected really well recently,” Anderson said. “I think our connection off the field really helped me see where she was, and I think that’s one of our strongest parts of being on the team is just our chemistry. I saw her, and I knew she could bury it.”
The flurry in the last 20 minutes was more indicative of North’s offensive strength and what many expected the Huskies could do against the Wildcats, who have had a brutal early schedule that included losses to no. 9 Barrington and no. 6 St. Charles North.
But Neuqua Valley star Brooke Miller thinks the first half represents what the young Wildcats are capable of.
“Especially In the first half, I thought one thing we were doing maybe better than them was giving a lot of heart, a lot of effort,” Miller said. “We just fought the entire first half, going after every ball.
“Our word is ‘unite,’ and that’s because we like to call ourselves a family and just play for each other. I thought that’s what we were doing really well.
“We said no matter what the score is, we’re just going to try our hardest. I think that really helped us in the first half and even in the second half we had a lot of chances. We just need to work on finishing at our end of the 18 and what happens in our 18, but I think what happens from box to box is really good. We’re improving every single game.”
The Northwestern-bound Miller, a four-year starter who is considered one of the best players in the Midwest, is a natural center back who again is playing out of position at attacking center midfield. She was Neuqua Valley’s best player on the field as she tried to lead a squad that started four sophomores and two freshmen.
“It’s really great that a lot of our younger underclassmen have been able to step up,” Miller said. “So even though it’s my responsibility to take that leadership, the freshmen and sophomores do a really good job of picking up their responsibilities themselves.
“A lot of our freshmen are starting and playing a lot in the games, and they’re doing a good job.”
Indeed, Larbi was particularly impressive, getting off four shots, two of which were saved by North goalkeeper Abby Haskell. Freshman Chloe Orlow and sophomore Brianna Clasen also played well. That didn’t go unnoticed by Goletz.
“You had two freshmen out there that I thought were fantastic, gave us everything we could handle,” Goletz said. “I thought (Clasen) in the first half out left was very dangerous for them, and I thought (Larbi) the whole game was a load.
“For them to come in against a group of senior starters says something about them.”
Goletz expects veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau to have the Wildcats ready to rock if there is a rematch in the playoffs. The Wildcats will have plenty of motivation after the Huskies eliminated them in last year’s sectional semifinals.
“Joe’s team is only going to get better,” Goletz said. “He’s a great coach, and those girls are going to peak like they did last year. That’s a tough team that I don’t think anybody is going to want to play in the playoffs.”
Of course, the same thing can be said of the Huskies, who have allowed only two goals thanks to the play of SIU-Edwardsville recruit Haskell and the backline of Norah Barry, Lucy Iverson, Leah Jacobs and Maddie Fitzgerald.
Korosec, the defensive center midfielder, also has been outstanding, helping to shut down opponents’ star players while also tallying three assists. She did not allow Miller to get a shot in the run of play. Miller’s lone shot came on a 28-yard free kick which Haskell stopped with a leaping save.
“Brooke is really athletic and a lot of the girls who we play against are great athletes,” Korosec said. “I have to play my game and know what I can do to shut them down, not really focusing on what they’re doing.”
Goletz has been impressed with what Korosec has been doing defensively.
“To go toe-to-toe athletically with Brooke is saying something,” Goletz said. “Brooke is probably one of the best players in the Midwest. She’s a big, strong, fast athletic kid who’s got soft feet.
“I thought Madison did a really good job of neutralizing her. You’re never going to take a kid like that completely out of a game, but to slow her down and not let her beat us is a win in itself.
“She did it game after game last year as a junior, and she’s picked up where she’s left off. I don’t want to think about not having her on the field, because it’s going to be a huge piece to try to replace.”
Miller gave Korosec props for her play Tuesday.
“She’s a great player, and I think she does a really good job,” Miller said. “She’s really athletic.
“That’s one of the biggest things. Honestly, the toughest thing is that she just takes the space in front of me. I know my coaches knew it was going to happen.
“What we’ve been trying to focus on is I get the ball and then distribute it and run back in for the cross, just because I’m not going to take her on and then have somebody else come and then I have to take on the whole team on myself. I have teammates that can help me get the job done in the middle and then also to the outside.”
The Wildcats came up short Tuesday, but Miller is optimistic about her young teammates, particularly Larbi.
“We’re really excited to have her up there because there’s a lot of things that we can do, especially combining with each other,” Miller said. “A lot of our freshmen are starting and playing a lot in the games. They’re doing a good job. I can’t complain at all about our underclassmen.”
Starting lineups
Neuqua Valley
GK Ellie Rubin
D Lauryn Adamski
D Kassie Salviola
D Reagan Rushing
D Kate Wohlfeil
M Lauren Milani
M Chloe Orlow
M Brooke Miller
M Grace Petrina
F Brianna Clasen
F Selma Larbi
Naperville North
GK Abby Haskell
D Norah Barry
D Lucy Iverson
D Ellie Gerner
D Maddie Fitzgerald
M Peyton Hegner
M Cameron Dinkla
M Madison Korosec
F Olivia Anderson
F Taylor Korosec
F Cameron DeCook
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Olivia Anderson, F, Naperville North.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
2nd Half
Naperville North – Cameron Dinkla 20:10 remaining
Naperville North – Olivia Anderson 17:44 remaining
Neuqua Valley – Selma Larbi 8:59 remaining
Naperville North – Audrey Hartmann (Anderson) 5:01 remaining