There’s no place like home for Huskies
Naperville North beats Waubonsie Valley, 3-1, in DVC/home opener
By Chris Walker
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North had a losing record heading into Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference opener against undefeated Waubonsie Valley.
That might sound incorrect, but it’s right.
“I talked to a bunch of coaches and they said I was crazy for scheduling how I schedule,” Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. “I think that this year maybe we were a little bit over our skis at the start, but those teams expose your weaknesses and the things the girls are buying into if they want to compete at the highest level, they know those are things that have to be tightened up and tonight was a good example of the seasoning we took in those games that has come back to help us here.”
The Huskies, ranked no. 9 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, certainly looked sharp against an extremely young but also tremendously talented Waubonsie Valley squad, beating them 3-1.
The final score is a bit misleading as the Warriors remained within striking distance until the final couple minutes when the Huskies put them away for good with an insurance goal with just 2:06 remaining.
“This was by far the best game for us from start to finish,” Goletz said. “To beat a good Waubonsie Valley team to start the DVC is huge. You can’t really afford to drop games in a five-team conference and stay on top if you have aspirations to finish as the champion.”
It didn’t take the Huskies long to realize that they were going to have to adjust to get the ball away from Waubonsie Valley junior Grace Setter during corner kick opportunities. That adjustment would lead to their first goal.
“It was only about 30 seconds in and I played it short and Katie Murphy got a touch on it,” said Huskies senior Leah Shumate, who took the kick. “I knew I’d have to get it over. I had to have like a big ball, and that was perfect. We have to adjust depending on the situation and Goletz will call plays for us and we figure it out.”
Senior Reilly Riggs was on the end of Shumate’s second corner kick and said it simply comes down to making adjustments in the game when required. In this case, since Setter is a huge presence inside and all packed in on such a set piece, it’s all about avoidance.
“We had to get it over her so actually this one was a super high kick and I was struggling to get it, but I wanted to get on the end of it, so I got to it and ended up getting it to go over the goalkeeper, which was awesome,” Reilly said. “We got the momentum going.”
Megan Burling continued her hot start to the season for the Warriors, drawing them even before halftime with her fifth goal already to make it 1-1.
“That was an amazing turn back by Megan and a nice cross from Grace Setter,” Warriors senior Jessica Wallace said. “We definitely could’ve had more chances up there, but we couldn’t get them on frame. I think we need to be more risky in taking more chances and shots and hopefully we can do that next time.”
Wallace acknowledged that they struggled at times in the midfield, but were connecting better as the game progressed. She anticipates that the team will continue to make great strides as the season progresses into May, especially since she’s just one of three seniors in the lineup and the Warriors started five underclassmen.
“By the end of the game, because of better chemistry, I guess, we were playing better,” she said. “I think we will come back from this. It’s not a win, but it’s a good start for the DVC and now we’ve got Naperville Central on Friday and we can try to come back harder and hopefully take more chances and create more shots.”
As one of the veterans for a team filled with new faces filling new spots, Wallace likes the start the Warriors, ranked no. 20 the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have gotten off to in a short period of time.
“We’ve basically got a whole new team of underclassmen starting out,” she said. “It’s a really good chance to see how we’re all working together as a team with new positions and people playing together. It’s great to see the team come together.”
The Warriors lost eight seniors from last year’s 13-win team, including Kennedy Metzger (13 goals, 8 assists in 2018).
“I can remember being a freshman and it’s really hard being new,” Wallace said. “It probably helps that we have a bunch of freshman taking big spots, big roles on the team and not just one. They are just beginning to get into all this so it’s going to be interesting to see.”
Shumate connected with Hannah Martin midway through the second half to break the 1-1 tie. The two, who are club teammates, have a special bond, which was apparent as they pulled ahead.
“Playing club together is super helpful for the high school season so that we can rely on each other,” Shumate said. “I can’t remember who I got the ball from, it might’ve been her, and I ran in behind the defender and the girl in front of me was going to block my pass to Hannah so I played it through her legs to get it to Hannah and she found the shot and scored.”
While it happened so quickly, the execution was a thing a beauty, and yet another example of Shumate’s continued rise as one of the top players in the area.
“She was fantastic tonight and I praised her so much after the Fremd game and said it was her best game I’d ever seen her play, but tonight was even better,” Goletz said. “If we can consistently get that from her, then we’re a different team in the attack with her and Hannah (Martin) and some of our new players around them.”
Shumate’s tracking back better and better and the Huskies are getting better as a result.
“Goletz has gotten on me to track back, track back, track back,” she said. “I’ve really worked on that and to continue to track back is really helpful for us. It makes it easier for our offense to up our attack.”
After dropping two straight to Barrington and St. Charles East to open the season, the Huskies are now unbeaten in their last three games.
“We’ve had some ups and downs already,” Shumate said. “Fremd was a good game. Batavia was a little letdown after playing Fremd. Today, we were ready.
We were super excited today. These (conference) games are a lot more important and it’s always more fun to win. I think we had more energy and it stinks to lose at home.”
The Huskies made sure that didn’t happen.
“It’s been kind of a challenge and this is obviously what we need to get better,” Goletz said. “It’s been 30 degrees and snow and then we start by playing Barrington the No. 1 team in the country followed by a super talented St. Charles East team and then Steve Keller’s Fremd squad. So we got thrown into the ringer a bit and taken some lumps, but we’ve gotten better along the way and as a coach that’s all you can ask for.”
The returnees are taking on leadership roles and the new kids are buying in to the Huskies' way.
“We’ve got fantastic, coachable kids,” Goletz said. “I’m looking forward to seeing where we can get when it really matters in playoff times. All these lessons along the way will hopefully add up for us.”
Shumate, who was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, lined in a free kick from just outside the penalty area with 2:06 left to play to ward off a Warriors’ attack to net the equalizer.
“They were sending numbers at us,” Shumate said. “They were playing three in the back and four up front so it was tough, but other than their one goal, we were able to bounce back. We never gave up. It was a good team effort.”
Waubonsie Valley hasn’t beaten Naperville North since Morgan Kemerling and Kristen Dodson scored in a 2-0 shutout in April 2014. The Huskies also won last year, 2-1, and have now beaten the Warriors five straight seasons.
“Naperville North has always been a challenge for our team,” Wallace said. “I think we had a good chance this time, and we did come close. Even at the end there, that was a mistake in the back. We need to take out those little mistakes. I think if we eliminated those little mistakes, this was a really good matchup for us. I think if we play them again later I think we could have a really good chance.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Nicole Kleronomos
FP Brooke Mathews
FP Mollie Valek
FP Alexa Quaranta
FP Megan Burling
FP Jessica Wallace
FP Jillian Macaluso
FP Jessica Keeley
FP Jennifer Garcia
FP Brooke Nelson
FP Grace Setter
Naperville North
GK Amanda Johnson
D Paige Sylvester
D Jordan Leonard
D Ellie Gerner
D Emily Magee
D Reilly Riggs
MF Katie Murphy
MF Maddie Schlecht
MF Leah Shumate
F Emily Dulkik
F Hannah Martin
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North – Reilly Riggs (Leah Shumate)
Waubonsie Valley – Megan Burling (Grace Setter)
Second half
Naperville North – Hannah Martin (Leah Shumate)
Naperville North – Leah Shumate (u/a)
MVP of the Match – Leah Shumate, jr., MF, Naperville North
Naperville North beats Waubonsie Valley, 3-1, in DVC/home opener
By Chris Walker
NAPERVILLE – Naperville North had a losing record heading into Tuesday night’s DuPage Valley Conference opener against undefeated Waubonsie Valley.
That might sound incorrect, but it’s right.
“I talked to a bunch of coaches and they said I was crazy for scheduling how I schedule,” Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. “I think that this year maybe we were a little bit over our skis at the start, but those teams expose your weaknesses and the things the girls are buying into if they want to compete at the highest level, they know those are things that have to be tightened up and tonight was a good example of the seasoning we took in those games that has come back to help us here.”
The Huskies, ranked no. 9 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, certainly looked sharp against an extremely young but also tremendously talented Waubonsie Valley squad, beating them 3-1.
The final score is a bit misleading as the Warriors remained within striking distance until the final couple minutes when the Huskies put them away for good with an insurance goal with just 2:06 remaining.
“This was by far the best game for us from start to finish,” Goletz said. “To beat a good Waubonsie Valley team to start the DVC is huge. You can’t really afford to drop games in a five-team conference and stay on top if you have aspirations to finish as the champion.”
It didn’t take the Huskies long to realize that they were going to have to adjust to get the ball away from Waubonsie Valley junior Grace Setter during corner kick opportunities. That adjustment would lead to their first goal.
“It was only about 30 seconds in and I played it short and Katie Murphy got a touch on it,” said Huskies senior Leah Shumate, who took the kick. “I knew I’d have to get it over. I had to have like a big ball, and that was perfect. We have to adjust depending on the situation and Goletz will call plays for us and we figure it out.”
Senior Reilly Riggs was on the end of Shumate’s second corner kick and said it simply comes down to making adjustments in the game when required. In this case, since Setter is a huge presence inside and all packed in on such a set piece, it’s all about avoidance.
“We had to get it over her so actually this one was a super high kick and I was struggling to get it, but I wanted to get on the end of it, so I got to it and ended up getting it to go over the goalkeeper, which was awesome,” Reilly said. “We got the momentum going.”
Megan Burling continued her hot start to the season for the Warriors, drawing them even before halftime with her fifth goal already to make it 1-1.
“That was an amazing turn back by Megan and a nice cross from Grace Setter,” Warriors senior Jessica Wallace said. “We definitely could’ve had more chances up there, but we couldn’t get them on frame. I think we need to be more risky in taking more chances and shots and hopefully we can do that next time.”
Wallace acknowledged that they struggled at times in the midfield, but were connecting better as the game progressed. She anticipates that the team will continue to make great strides as the season progresses into May, especially since she’s just one of three seniors in the lineup and the Warriors started five underclassmen.
“By the end of the game, because of better chemistry, I guess, we were playing better,” she said. “I think we will come back from this. It’s not a win, but it’s a good start for the DVC and now we’ve got Naperville Central on Friday and we can try to come back harder and hopefully take more chances and create more shots.”
As one of the veterans for a team filled with new faces filling new spots, Wallace likes the start the Warriors, ranked no. 20 the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have gotten off to in a short period of time.
“We’ve basically got a whole new team of underclassmen starting out,” she said. “It’s a really good chance to see how we’re all working together as a team with new positions and people playing together. It’s great to see the team come together.”
The Warriors lost eight seniors from last year’s 13-win team, including Kennedy Metzger (13 goals, 8 assists in 2018).
“I can remember being a freshman and it’s really hard being new,” Wallace said. “It probably helps that we have a bunch of freshman taking big spots, big roles on the team and not just one. They are just beginning to get into all this so it’s going to be interesting to see.”
Shumate connected with Hannah Martin midway through the second half to break the 1-1 tie. The two, who are club teammates, have a special bond, which was apparent as they pulled ahead.
“Playing club together is super helpful for the high school season so that we can rely on each other,” Shumate said. “I can’t remember who I got the ball from, it might’ve been her, and I ran in behind the defender and the girl in front of me was going to block my pass to Hannah so I played it through her legs to get it to Hannah and she found the shot and scored.”
While it happened so quickly, the execution was a thing a beauty, and yet another example of Shumate’s continued rise as one of the top players in the area.
“She was fantastic tonight and I praised her so much after the Fremd game and said it was her best game I’d ever seen her play, but tonight was even better,” Goletz said. “If we can consistently get that from her, then we’re a different team in the attack with her and Hannah (Martin) and some of our new players around them.”
Shumate’s tracking back better and better and the Huskies are getting better as a result.
“Goletz has gotten on me to track back, track back, track back,” she said. “I’ve really worked on that and to continue to track back is really helpful for us. It makes it easier for our offense to up our attack.”
After dropping two straight to Barrington and St. Charles East to open the season, the Huskies are now unbeaten in their last three games.
“We’ve had some ups and downs already,” Shumate said. “Fremd was a good game. Batavia was a little letdown after playing Fremd. Today, we were ready.
We were super excited today. These (conference) games are a lot more important and it’s always more fun to win. I think we had more energy and it stinks to lose at home.”
The Huskies made sure that didn’t happen.
“It’s been kind of a challenge and this is obviously what we need to get better,” Goletz said. “It’s been 30 degrees and snow and then we start by playing Barrington the No. 1 team in the country followed by a super talented St. Charles East team and then Steve Keller’s Fremd squad. So we got thrown into the ringer a bit and taken some lumps, but we’ve gotten better along the way and as a coach that’s all you can ask for.”
The returnees are taking on leadership roles and the new kids are buying in to the Huskies' way.
“We’ve got fantastic, coachable kids,” Goletz said. “I’m looking forward to seeing where we can get when it really matters in playoff times. All these lessons along the way will hopefully add up for us.”
Shumate, who was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, lined in a free kick from just outside the penalty area with 2:06 left to play to ward off a Warriors’ attack to net the equalizer.
“They were sending numbers at us,” Shumate said. “They were playing three in the back and four up front so it was tough, but other than their one goal, we were able to bounce back. We never gave up. It was a good team effort.”
Waubonsie Valley hasn’t beaten Naperville North since Morgan Kemerling and Kristen Dodson scored in a 2-0 shutout in April 2014. The Huskies also won last year, 2-1, and have now beaten the Warriors five straight seasons.
“Naperville North has always been a challenge for our team,” Wallace said. “I think we had a good chance this time, and we did come close. Even at the end there, that was a mistake in the back. We need to take out those little mistakes. I think if we eliminated those little mistakes, this was a really good matchup for us. I think if we play them again later I think we could have a really good chance.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Nicole Kleronomos
FP Brooke Mathews
FP Mollie Valek
FP Alexa Quaranta
FP Megan Burling
FP Jessica Wallace
FP Jillian Macaluso
FP Jessica Keeley
FP Jennifer Garcia
FP Brooke Nelson
FP Grace Setter
Naperville North
GK Amanda Johnson
D Paige Sylvester
D Jordan Leonard
D Ellie Gerner
D Emily Magee
D Reilly Riggs
MF Katie Murphy
MF Maddie Schlecht
MF Leah Shumate
F Emily Dulkik
F Hannah Martin
Scoring summary
First half
Naperville North – Reilly Riggs (Leah Shumate)
Waubonsie Valley – Megan Burling (Grace Setter)
Second half
Naperville North – Hannah Martin (Leah Shumate)
Naperville North – Leah Shumate (u/a)
MVP of the Match – Leah Shumate, jr., MF, Naperville North