Girls Soccer: Naperville North dumps Waubonsie Valley, improves to 14-0

Updated: April 26, 2012 10:16PM

Zoe Swift and Abbie Boswell have led Naperville North in scoring, but the Huskies have gotten game-winning goals from several other people as well.

That was the case again Thursday as freshman defender Kayla Sharples bagged her first career goal to spark No. 1 Naperville North to a 2-0 victory over No. 18 Waubonsie Valley in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals. The host Huskies (14-0) will take on No. 8 Neuqua Valley in Friday’s semifinals at Naperville Central.

Cora Climo set up the goal by ripping a 33-yard free kick that Waubonsie Valley goalie Emma Rigby stopped but couldn’t hang on to. Sharples was there to knock in the loose ball with 26:11 left in the first half.

“[The ball] was like on the ground and it just went through my foot,” Sharples said. “My run is back post so it worked out for me today.”

Sharples has played a key role in Naperville North’s defense, which has pitched 10 shutouts, but this was the first time she’d had a chance to contribute at the other end.

“It feels great,” Sharples said. “I have to give all my credit to my teammates because they worked hard to get that free kick and they served a good ball in.”

Swift made it 2-0 at the 15:06 mark of the second half when she sprinted onto a cross from Boswell in front of the right post and beat Rigby with a shot inside the left post.

But that was the only offensive highlight after intermission for the Huskies because Waubonsie Valley (8-4-3) pressured them relentlessly for much of the final period, forcing North goalie Allison Hitchcock to make seven saves, including a spectacular diving effort to knock a 14-yard shot by Kristen Brots around the left post with 19:18 to go and her team up only 1-0.

Hitchcock came up big again with 2:18 left, deflecting a 40-yard free kick from Jenna Romano safely past the left post.

“Allison kept us in it the second half,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “People will look at Allison and say, ‘oh, yeah, she’s got nine shutouts, but she’s got a great defense in front of her.’ Tonight she proved that she can step up and make big-time saves and that’s a momentum changer and we needed more people like to step up.”

The win was North’s second over the Warriors in 13 days, but Waubonsie Valley coach Julie Bergstrom was encouraged by her side’s strong showing.

“We fought hard today,” Bergstrom said. “I thought we battled and soccer is a game of breaks. They got the breaks.

“We’re young. We’re still learning. I think there was a difference between the last time we played North just in our mentality.”

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