Everything’s falling into place for Naperville N.
Life is good for the Naperville North boys soccer team.
Saturday was a beautiful fall day, it was senior day with a pregame ceremony to honor the team’s senior players, and nonconference foe Downers Grove South was in town to take on the Huskies.
A couple of hours later, the day got was better as the Huskies powered up their offense in the second half for 3 unanswered goals and a 3-0 victory to move their record to 15-0-1.
Coach Jim Konrad and his team continue to keep their eyes on the level of play that got them to this point — and not just the record that goes with it.
“The focus is on every game. We talk not about that we won, but how we played. We’re not talking about it (being undefeated),” he said.
The Huskies won’t have much time to think about this victory; they host a huge DuPage Valley Conference showdown at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday against Naperville Central. The Redhawks are 4-0 in the DVC, like the Huskies. It’s the only regular-season meeting between the squads.
“No matter how Central is doing or North is doing, both teams always bring their best games,” said North senior goalkeeper Kevin Anderson, who earned the shutout.
Naperville North had controlled the first half easily, leading in shots on goal 7-0 but was unable to convert. That changed in the second half.
Senior Kyle Lindberg, after taking a pass from junior Joe Sullivan, broke free along the left wing and from about 12 yards out got off a shot that was able to find space between a defender and diving Downers Grove South goalkeeper Nick Tannenbaum.
With 26:04 remaining Sullivan aimed a header into the net with assist from Max Auden. Lindberg got his second goal 16 minutes later to wrap up the scoring, converting on a penalty kick.
Naperville North finished the game with a 13-1 shots-on-goal advantage.
“In the second half we did a better job of holding the ball,” Konrad said. “In the first half we couldn’t link up offensively. Downers Grove South (5-9-2) has struggled this season. But they are a good team and were tough to beat.”
After the Naperville Central contest, only two games remain in the regular season for the Huskies: Saturday’s regular-season home finale against Wheaton Warrenville South and a trip to Glenbard North the following Tuesday.
“We take each game as it comes and focus on our individual jobs,” senior Evan Trychta said.
That’s not to say that the Huskies aren’t enjoying this season’s adventure.
“It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve had a good time each game,” Anderson said.