Naperville North shows it can win in snow

It's easy to see why Abbie Boswell is one of the top offensive threats in the state.

The Naperville North junior striker, who had 27 goals last season, needed just 82 seconds to find the net in Monday's DuPage Valley Conference girls soccer match at Glenbard East.

What wasn't so easy to see was the second-half action, as near whiteout conditions reduced visibility. Still, the Huskies tacked on an insurance goal early in the second half and earn a 2-0 victory.

"This is the first time I've ever been a part of something like this," Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. "At one point (Glenbard East coach) Kent (Overbey) and I looked at each other and started to laugh. It's something you don't see everyday."

Naperville North (3-2-1, 2-1-0) also made things difficult on the Rams with its quickly maturing back line. With junior Jen Fortman leading the way and freshmen Morgan Krause, Ashley Santos and Emily Wilhlem stepping into prominent starting roles, the team helped goalkeeper Fiona Baenziger and the Huskies record its fifth shutout.

"I think they are starting to grow into it," Goletz said of the Huskies' defense. "We're still trying to work on some things, and we're going to be a work in progress, but to get another shutout, that's pretty cool and I'm super happy for them."

Boswell was somehow allowed to score off a set play with 38:37 remaining in the first half.

"I thought last year Abbie Boswell was the best player in the state," Overbey said. "She gets loose and gets an early goal like that, on a set piece, not a header, it drops on the ground and bounces. We've got to be better than that, and it hurts."

What doesn't hurt is Boswell's knee. She had surgery last September and is working her way back to where she was a season ago when she helped the Huskies win their second straight Class 3A title.

"I feel great," she said. "It's really awesome to be back into it again. I'm not quite myself yet, but I'm getting there."

Glenbard East (7-2-1, 1-1-0) once again was victimized early in the second half when Naperville North's Allison Svoboda made it 2-0 with 37:47 remaining.

The Rams only produced a couple of shots. A few were from long-range from Alex Ruffer and Jordyn Fulton and never truly tested Baenziger or were thwarted beforehand by the Huskies backline.

"I thought we played OK, but it definitely was not out best effort," Overbey said. "We looked a little soft. We weren't making our tackles and they frustrated us."

Both teams made a quick exit of the stadium afterward, dodging snowflakes while leaving footprints on the snow-covered turf.

"It was 75 on Sunday," Overbey said. "Playing into the wind you couldn't see anything, and with those bigger snowflakes, someone takes one in the eyeball and it's bad, so it was really tough conditions."

Despite the field looking more like a Winter Wonderland, Boswell didn't think twice about reinjuring her knee.

"You can't think like that," she said. "I mean, it's miserable to play in terrible weather, slipping all over the place, but it's like that sometimes. We managed to get it done so we're happy about that, but it would've been much nicer if it wasn't snowing everywhere."

Everyone can agree to that.