Inadvertent goal lifts Naperville Central past Palatine

May flowers weren't the only thing Saturday morning's showers helped bring about at the Naperville Invitational.

A rain-slicked turf also aided the host Redhawks' game-winning goal in a 3-2 girls soccer win over Palatine.

Snapping a 2-2 tie with 14:13 left in the second half, Meredith Tunney spied fellow senior midfielder Mackenzie Sisko sprinting downfield.

From 60 yards out Tunney lofted a deep ball that took a fortunate, skidding, FieldTurf bounce over the Palatine goalkeeper, drawn out by Sisko's attack.

"I was kind of going to just get it up the field because we've been working on those over-the-defense balls. That's what I was going for, basically," Tunney said.

"I was trying to do, like, a corner ball, but I guess I got the wrong touch on it."

Not at all. It was one of those "dirty goals" Redhawks coach Ed Watson said his team needs, and with it Naperville Central (9-4-1) advanced to the tourney's final eight Thursday against Barrington.

Palatine (5-7) led 2-1 at halftime on goals by senior forward Kellie Reynolds, a physical force, and by freshman midfielder Kacie Filian, one of Pirates coach Willie Filian's two daughters on the squad. The Pirates forced Naperville Central goalkeeper Kinzly Dressler to make 3 first-half saves as well.

It was a strong counter from Naperville Central's opening goal just 2:07 into the match. The Redhawks' Taylor Stenmark took Caitlin Reice's feed and from 25 yards out drove it off the outstretched hands of Palatine keeper Francesca Falato.

"We're used to kind of fighting from behind. So we knew right from the start, it was 1-0, we knew we were equal with this team or even better. So we tried to come out hard again," said Reynolds, who earned a knot on the back of her head after a midair collision with Naperville Central's Isabel Reedy late in the first half.

Watson saw Palatine's effort and strength down the middle. At halftime he challenged the Redhawks and tweaked tactics.

"We changed our target areas, we asked the girls to really concentrate on hitting out towards flags and sidelines," he said. "We felt like we had an advantage there. We kind of calmed down almost immediately because we started putting the balls in those spots."

The strategy and challenge - Tunney called it "stern talk" - paid off just 1:31 into the second half. Off Stenmark's throw-in deep in Palatine turf Alison Kincaide headed the ball to Meridith Hannan. She got it to Sisko, who tied the score 2-2 from close in.

"Getting that equalizer so quickly was huge," Watson said.

"We talked at halftime about how we usually get off to slow starts in the beginning of the first and second half," Kacie Filian said, "so we had to pick it up and play aggressive or else we knew they would get another early goal. After that first goal - because we couldn't get a clearance out - it kind of dropped off and we hung our heads for awhile."