Wheaton North shows it can play with the best

Wheaton North didn't win Thursday's Naperville Invitational quarterfinal, but the Falcons did show they can play with the best girls soccer teams in Illinois.

New Trier, a team with a good chance to play for a Class 3A championship in June, advanced closer to the championship of the best regular-season tournament in the state with a 2-0 victory in Wheaton. The Trevians (17-0) will play Naperville North in the semifinals Friday at Naperville Central.

"I thought we played really well," Falcons senior Bailey Gates said. "Not our best game, but I think we can come out there and win any game."

"I knew that we have a group that can play with anybody," Falcons coach Tim McEvilly said. "I don't feel differently. I think that game could have gone either way today. So we'll take this and learn from it."

Wheaton North (9-2-3), the No. 2 seed at the Class 3A Schaumburg sectional, held New Trier scoreless through the first half despite being outshot 9-2 and giving up much of the possession time.

"Any shot that they had they were taking from 30 yards out, and we'll give up those shots from 30 yards out," Falcons coach Tim McEvilly said. "And they weren't extraordinarily dangerous opportunities in the first 40 (minutes)."

New Trier broke the shutout in the 56th minute when the Falcons couldn't clear a Celia Frei corner kick that bounced through the penalty area to Bina Saipi, who scored.

"We talked about it before the game, their restarts, they're machines," McEvilly said. "That corner kick is a goal that if we're a little more aggressive, with the intensity that they have, I don't think it's in and the game is a completely different game."

Seven minutes later some miscommunication in the back led to Molly Cahill's unassisted goal.

It doesn't get much easier for the Falcons. Wheaton North will host Neuqua Valley in a consolation game Friday.

"We just know that we can play with anybody," Gates said.

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