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Girls soccer: St. Charles North strikes fast, sinks Neuqua Valley

St. Charles North's girls soccer coach Brian Harks wanted to use Saturday's nonconference matchup against Neuqua Valley as a chance to see how his team responded to Friday's practice.

Judging by the first 10 minutes of the first half and the first 10 of the second half, Harks' players were paying close attention.

Determined to get off to a quick start, the North Stars scored 2 goals in the first 8 minutes, then also struck early in the second half for a 3-1 victory.

"I definitely think it was a good win," North Stars sophomore Hailey Rydberg said. "We have been practicing going 80 minutes hard and obviously all our goals were scored in the first 10 minutes which is a really good thing for us. That is something we have been working on."

Neuqua Valley (6-9-2) actually got the first shot on goal when Haley Singer sent a ball to Sydney Rushing who fired but was denied by North Stars keeper Sammie Sample.

St. Charles North (14-3-1) quickly turned the ball from its end of the field to the Wildcats', and Rydberg sent a cross that Elli Wahlberg finished in the far left corner for a 1-0 lead with 33 minutes left in the first half.

Just a minute later, Rydberg found herself with a little room just outside the top of the box and let fly with her left foot, a shot that found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead just 8 minutes into the match.

"Probably the last three or four games we really haven't started off where we expect so the fact that we put up a lot of emphasis on that in practice yesterday and in our pregame today and they came out and all three goals were scored within the first 10 minutes of each half," Harks said. "It was definitely a good feeling. It's a very coachable group that makes my job a little bit easier."

The Wildcats scored their only goal with 30 minutes left in the first half on an athletic play by Singer who gained control of the ball about 20 yards from the goal and with a defender draped over her was able to close in and drill a shot Sample dove for but couldn't stop.

"It was a good hustle goal," Wildcats coach Joe Moreau said. "We got a fortunate bounce. Haley got in there and finished. Something we have been struggling to do."

The only other goal in the game came at the 35-minute mark of the second half. Rydberg, who has 10 assists this year, got her second of the day when she sent the ball to Gia Wahlberg on the left sideline, and Wahlberg did the rest for her 17th goal this year.

"Hailey doesn't always get the goals or the recognition for goals but she is definitely a valuable part where our offense goes through her," Harks said.

The North Stars controlled the action for most of the final 30 minutes as they continued their strong spring with losses only to Evanston, Loyola and a team from Kansas. They put 15 shots on goal Saturday.

"We weren't used to seeing how they played," Rydberg said of Neuqua. "They played a different formation (4-4-2) than we were used to so it took us awhile to adapt but I think once we realized what they were doing, we got more on them and we knew what they were doing more. It was good seeing it now so going to the postseason we will be more ready."

Harks said he liked the way outside wings Jordan Karom and Morgan Rerko played Saturday as they covered a lot of ground to pressure the Wildcats and keep the North Stars with possession.

"I think our outsides were probably our biggest asset today. They put on a lot of work that was unrecognized," Harks said.

Sample made 7 saves for the North Stars.

"I thought our keeper did a good job," Harks said. "I thought our back line did a much better job in the second half adapting to the game."

  St. Charles North's Gia Wahlberg (left) and Neuqua Valley's Kailey Serna (17) battle for the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles North's Gia Wahlberg (left) and Neuqua Valley's Nicole Mondi (24) get tangled up while in pursuit of the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles North's Elli Wahlberg (center) is congratulated by teammate Hailey Rydberg (left) and others after scoring the first goal over Neuqua Valley in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Neuqua Valley's Markia Algrem (left) and St. Charles North's Lauren Muzzalupo (4) collide while battling for the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Neuqua Valley's Kailey Serna heads the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles North's Ali Wessel (14) and Neuqua Valley's Haley Singer (3) collide while fighting for the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Neuqua Valley's Kailey Serna (17) and St. Charles North's Gia Wahlberg (15) fight for the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles North's Lauren Willis (behind) and Neuqua Valley's Haley Singer (3) fight for the ball in the first half Saturday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
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