Girls soccer: St. Charles North escapes Bartlett in OT
St. Charles North's persistence trumped Bartlett's resilience in a 3-2 girls soccer playoff victory at Millennium Field in Streamwood Tuesday.
Top seed St. Charles North twice grabbed 1-goal leads only to see No. 5 Bartlett equalize the Class 3A Bartlett sectional semifinal, including in the first overtime.
Undaunted, North Star forwards continued to streak through the Bartlett box like a meteor shower shooting through the nighttime sky, making multiple runs that ultimately made the difference.
To wit: sophomore midfielder Hailey Rydberg used her speed to gain possession to the left of the goal with 26.8 seconds left in the first overtime and was subsequently taken down by a Bartlett defender.
Senior midfielder Lauren Muzzalupo calmly sent the ensuing penalty kick into the lower right corner of the Bartlett net past freshman goalkeeper Teagan Noesen for the decisive goal.
"We let (Rydberg) run at us one too many times and she punished us," Bartlett coach Vince DiNuzzo said. " We spoke about it before the game. I just think physically we ran out of gas."
St. Charles North (19-3-1) advances to its second straight sectional final. The North Stars will face No. 3 Geneva (15-6-2) on Friday at 5 p.m. The Vikings defeated St. Charles East 1-0 in the second semifinal.
"It's really exciting. I can't wait," Rydberg said. "It's all just intensity now and having the mindset to get us ready."
The North Stars took some time to adjust to Bartlett's scheme but eventually controlled the action for much of regulation. They took a 1-0 lead on Muzzalupo's first goal in the 27th minute from 20 yards out.
"I got a layoff, saw the opening and knew the goalie was decently short," the senior midfielder said. "I knew that I had to hit it high and just put it in."
Bartlett (18-6-1) finally dented the scoreboard with 9:32 left in regulation on a shot by senior Kaitlin Brohan that was struck with enough force to dent a garage door. The senior midfielder found herself in space and blasted a kick from approximately 30 yards away that knuckled over the head of St. Charles North keeper Leanne Stahulik and just under the crossbar to knot the score 1-1.
"I saw an opening," Brohan said. "I knew the goalie was out a little bit so I just kind of hit it. I just gave it my all. I knew we weren't done yet so it was a great feeling. It got the crowd going and it got us going."
The North Stars regained a 1-goal lead in the third minute of overtime when Rydberg sent a shot from the right side inside the left post to make it 2-1.
Again the Hawks answered, this time with 3:02 left in the first extra session. The ball squirted to sophomore defender Alyssa Modugno at the top of the penalty area and she sent a low shot though traffic to forge a 2-2 tie. Bartlett never led.
The Hawks took solace in their first regional title in seven years and second overall, not to mention a new school record of 18 victories in a season. The previous record was 15.
"I'm excited for the future of Bartlett High School soccer," DiNuzzo said.