Naperville North 4, West Aurora 0
Struggling to score has at times been a nagging, aching pain for Naperville North's girls soccer team this season.
"We've knocked on the door in all our games and just haven't been able to finish," said Huskies coach Brent Terada.
Wednesday's win over West Aurora was one big pain reliever, and it came with perfect timing. The Huskies (7-7-4) put 4 goals in net in blanking West Aurora (16-8-1), in a Class AA regional semifinal game played at Naperville Central.
The Huskies will play the host Redhawks at 6 p.m. Friday with a regional title on the line and were glad to get some goals in preparation.
"Oh, my gosh -- yes," said Huskies sophomore Rycke Guiney, who had a goal and 2 assists Wednesday. "We scored four really quickly, kept our composure and won the game. To see us scoring like that is wonderful."
In their best season in coach Joe Susteric's seven years as coach, the Blackhawks fell victim to four goals before halftime before putting up more fight in the second half.
"We have to play error-free to beat teams that are a little better and more experienced than us," Susteric said. "We've got seven or eight girls of high caliber, and then a lot of role players.
"Naperville North came out and exposed our weaknesses."
Naperville North scored in the 10th minute when Alex Wernette crashed the post and cleaned up on a shot taken by Adrianne Schertz from 12 yards out.
"We were able to come out strong and put a few in. We were definitely relieved when that first one went in," Terada said. "I know we can defend, but scoring has been tough for us sometimes."
West Aurora goalkeeper Michelle Castaneda made the initial save of Schertz's shot, and the junior shined in making 10 saves on the night.
"There are days when (Castaneda) steps up and looks very good," Susteric said. "She's already up to 28 or 29 shutouts for her career, and she still has another year left.
"But when she's being peppered with shot after shot, the laws of probability say that eventually one will go in. But she's done a very good job for three years, and she was great today."
Guiney sent a corner kick to the far post in the 20th minute, where Lauren Mancuso headed it home, and the Huskies went up 3-0 in the 33rd minute when Emily Homan slid a pass to Guiney in the penalty area.
A wide-open Guiney sent it to the back netting from 16 yards out, and two minutes later Jessica Arabia scored from 18 yards out on a pass from Guiney.
"It was great that (Guiney) stayed a little bit higher today, and we tried to play through her," Terada said. "And she gets those (dead balls) on frame for us."
Naperville Central's 5-0 win over IMSA in the day's first game helped set the stage for Friday's regional title game. The Redhawks won 1-0 over the Huskies during the regular season.
"I think we can do it, if we play like we did tonight, but a little harder," Guiney said. "Naperville Central's really good, and it'll be a really hard game.
"I just can't wait for Friday."
"They'll obviously come in as the favored team, but I think you can throw records out the window," Terada said. "They're a good team and we'll have to play our best to keep up with them."
The Blackhawks beat Glenbards East and North for the first time in program history this year, and their 16 wins stand as a new high for a season.
"This is my seventh year, and we've never won more than five or six in a year," Susteric said. "It was maturity. Seven of our juniors played as freshmen, and we're getting more and more experience under our belts."