Naperville Central 4, Stevenson 3

By his own admission, Naperville Central junior Max Saltzman missed a pretty easy shot near the end of the second quarter Thursday in an IHSA state water polo quarterfinal against Stevenson.

"I had a fastbreak, the goalie came out and I just threw it over the net," Saltzman said.

His shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out of bounds.

What was he thinking about right after?

"I was going to put the ball in the net," he said.

That's just what Saltzman proceeded to do.

Following a scoreless first half for both teams, Saltzman scored a pair of goals to lead Naperville Central to a 4-3 victory at Stevenson.

The Redhawks (27-4) advanced to a state semifinal at 9 a.m. Saturday.

"What great defense by both teams," said Naperville Central coach Bill Salentine. "We (need) more offense Saturday."

Saltzman's opening goal came at the 5:39 mark of the third quarter.

The Patriots (18-15) tied the score 1-1 just 11 seconds later when senior Sean Madden converted. The Redhawks responded with a pair of goals to take a 3-1 advantage going to the fourth quarter.

A penalty shot by Saltzman increased the advantage to 4-1 with just under four minutes remaining. But even at that point, it was clear to both teams the outcome was far from decided.

"We were never comfortable," said Redhawks goalkeeper Tyler Kelley said. "It was tense the whole time."

The Patriots quickly cut into the deficit when Denis Kuznetsov scored at the 3:15 mark. A goal by senior Greg Spigelmantwo minutes later made it 4-3.

"We kept our composure and executed," said Patriots coach Sean Wimer.

The Redhawks were able to protect their 1-goal lead until time expired.

"We fell short, but that was the best defensive game we've played all year," said Patriots junior Ali Khan said.

The Patriots were 1-for-7 in man-up situations.

"That's what brought us down," Spigelman said.

The Patriots struggled at times this season, but they finished the year playing at a high level.

"We played a heck of a game tonight," Wimer said. "It was an up-and-down season, but they came to play every game at the end of the season. They definitely saved their best for last."

When the two teams met May 3, Naperville Central lost 7-6 to Stevenson. The Redhawks lost a couple of players to disqualifications early on in that match.

"We kept our heads and that certainly helped," Salentine said. "(Tonight), we had all our best players in the water."

Kelley said the crowd made the atmosphere electric.

"It was unreal," he said. "We had to block it out and focus on the game."

And now, the Redhawks can focus on this.

They are 2 victories away from a state championship.