Redhawks shock Waubonsie Valley in 1-0 win

This was a "win-win situation" for Taylor Heatherly and her Naperville Central teammates.

Heatherly, a prime mover in helping turn Wednesday's Naperville girls soccer doubleheader at North Central College into a fundraiser for breast cancer research, also got to enjoy the Redhawks' 1-0 upset of Waubonsie Valley (1-1), the nation's top-ranked team and Illinois' two-time defending state champion.

Neuqua Valley defeated Naperville North in the night's first game by the same 1-0 score.

"My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, so I thought it was a big deal to get the community involved," Heatherly said.

The game was scoreless into the 78th minute when Redhawks freshman Gina Maddi, called up to the varsity just before this game, struck with a 30-yard left-footed blast, creating a joyous Redhawks community.

"I'm actually in shock," Heatherly said. "I knew we could do it. We have a great group of girls here. ... I'm so happy, I'm just ecstatic."

Coach Ed Watson, whose Redhawks (4-1) lost last week to Plainfield North, prepared his team on the bus before the game to win.

"I said when we win tonight, there will be a new No. 1 team in the nation," Watson said with a wry smile, "and obviously that's Plainfield North. That's the transitive law of soccer."

In the opener Neuqua Valley scored its goal in the 42nd minute when junior Eileen Doyle dribbled into the Naperville North penalty area, turned when confronted by the Huskies defense and found sophomore Megan Oyster to her right. Oyster one-timed a right-footed shot into the net. It was the first goal allowed by the Huskies (3-1-1) this season.

"Eileen plays very well with her back to the goal,"said Moreau, whose team was playing its season opener. "She got in (the box), I thought she should have shot earlier, and all of a sudden she spun, held off the defender and laid it back to Megan. It was a nice pass."

It was a nice shot also.

"I was thinking about taking a really powerful shot," Oyster said. "I was right in front of the goal. But my nerves today are obviously really strong because it's the first game. I thought about it and just placed it."

"We try to tell them, you don't try to kill the ball," Moreau said. "... We were happy that she got it on frame."

The Huskies threatened the nationally ranked Wildcats throughout, putting 7 shots on the Neuqua net, but they couldn't crack the Wildcats' pair of Division I senior goalkeepers, Fordham-bound Rachel Suther in the first half and Texas-bound Alexa Gaul in the second.

"We had our chances," Huskies coach Brent Terada said. "I thought we definitely had our chances to finish. Unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on that."