Krentz shot lifts Naperville North

It was a shot that no goalkeeper at any level stops, and Naperville North midfielder Haley Krentz immediately had a good feeling about it.

"It came off my foot good, and it was one of those that after you hit it, you just know," Krentz said, after her 25-yard shot stood up to beat Naperville Central 1-0 on Wednesday.

"I was just feeling it. I turned, I had space, and I thought, 'Why not?' "

"As soon as she hit it, I said, 'That's a goal,' " said Naperville Central coach Ed Watson. "I had a perfect angle on it. But I thought we had some opportunities down the stretch, and the girls made some nice adjustments in the second half."

Naperville North (18-2-3) beat Naperville Central for the first time in three tries this season, after tying and losing to the Redhawks during the regular season.

"Our team worked really hard together. It was a great team victory," Krentz said.

Naperville North had the better of play through 40 minutes, but neither team managed much in the way of shots on net.

"We had opportunities early, and we were creating some chances, but we didn't capitalize on those early chances," said Naperville North coach Brent Terada. "We got fortunate that (Krentz) bailed us out with just an absolutely ridiculous shot."

Krentz's goal in the 57th minute preceded a strong attacking push by Naperville Central down the stretch, but a Central team built on defense and opportunistic scoring couldn't manage a tying goal, ending its season with a record of 18-4-3.

"I feel bad for the girls. We did everything we could do to be competitive all year, and we were competitive tonight against a good soccer team," Watson said.

Naperville North plays Waubonsie Valley (18-3) with a sectional title on the line Friday.

"It should be a technical game," Terada said. "The ball will move fast, and both teams will try to work the ball. We'll have to play a really, really good game to beat them."