Naperville North loses in 2nd OT to Hinsdale C.
After his squad's supersectional win in overtime Tuesday night, long-time Hinsdale Central coach Skip Begley had to be asked how it felt to finally get his girls soccer program to the state finals.
"For a fat old man, it feels good," Begley said. "I'm usually not up this late."
Begley's extended coaching night didn't end until Tierney Burchett ended Naperville North's season with a goal in the second overtime, giving the Red Devils (17-3-2) their first downstate berth in 20 years.
After trailing 1-0 to the Huskies (19-3-3) at halftime on a Rycke Guiney goal, the Red Devils tied the game on a Lee Battaglia score in the second half before Burchett flicked a Katie Schaller free kick into net to end it, in the game's 99th minute.
"We've been a comeback team lately," Burchett said. "We never think negatively. We stay positive and keep playing."
It was a Schaller free kick that led to Hinsdale Central's tying goal in the second half. Schaller's hard-hit boot from long-range deflected off the goalkeeper, and Battaglia was there to follow it up.
"Schaller has been driving balls in well all year," said Begley, who also applauded the play of his goalkeeper, Nicole D'Agostino. Forward Toni Kokenis was also perpetually dangerous throughout the second half at Benedictine University.
The Red Devils take on Sandburg in a state semifinal game Friday at North Central College in Naperville.
Naperville North came out hard and controlled play throughout the first half. The Huskies scored in the 13th minute after Haley Krentz took a shot off a Jess Kodiak corner kick feed, and Guiney crashed the net and finished on the deflection.
The Huskies had a few more chances to halftime, but were unable to convert.
"We missed a couple good chances, and sometimes that comes back to bite you," said Huskies coach Brent Terada. "It's a tough (loss), for sure."
"We'll look back on it as a good year, but right now it just feels like a missed opportunity."
The Huskies say goodbye to a strong core of key contributors in seniors Jess Arabia, Jess Kodiak, Haley Krentz, Emily Homan and Sarah Constantino.
"We had two injuries tonight, and that brought us down," Arabia said of injuries to Krentz and Kodiak on Tuesday.
"We kept fighting. We just weren't able to get it done."