St. Charles North downs Wisconsin state champs
First, a couple of facts to help better describe what happened at St. Charles North's girls soccer match against Divine Savior Holy Angels on Saturday.
First, the Dashers team that traveled from Brookfield, Wis., to St. Charles on Saturday is more than just your average very good out-of-state team. DSHA has won back-to-back Division 1 titles in Wisconsin and doesn't lose very many matches - no matter what state in which they are playing. The nationally-ranked Dashers we're undefeated entering Saturday's match and have lost just five times in 83 matches, dating to the 2007 season.
The second thing to remember is that St. Charles North is not the strongest team from set pieces - corner kicks and free kicks. While soccer stats routinely show that such plays are ways in which all teams score a good percentage of their goals, the North Stars are at their most devastating from open play.
Yet on Saturday, Wisconsin's top team came south, took a 1-0 lead and then watched as the host North Stars scored twice from set plays within 3 minutes in the second half to claim a 2-1 victory and to continue their perfect start to the 2010 season.
"When you go against a team you've never seen play, it comes down to a whole lot of hustle and a whole lot of effort," St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said. "Our second and third efforts were going to be key today. If you look at our set pieces - which we haven't been too successful on - we scored on two of them. But it was the second and third girl who were following up on it."
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the North Stars (8-0) began their rally by shortening the time the Dashers (3-1-2) had on the ball. DSHA's goal was scored by Kylie Nordness after North Stars goalie Kristen Manski saved an initial shot but allowed a rebound.
Paige Dusek started both scoring moves. She hammered a left-sided corner kick into a crowded penalty area with 16 minutes left. The ball ricocheted a bit and then Leah DeMoss headed from very close range.
"We haven't been down a goal this whole season," Dusek said. "That was a new adjustment for us. The last 5 minutes of the first half, the adrenaline started flowing and we started going as a team. We all knew we had to pick it up."
With just under 13 minutes to play, St. Charles North received a free kick 30 yards from goal on the left wing. Dusek sent the ball into another penalty area filled with bodies from both teams. Sammy Gage got a key head to the ball and got it past the goalkeeper, but it took DeMoss' further intervention to prod the ball over the goal line.
"It was really nice to execute (set pieces) in a game," DeMoss said. "We practice, every practice, on this. Normally, every time we get one in a game, it's like 'oh no.' But it's really nice, especially against a good team, to actually finish set play."
St. Charles North's play impressed DSHA coach Kevin Roethe. The teams have seen each other play while at the Burlington, Iowa tournament, though the schools had never played against each other before Saturday.
"I thought they played well," Roethe said. "They're a very competitive team and they competed hard. It's something that we're used to seeing in-state as well, but it's always good to see something new."