Neuqua, St. Charles North keep it even
The St. Charles North girls soccer team left Naperville Wednesday afternoon after its game against Neuqua Valley with its undefeated record still intact.
The North Stars didn't add another tally to the win column, though, either.
Instead, the two best teams in the Upstate Eight Conference battled to a 0-0 draw, as the No. 3 Wildcats failed to cash in on their quality ball possession and No. 4 St. Charles North failed to capitalize on a pair of wonderful scoring opportunities.
Despite watching Neuqua Valley possess the ball for most of the game, North Stars coach Ruth Vostal didn't feel blessed just because her team didn't lose.
"I don't feel lucky at all," Vostal said. "I feel like we should've came away 1-0 (victors), 2-0; 1-0 for sure.
"I thought when we played well with the ball on the ground, with numbers going forward, we were able to find their seams."
With 24:27 remaining in the second half, St. Charles North sophomore Lauren Koehl received a pass in front of an open net but couldn't settle the ball down in time to release a shot.
North Stars senior Leah DeMoss admitted to missing a scoring chance of her own Wednesday and empathizing with Koehl.
"I missed one right in front of the goal; I could've hit it," DeMoss said. "When I was a sophomore I missed them wide, over, all the time. It happens. She's a great player, she's just got to shake it off."
Neuqua Valley (12-2-2) registered 8 second-half shots yet failed to connect on several crosses near the North Stars net.
"We were just not connecting in the offensive third, and that's been an issue for us a lot of the season," Wildcats coach Joe Moreau said. "We've been pretty solid in the back two-thirds.
"We're just not finishing, but we were getting some nice chances, some decent runs in there, and better services than we've had."
Though her team didn't play its best game of the season, Vostal was pleased with the spirit the North Stars (8-0-1) showed.
"At this point in the season, for us, it was the game we saw the most heart and the most fight," she said. "I don't think we played technically our best game, but I think it was an opportunity to see the heart and the fight and the stamina come through.
"I'll take that at that point to know that we have it."