Naperville North, Naperville Central draw

There aren’t many people in Illinois who can throw a soccer ball for more distance or accuracy than Naperville North’s Kirsten Anderson.

There also aren’t many who feel the confidence to aim for goal from beyond 40 yards the way Naperville Central’s Krissy Many did in Saturday afternoon’s contest with Anderson’s Huskies.

Those long-distance talents led directly to the only goals of the match between these two close-range but long-time rivals. Naperville North and Naperville Central tied their annual DuPage Valley Conference encounter 1-1 in a match rescheduled due to poor weather on Monday.

The result leaves the host Redhawks (9-4-2, 3-0-1) and the Huskies (6-3-1, 3-0-1) still tied atop the DVC standings.

“It’s the biggest rivalry around,” Anderson said. “Everyone clearly played their heart out. We had so many people with ice on their injuries. That shows how hard we played today.”

And the match had all the things that have come to characterize this rivalry — high-energy, nonstop action for 80 minutes of regulation play and a further 20 minutes of overtime — and then handshakes, hugs and friendly conversation when the contest concluded.

“There’s nothing like a game between us,” Many said. “It doesn’t matter what sport it is. We have old players here watching us. Our whole families come. We know so many people and we’re all friends. A tie is the best result. It suits both teams because we both want to win so bad.”

Anderson’s talents were put on display early and her long throws created a certain level of chaos in Naperville Central’s penalty area each time she launched the ball. Anderson, without using a flip throw-in, was consistently able to get the ball in front of the Redhawks goalmouth.

“It’s pretty useful,” Anderson said. “For years I’ve had it and it definitely is a weapon. I hate to defend against it. Krissy Many has a long throw and you realize how much of a weapon it is when you have to defend against it.”

Anderson, a senior, said she acquired a long throw-in when she was 10.

“This guy on my brother’s soccer team had a long throw,” Anderson said. “So I watched and watched and then I practiced an entire summer in my back yard and eventually I got it.”

Five minutes into the second half, an Andersen throw-in from the right wing found Christa Szalach’s head. Szalach, who found a seam in Naperville Central’s defense, headed the Huskies into the lead.

“It’s awesome to watch Christa’s head get on the ball,” Anderson said. “It’s a feeling you can’t describe when you see it hit the back of the net.”

Naperville Central had defended well and played solidly through midfield to that point and had a golden opportunity to take the lead eight minutes before halftime when Ashley Tegge received the ball free in the penalty area with only Naperville North goalie Abby Green to beat. Tegge shot and Green saved and the match continued scoreless.

But the Redhawks otherwise struggled to create chances in the contest until Many received a bouncing ball not far beyond the midway line on the right wing with 28 minutes left in the match. Many looked up and launched the volleyed shot — which soared, then dropped just under the crossbar and into the net to tie the score.

“We just wanted to get shots on (Green), which we didn’t exactly do,” Many said. “I got the ball on the drop and I like to hit big balls. I always look to hit it near the goal and know one of my teammates will get on it if there’s on a rebound.”

Make no mistake, Many was trying to score. The goal was her second of the season — after a goal in Thursday’s Naperville Invitational match with Downers Grove South.

“Give Krissy credit,” Watson said. “She didn’t know it was going to do what it did, but that was her intent, to make the goalkeeper save the ball. A lot of people see that and go, ‘Oh, that was a garbage goal.’ It wasn’t a garbage goal.”

Many had the best chance to untie the match when her free kick was saved by Green with 10 minutes to play in regulation. As neither team scored again, the match went to overtime.

“We started out really well,” Many said. “We came at them hard. And that’s something we always try to do. But the starts to our games haven’t been our best lately.”

Szalach forced a save from Naperville Central goalie Jill D’Amico early in the first overtime and Naperville North’s Hunter Drendel whacked a 20-yard free kick off D’Amico’s crossbar at the midpoint of the second overtime, but the match ended without any further scoring.