Swift lifts Naperville N. into title match

There are nice-looking goals, and then there are jaw-dropping goals.

Naperville North’s Zoe Swift scored one of each to lift the Huskies to a 2-0 victory over Glenbrook South during Friday’s Class 3A girls soccer state semifinal at North Central College.

“I told the kids we needed to score that first goal, and we’re very lucky to have someone like Zoe on our team,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “You talk about someone who can take a game over, and she took the game over. When she takes the game over, we’re awfully tough to beat.”

Swift punished the Titans the first time with 15:56 on the clock in the first half. The junior somehow eluded the Glenbrook South back line and blasted a rising liner off the hands of goalkeeper Emma Sailer.

Naperville North (23-1-2) controlled the possession game, dominating the midfield and then letting its back line of Kayla Sharples, Jen Korn, Anna Prescott and Jillian VanKampen ensure the Titans wouldn’t sneak anything past goalie Allison Hitchcock.

“I think everybody knows that we’ve done a pretty good job defensively and our back four is so organized,” Goletz said. “They really locked them down.”

Glenbrook South (21-5-4) remained within striking distance and had to breathe a momentary sigh of relief when an attempt by Swift with 22:10 remaining in the contest caromed off the post. But less than five minutes later, Swift was wowing the crowd while all but ending the Titans’ hope for a state title.

Swift gained possession near midfield, dribbled past one defender, flicked a pass to herself and then outran another defender before skipping a shot into the far corner of the net with 18:07 remaining.

“I haven’t seen a better individual goal in high school,” Goletz said. “It’s a world-class goal, and that’s what you need to have in the playoffs.”

“She has to do what she does, and she did it, and that’s the plain and simple thing,” Glenbrook South coach Seong Ha said. “Today was Zoe 2 and Glenbrook South 0.”

Swift, on the other hand, was a little more modest.

“I was just going for the goal and went around the defender and got it past the goalie,” she said. “I wanted to just give us more hope se we could get to the finals.”

And that’s where the Huskies will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, facing St. Charles North. The North Stars topped Downers Grove South 2-1 in the other 3A semifinal.