WW South wins in fourth OT

No one saw this end coming.

After two great teams with two top goalkeepers played scoreless soccer for close to 120 minutes Wednesday night, it looked almost certain that penalty kicks would need to decide whether second-seeded Naperville North or No. 3 Wheaton Warrenville South (20-4-2) would survive the Class 3A sectional semifinal and advance to Saturday's final against powerful Neuqua Valley.

But with the thought of PKs looming, the Tigers' Andrew Bellmer took a pass from Manuel Munguia and turned it into a long, high shot from the right corner that headed toward the Huskies star keeper Mike Wiest. With Alden Marton crashing hard on the play, Wiest went up for the ball only to have it elude his grasp and end up cruelly in the Naperville North net.

Bellmer's goal with 1:33 left in the fourth and final 10-minute overtime session lifted the Tigers to a second straight 1-0 defeat of the Huskies and, more importantly, gives them their first shot this season at the top-seeded Wildcats on Saturday.

"After 120 minutes of soccer, you get a chance like that you just want to put it on frame," said Bellmer, a senior midfielder, who admitted to not wanting to see the game decided by penalty kicks. "He made some tremendous saves for them. And to me PKs is a coin toss and it doesn't represent the game."

Huskies coach Jim Konrad, whose team rode Wiest's stellar play this season to a DVC crown and a spot in Wednesday's sectional round, felt terrible about the way the game ended.

"It's a heart-breaking way to lose a game," Konrad said. "It's hard - worst-case scenario. You've got a kid who absolutely made our season. He's kept us in game, after game, after game. I feel terrible."

Wiest had to make 9 saves to keep the game scoreless throughout regulation, including a spectacular leaping deflection with 15:16 left in the second half following a rocket off the foot of George Doran that was redirected by a player in front of the Huskies net.

Tigers goalie Derek Babb was not called on to make as many saves, but the senior did come up with the stops whenever needed en route to earning a school-record-tying 14th shutout this fall.

"They have probably one of the best defenses in the state and they also have a great offense," Babb said of Naperville North (16-3-4). "It's always hard to get a shutout against them. I was starting to feel a little woozy standing out there for 120 minutes, but I would have been ready for PKs. But now I feel for him (Wiest). He had some great saves out there."

The Huskies struggled to muster much offense early on, not putting a shot on goal in the first half and getting just 2 on goal through 80 minutes. But Chris Boswell and Dean Gastouniotis helped create more pressure in the overtime periods and Babb had to make 2 saves after regulation to preserve the win.

"I couldn't be prouder of my guys," Konrad said. "It was by far my most enjoyable year coaching."