Naperville North lets character show

After consecutive losses and playing without emotional leader Jordan Baker and central midfielder Andrew Menendez, Naperville North showed something Thursday that coaches are always looking for:

Character.

"Yeah, they did," said Huskies coach Jim Konrad. "For them to put forth that level of soccer was great to see."

"We needed to win this game. We needed to get back on our feet today," said Huskies senior Augie Celentano, who scored the first goal in his team's 2-1, double-overtime win over Wheaton North in a DuPage Valley Conference boys soccer game in Wheaton.

Naperville North (12-3-3, 4-1-1) controlled play early, getting behind the Falcons' defense with regularity through 20 minutes of play.

"We were playing fast," Konrad said. "They defend so well and can back it in so quick, that to have a chance to get behind them you've got to play fast."

Huskies outside midfielders Kyle Green and Tyler Cortez played key roles in the Huskies' strong attacking start, which paid off when Celentano deked a pair of defenders at the end line, brought the ball back out, and fired from 8 yards out in the 14th minute.

"I got lucky on the first one, still had the ball on my foot, just waited to get a good chance and found an opening," Celentano said.

Wheaton North (9-3-4, 3-2-2) picked up its play thereafter, as the game settled into a style more typical of games between top-flight DVC teams -- "no space to play at midfield, and both back lines sort of knocking it back and forth," said Falcons coach Bryce Cann.

"We settled down and played a little more organized after they scored."

After sending a handful of long balls on frame during play, the Falcons' Kyle Fishleigh hit a whale of a shot to tie the game in the 72nd minute, hammering a volley from 30 yards out that found nothing but back netting.

"Every ball (Fishleigh) hit, I was terrified," Konrad said. "He just whips it in there."

The Falcons pressured well down the stretch and would have walked away with a 2-1 win in regulation if not for a great save by Huskies goalkeeper Devon Moon in the 80th minute, on a shot at point-blank range by Josh Pedersen.

The Huskies' Ediz Yorulmazoglu scored the game-winning goal two minutes into the second overtime, stepping onto a pass from the right corner sent in by Tyler Cortez, taking a touch, and burying it from 10 yards out.

"It feels amazing," Yorulmazoglu said. "I was going to just shoot it, but then I thought, 'Don't risk it, just take it in.' "