St. Charles North starts fast, runs past Hoffman Estates

By the time Kelli Alderman started scoring goals against Hoffman Estates on Wednesday, St. Charles North held a 2-0 lead on the Hawks and seemed destined to claim the Class 3A Hoffman Estates regional semifinal match.

But by the time Alderman was done with her scoring exploits, there was no doubt which team would be the victor. Alderman scored a hat trick by hitting the last three goals in the North Stars 5-0 victory.

"We prepared for the game and we were just excited and ready to go and we did what we needed to do," Alderman said.

Lauren Koehl put the North Stars (18-1-1) ahead 1-0 and Sammi Gage doubled that lead. Alderman's first goal came with 7 minutes left in the first half.

"The first couple of goals gave us the fire that we needed to keep going," Alderman said.

Alderman's second goal was a match-killer that came 64 seconds into the second half, though the Hawks (4-13-1) worked doggedly the entire match to score.

"I'm proud of my girls in the second half," Hoffman Estates coach Rob Schmidt said.

"They didn't give up. St. Charles North is strong and they're very good in the air. Size-wise, we didn't match up properly and they took advantage of our missed opportunities. But I felt my girls played to the best of their abilities."

Alderman, a senior, completed her first high school hat trick 12 minutes into the second half, taking a ball from the left and hooking it back across the face of the goal and into the net.

"We've been working on that outside mid trying to create some chances, and she did and that was great," St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal said.