WW South tops Naperville C. in OT
It took Wheaton Warrenville South nearly 70 minutes to finally score against Naperville Central during Monday's DuPage Valley Conference match in Wheaton.
Later, the Tigers needed just 18 seconds in to stun the Redhawks, 2-1 in overtime.
Deadlocked at 1-1, Anna Fank buried a shot from 27 yards away to earn the hard-fought, come-from-behind victory for the Tigers.
"We needed to win to stay in the race and still have a good chance to win the DVC," Fank said. "We knew we had to push, and when we all saw that ball go in the net, we were all enthusiastic."
Wheaton Warrenville South (5-4-0, 1-1-0) appeared destined to lose its second straight conference game when Naperville Central (4-4-4, 2-1-0) wasted little time in taking a 1-0 advantage.
Scoring has been problematic for the Redhawks this season, but it didn't slow Abby Joyce from delivering with 34:57 left in the opening half. It was one of the few solid scoring opportunities for the Redhawks all evening, and it surprisingly appeared to be enough until Caroline Holmes and A.J. Jakuszewski collaborated on a brilliant equalizer with just 10:06 remaining in the match.
Jakuszewski sprinted to the right of Naperville Central's box before sending a cross to Holmes, who was blanketed by the Redhawks' defense. She found enough of an opening to accept Jakuszewski's strong pass and send a shot that appeared to be touched by Naperville Central goalkeeper Abby Hershik but still carried forward before depositing inside the right post.
"I knew that A.J. was going to cross in a low ball," Holmes said. "I knew they were going to over-defend me, so I just took the ball with my outside foot, turned her and got the result."
It seemingly sparked the Tigers the rest of the evening. They didn't yield any real scoring chances over the final 10 minutes of regulation while creating a handful of chances of their own before having to settle for the drama of the walk-off winner in overtime.
"We really dominated in the second half and we just knew we had to come out with that energy and finish it right away," Fank said. "We've had plenty of games and practice now and we've tried different lineups and positions. I think tonight we've found something that will work for us."
The Tigers had lost their last three meetings with the Redhawks. They earned a 0-0 draw in 2010.
"I thought we played exceptionally well, about as well as I've seen us play, especially against a team like Naperville Central, which brings in so much clout, experience and a championship motto," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "For us to be able to develop some confidence tonight was certainly worth the battle."