Boys soccer: Naperville North claims title against Naperville Central

It's extremely early in the fall boys soccer season since the calendar has just turned over to September, but it's never too early to be ready.

For now teams are working harder than ever so that they try to be among the best squads in the state once the regular season concludes.

That said, Naperville North probably made the biggest statement Saturday, which was also against its biggest foe on one of the largest stages of the season.

The Huskies edged Naperville Central 2-1 to win the Best of the West tournament in Naperville.

"Any time you can get a win in this tournament is good for your confidence," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. "After this tournament you get a good idea of what you need to work on to improve and get ready for conference if you want to be a solid team."

The teams will have a rematch on Sept. 10, when the game will mean a lot for the DuPage Valley Conference race.

The Redhawks (4-1-2) took a 1-0 lead with 29:43 remaining in the first half on a Frank DeStefano goal.

Their lead was short-lived, though. The Huskies netted the equalizer with 16:39 remaining before halftime when Andrew Klaiber's corner kick was pounced on by Will Ritzmann and hammered into the back of the net.

Jack Bromagen sent in what proved to be the game-winner with 8:52 left in the first half, and the Huskies made it hold up to snag the victory.

"I was super-proud of our guys, especially as co-hosts of the tournament and with the great teams here," Konrad said. "We know we have the kind of players where we can be a solid team this year and it showed. In all my years I've only gotten to the finals a few times, so this was big for us."

A loss is a loss, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, according to Naperville Central coach Troy Adams, especially since arguably his best player, Nate Zain, returned to action after battling an ankle injury, and the team is still identifying roles and playing time.

"I love this tournament, and while we lost, I was happy with how we played and won games," Adams said. "Nate is a big piece to our puzzle, so for him to be healthy and come back for the rest of the season will be huge."

The Redhawks fought hard to create opportunities to take their shots at netting the equalizer, but were thwarted by strong defensive pressure.