Porters' special season halted in regional finals by Huskies
By Steve Nemeth
Abbie Boswell scored early and often in the first half and the Naperville North scoring leader’s hat trick was the foundation for her team's 4-0 regional championship triumph over Lockport on Friday in Naperville.
While the IHSA’s original start time was moved up to 5 pm, the Huskies seemed determined to give their seniors extra time to get ready for the 7 pm commencement as the regional hosts went on the offensive right from the beginning.
Only 2:34 into the match, senior co-captain Cora Climo was able to find Boswell open on the right side for an eight-yard blast that sailed past Porter goalie Alyssa DeYoung for a quick 1-0 lead.
Sixteen minutes later, Claire Hilburger went down the left sideline and nailed a textbook cross that a sliding Boswell knocked inside the left post for the kind of goal that virtually doused Lockport’s hopes far more than the downpour that seemed to begin the moment the match started.
“We were hoping to get through the first 10 minutes-plus to get past our nerves even though we were acting confident,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei admitted. “But once those goals happened, we never got into our game in the first half.
“We played harder in the second half, but that's not enough, especially against a team like North; they're just not going to give up goals easily. They are one of the deepest teams I’ve ever seen.”
The defending state 3A champion and season-long No. 1-ranked squad ultimately improved to 17-0-2 while eliminating the Porters for a second consecutive year.
In 2012, it was the Huskies’ 2-0 victory in a sectional finale that ended Lockport’s run while this year’s shutout put an end to a 10-match win streak.
Having gone up 2-0, just over five more minutes elapsed when Boswell intercepted a ball and worked into position for an 11-yarder left of center.
That goal boosted her season total to 27 – including eight match-winners – and also marked her third hat trick for 2013 and her eighth match with two or more strikes.
“The hat trick is nice but I definitely love that we won the match 4-0,” Boswell said. “The further you go in the postseason, the tougher the matches become, so this is one of our best wins and I’m really proud of our team effort.”
North coach Steve Goletz was clearly in agreement.
“That was clearly the best we've started in a long time,” Goletz insisted. “Those early goals were huge and Abbie had great finishes.
“I thought Claire came in and really charged up our attack. With Zoe (Swift) out with the flu, we had everyone step up to get us this win.”
As one of 10 seniors on the roster, Climo was far more elated with the outcome than her team-high 10th assist.
“We knew Lockport was on a roll, so we had to come out strong from the outset,” Climo noted. “Plus we seniors wanted to make sure we got the job done to get more time to get ready for commencement.”
In dominating the initial 40 minutes statistically – 17-2 in overall attempts and 9-1 for shots on goal – North made it a four-goal lead just 2:45 prior to intermission thanks to another Hilburger set-up.
In that instance, the sophomore passed to Caroline Rico for a 12-yard rocket that slipped through DeYoung’s hands and on into the net.
“As an outside mid, I'm always looking to dribble down the side and get a cross since we have such excellent finishers. Abbie and Christa (Szalach) always seem to be in the right spot,” added Hilburger, who now has eight assists.
Although Lockport was significantly better statistically for the final 40 minutes – North led 12-7 in overall attempts and 10-6 for on-frame shots during the second half – the Porters were unable to find the back of the net for only the second time this season.
In contrast, goalie Fiona Baenziger and the Husky defense posted a 10th clean sheet.
Despite the numerous tears on the Lockport sideline, the 14-4-1 campaign was far from a disappointment to Elkei.
“All our seniors and this team in general, constitute a very special group to me," Elkei said. "I got to know them initially as sophomores who had some very talented teammates ahead of them.
“We went into this year having to find new roles for some, and when we lost a few to injuries, the character of these kids led to another winning season. It has all just meant a lot to me.”
A prime example was Jessica Liutkus, who had come back from an ACL injury only to become sidelined again due to third-degree burns suffered during a home fire.
“We lost a lot of key players from last year’s team, but we had people step up, show leadership, and we became such a close team," Liutkus said.
“My teammates have really been there for me on and off the field,” explained Liutkus, holding tight to a Porter soccer sweatshirt which she admitted holds more significance than just being one of the few items she was able to salvage.
“We’re disappointed with the loss, but proud of the year and proud of each other.”
