Naperville Central freshman midfielder Nicole Sacek stunned everyone when she scored the first goal of the Class 3A St. Charles North Supersectional on Tuesday night.
Nobody was more surprised than Sacek.
“I didn’t know what happened in the moment,” she said. “But then I kind of took a step back, and I was like, ‘I just scored.’ It felt good.”
Sacek’s goal came with 9:04 left in the first half and put the host North Stars in an unexpected hole. It was the result of a beautiful series of passes which began when freshman forward Emerson Burke sent a sharp pass to junior forward Emma Russell near the top of the box.
Russell turned and flicked the ball ahead to Sacek, who got a step on her defender and slotted a 12-yard shot inside the right post.
“The first 20 minutes didn’t reflect us as a team, but I think eventually we definitely showed up,” Sacek said. “When everyone’s locked in, that’s kind of the magic that happens with our team.”
There were plenty of magic moments for the Redhawks during their playoff run, which included their first sectional title since 1995 and upsets of higher-seeded Metea Valley, Naperville North and Plainfield North.
While the favored North Stars rallied to win 2-1 on two second-half goals, that didn’t take the luster off what a young team accomplished, capped by Sacek’s go-ahead goal.
“It was really amazing,” freshman defender Eleanor Kane said of Sacek’s score. “I don’t really know how to describe it.”
Nobody, except for the 21 players on the roster, expected the Redhawks (14-6-1) to do as well as they did, including winning a sectional title as a No. 7 seed.
“It all started with our seniors saying, ‘This is what we want to establish,’” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “I think you saw that play out as the season went on and we started understanding a little bit better of what we needed to do and how we needed to do it.”
Adams moved his two seniors, Lauren Thorne and Chloe Mowry, and several less experienced players around the field like chess pieces, sometimes asking them to play positions they had never played before.
The Redhawks bought in. They were 40 minutes away from another upset until senior stars Juliana Park and Laney Stark scored on back-to-back shots in the first five minutes of the second half to lift the North Stars (17-2-5) to their first berth in the state semifinals since 2012.
“They worked hard,” Adams said of the Redhawks. “They controlled what they could. They came out the last 20 minutes of the first half and played very good soccer. They played well, but not well enough to get a win.”
It’s a loss that left Sacek and Kane stung but determined to learn and a little bit defiant.
“I don’t think the score reflected how we played, our buildup and our character,” Sacek said. “I think that we were the better team. It was a tough loss, but it was a good battle.”
One that left Kane wanting more. The Redhawks will bring back 18 players, including nine starters. Rookies Sacek, Burke and Kane started throughout the season and were standout performers.
“It was definitely a team effort, and I’m really proud of the team and how far we got,” Kane said. “It was a tough loss, but as Nicole was saying, it does not reflect us.
“I’m really excited to come back, and I’m just really happy that we came this far. Next year we’re coming back stronger.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
