Naperville North junior Josh Pedersen spent the offseason piling up goals for his Galaxy Soccer Club team.
The fleet-footed forward said he scored “about 30” goals in 25 games.
But Pedersen will have to wait for his time to shine for the Huskies, who require his services at a much different position. Naperville North coach Jim Konrad moved Pedersen and another offensive-minded junior, Colin McMahon, to defense.
“When you look at the roster, certain guys can only play in certain places,” Konrad said. “But there’s kids like Connor and Josh who are so athletic they can play anywhere, especially on the wings.
“So being versatile at times becomes a problem for you as a kid, right, because now I’m going to put you in the back. So Josh’s versatility is what forced him into the back line. Same with Connor.”
The position switch makes sense. The Huskies already have two all-state forwards, seniors Noah Radeke and Jaxon Stokes, and Pedersen and McMahon add athleticism to the back line, which allowed only two goals through the first nine games this season.
“I was definitely not used to it at the start,” Pedersen said. “This was my first time playing outside back. It was a big ask. But through practice, I learned a lot from other teammates.
“I’m fast, and I can play a ball. That’s really what Konrad wants me to do.”
But Pedersen, who had five goals and three assists last season, hasn’t relinquished his offensive mindset, and that also benefits the Huskies. He scored on his corner kick 3:05 into sudden-death overtime to lift Naperville North to a 4-3 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Naperville Central on Tuesday night.
It was the second goal of the season for Pedersen, who wasn’t trying to put the ball directly into the net.
“We call it our Huskie play, which is a big, strong pass, so I just try to whip it in there,” Pedersen said. “I was actually looking for Colin on the near post. He was there, but it hit off a defender and went in.”
Pedersen took a big hit from several of his teammates, who pounced on him during the victory celebration.
“I’m happy that he’s the one that got the goal today because I’ve asked him and Connor to play outside back,” Konrad said. “They’re both more attacking players, but they’ve kind of given up that dream of going to goal for the team. So when they get a chance to score, it’s great to see one of them get rewarded with obviously a good goal in a huge game.”
Pedersen’s strike ended a thrilling game in which Niko Ladas, Radeke and Stokes all scored go-ahead goals for the Huskies (10-0, 2-0 DuPage Valley), while the Redhawks (4-2-3, 1-1) got game-tying goals from Matias Jacobs, Nolan Ewanic and Conor White. It was White’s equalizer with 3:17 left in the second half that forced overtime.
“Obviously, they’re a great team, played a good game, played really smart and outplayed us for a few minutes, longer than I thought they would,” Pedersen said. “But we ended up getting the win in the end, so it was good. It felt great.”
McMahon felt great, too, even though he was inches away from stamping his name on the scoresheet.
“I was so close, but to see (Pedersen) score is like me scoring,” McMahon said. “That kid is my brother. I love that kid.
“We’re one for the team. It’s a really tight group of guys, so no matter who would have scored that goal, I would have been ecstatic.”
Pedersen will have more opportunities to score, especially next season, when Konrad plans to move him to forward after Radeke and Stokes, a Belmont commit, graduate.
“He’s a super attack-minded outside back,” Konrad said. “He’s got the athleticism of a Division I kid, so he’s special going forward. Obviously, he’s an incredible ball striker. He’s two-footed, and he can really hit the tar out of it.”
For now, Pedersen has adjusted to his new role.
“It’s definitely a comfortable position for me,” he said. “I’m more of a forward, but obviously being back there is not one of my worries.”
Nor is it a worry for his teammates.
“Josh is a team player, just like the rest of us,” McMahon said. “Whatever the team needs, that’s what he’ll do. He’s willing to do the dirty work or the fancy work up top.
“He’s just a workhorse, and we’re so happy that he’s willing to do the dirty stuff for us.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
