Niles North soccer squad moves to .500 in CSL North

Niles North picked up two more wins last week to improve to 14-21 overall and 5-5 in the CSL North. Last year, the Vikings finished 4-6 in the league.

Niles North defeated Maine East 25-23, 25-12 on Oct. 20. Angie Walinski made nine kills and five digs, while Fran Paras had 13 assists. Keiko Sugihara added four kills, three aces and four digs.

The 24-26, 25-11, 25-20 win over Highland Park came on Senior Night and was the Vikings' third straight league win and fifth out of six matches overall.

"This was another great team win against a scrappy Highland Park team," said head coach Mike Cott. "Angie Walinski had a monster game for us."

Walinski ended up with 20 kills and 10 digs. Cott said she played a huge game down the stretch, getting nine kills in Game 3 alone. Paras also had a season-high 24 assists with seven digs.

"We really played well defensively," Cott said. "Highland Park played hard and tested us. We were able to keep plays alive with our digging."

Other solid efforts came from Seth Penaflorida, who had 13 digs and Victoria Joson, who recorded five kills and six digs.

The Vikings will compete in the IHSA Deerfield Regional on Thursday. Niles North plays Mather at 5:30 p.m. and the winner faces Glenbrook South at 7:30 p.m.

Niles North defeated Niles West 2-0 in the Evanston Regional final on Saturday. Javier Torres scored a goal and an assist to lead the Vikings. Kosta Minchev also scored a goal. Both goals came in the second half.

Niles North hosted New Trier at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of sectionals.

The Vikings entered postseason play at 13-6-5 overall, while Niles West finished the season 11-7-3 overall.