Auden comes up big for Naperville North

Updated: September 6, 2011 9:45PM

Naperville North co-captain Max Auden seems to shine no matter which position he plays.

The senior defender began the year starting at left fullback for a team that has allowed only three goals thus far. Three games into the season he was moved into the midfield, giving a dangerous team yet another offensive weapon.

Auden proved his worth again Tuesday night, playing a role in both goals in the Huskies’ 2-0 victory over host Wheaton North in the DuPage Valley Conference opener for both sides.

Auden’s perfectly placed corner kick was volleyed into the net by Kyle Lindberg with 18:38 left, giving Naperville North (6-0-1, 1-0) all the scoring it would need.

“We’ve been working on set plays for the last week or so,” Auden said. “Coaches have been stressing it, to make your runs on the plays and get to the ball. You’ve got to want it, and so Lee [Grander] made his run. It went over Lee and Kyle was just there to finish it.”

The goal seemed inevitable because the visitors dominated the first half. The Huskies earned 12 corner kicks before intermission, with Auden taking 10 of them.

“Perfect ball,” Lindberg said of the play on which he scored his fourth goal of the season. “Max is a good player. It was good having him on the left back because he always got up and into the play, but now that he’s up in the center mid he’s more involved all the time.”

Auden has scored one goal so far. He nearly had a couple against the Falcons (1-4-1, 0-1), hitting the left post in the first half and having another shot saves by Wheaton North keeper Collin Schmid.

While he couldn’t dent the net, he did set up Naperville’s second goal when he was tripped in the Wheaton penalty area with 36:17 left in the second half. The Huskies’ Evan Trychta scored on the ensuing penalty kick.

The Huskies, who outshot the Falcons 19-5, would have blown the game open if not for the inspired play of Schmid, who made a career-high 13 saves.

“He definitely stepped up today,” Auden said of Schmid, who has only been playing goalie for three years. “[It seemed like] he had like 30 saves or something.”

Schmid thought the Huskies’ attack is something else.

“It was a crazy game,” Schmid said. “They had tons of through balls and our defense really stopped that today and [the Huskies] could have done so much with those. But the thing they did so well is they could rip shots from anywhere on the field and put it anywhere in the goal.

“It was insane. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Schmid’s counterpart, Kevin Anderson, made two saves to record his fifth shutout.

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