Defensive adjustment pays off for Huskies

Updated: May 31, 2011 10:44PM

LISLE — While the berth in the Class 3A state soccer semifinals is special to all of the girls on the Naperville North soccer team, it is especially rewarding to the five players who make up the Huskies defense that has been the cornerstone to the team’s success.

North has allowed only one goal in the playoffs spanning five games. Its playoff shutout streak of 356 minutes, 55 seconds was finally snapped in the first half in the Lisle Supersectional match against York off a fluke 40-yard goal via a free kick. Still, North prevailed 2-1.

Getting to this point, however, was not easy. The team went through several changes throughout the season before finally settling on a defense that it feels would be the best.

The team started out as a zonal “flat four” defense, then shifted to a diamond-like defense, then switched back to the zonal defense.

“We weren’t happy with where we were at in the beginning but luckily we had seven days off in spring break to train,” Huskies coach Brent Terada said. “The seniors really keep us organized. But before the playoffs we had a senior fall ill to mono so we had to make another change.

“We found the right people to step in and fill the spots.”

While their classmates were partying and relaxing on spring break, the defense consisting of Abby Green in goal and defenders Kirsten Anderson, Adrienne Schertz, Angela Widlacki and Jamie Meno worked hard under Terada to form a chemistry that would pay off in the playoffs.

“It was terrible and long but we really got down our pinching and talking and knowing where to be,” Anderson said. “Finally in our first game after spring break you could really see the change and the work (over spring break) was absolutely worth it.”

In the 17 wins they have had this season, 13 have come by shutout, including a 1-0 victory over Neuqua Valley — which averaged 4.4 goals per game going into the sectional final.

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