Rock 'em, sock 'em battle puts North on top

Expecting nuance was perhaps a bit much given the nature of the Naperville North-Naperville Central boys soccer rivalry and all that was at stake in Tuesday's Class AA Neuqua Valley sectional semifinal.

And so it proved, with both teams putting the "sock" into soccer, driving the ball back and forth at each other for 80 pulsating minutes.

In the end the match was decided by one of the most evident moments of skill -- a give and go between Naperville Central's Jerry Maddi and Byard Ebling on the right wing in the waning seconds of the first half.

Maddi took the ball around the outside of the Naperville North defense and shot into the left side netting with exactly one minute left before halftime.

"We had a lot of possession in their end the first 20 minutes but just couldn't put one in," Maddi said. "I saw their defense was flat, I played it to (Ebling). I just slotted it through on goal."

That goal stood up, thanks to stout Redhawks defending, and Naperville Central carried that 1-0 victory to a spot in Thursday's sectional title 6:30 p.m. match against host school Neuqua Valley.

"I just wanted to pick it up before halftime, even if I didn't get a goal," Maddi said.

Naperville North defeated Naperville Central 6-1 in the DuPage Valley Conference meeting between the two schools. Redhawks coach Jay Konrad said his team never talked about Tuesday's rematch being a case for revenge.

"We knew we didn't give North our best effort," Jay Konrad said. "I knew that the boys were not happy with getting thumped like we did. I am proud of how they played tonight."

Naperville North (16-4-4) struggled to create from open play. Riley Breese's long throw-ins and free kicks, were the Huskies best scoring threats. Throughout the match Naperville Central (19-3-1) responded with solid goalkeeping by Tyler Kelley.

As the second half progressed, Naperville North gained in possession and began to pressure Kelley's goal with ferocity. But the Redhawks held out.

"My first game back was Saturday," Kelley said. "I got most of the jitters out. Today, I almost felt 100 percent."

Kelley is just back onto the field after suffering a broken ankle, ironically in warmups the last time Naperville Central played at Neuqua Valley, a 2-2 tie early in September. He did not play in the first Naperville North-Naperville Central contest.

"During the game I feel fully back," Kelley said. "I'm a little cautious coming out for high balls, but I feel more confident every day."

Naperville North was missing three starters for various reasons -- including injured midfielder Augie Celentano.

"We were missing guys who control the ball for us and allow us to build the attack," Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said. "We couldn't move the ball even into a position for us to be dangerous."

Injuries were just part of a situation Konrad had to deal with at the end of the season, which mirrored the start of the season for the Huskies.

"It's been a tough year," Jim Konrad said. "We started with injuries and some discipline issues. And we end the year on the exact same note. We had our whole team perhaps two games the whole year."