NAPERVILLE – Waubonsie Valley goaltender Lauren Bornhoff felt a little chilly Saturday morning before taking the field against St. Charles North.
“I'm definitely sitting here waiting to warm up. It was cold,” Bornhoff said. “But once we got on the field, we started warming up and we were excited and excited.”
Bornhoff and her teammates were thrilled with her out-of-this-world performance. The senior made 16 saves, including several great diving stops, as the Warriors defeated St. Charles North 2-0 in the Naperville Invitational at Naperville North.
With this victory, the Warriors (8-2-2) advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament on April 25th.
“We were determined,” Bornhoff said. “We knew they were a difficult team. We prepared for the worst, but at the same time we were going to give it our all and do our best. We performed very well and So we scored in the first few minutes, kept the lead and stayed focused on the game.”
St. Charles North (12-2-3) controlled the majority of the possession and enjoyed a 24-8 advantage in shots.
But with 31:06 left in the first half, freshman Ava Kass put a 35-yard shot over the head of goaltender Lauren Kolios, putting the North Stars on the back foot.
The Warriors then had to dig deep to hold off the North Stars' onslaught. Midfielder Julianna Park hit the crossbar and forwards Laney Starc and Caitlin Glenn had a number of good chances but they were squandered by Bornhoff.
“She played great,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harkes said. “She made some really great saves. I thought our girls played really well everywhere on the field. This was one of those games where we just couldn't find the back of the goal.” In that sense, soccer can be a cruel sport.
How did Bornhof do it?
“We played well, but I think this was definitely our best game so far this season,” Bornhoff said. “I really wanted to step up for the team because I knew they wanted to play hard.
“I was like, 'Yeah, let's try it.'”
Bornhoff got a lot of help from an overworked backline.
“Our defense was great,” Bornhoff said. “[The North Stars] There were so many shots that I don't even know how many shots there were. Without the defense, that wouldn't have been possible. ”
Any chance the North Stars had of fighting back disappeared when the Warriors scored again. Senior Zoe Evans took a 35-yard free kick with 10:10 left in the second half.
“They fought for each other,” Waubonsie Valley coach Julie Bergstrom said. “They played for each other, they played for the guy on the left, they played for the guy on the right.”
The Naperville Invitational is the state's most prestigious regular season tournament. Breaking out of group play is a significant accomplishment.
“This season is probably the best season I've had in the last four years,” Bornhoff said. “We're doing great things. I'm very proud of the team.”
Despite the loss, Harkes had a positive message for the North Stars.
“The message to the girls was very simple,” Harkes said. “Sometimes in football it's like you do everything right and still just can't find the back of the net. Looking forward, we're going to look at the value of one possession, and perhaps a missed opportunity and how to make the most of it.” We talked about it.”