It’s time for the girls lacrosse sectional championship as the number two seed and the DVC champs, Naperville North, take on the number one seed, Huntley. In the sectional semifinals, Naperville North took down the number three seed, The Valley Co-Op. The Red Raiders have been hot during their postseason run with wins over Rosary and Naperville Central. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
A hot start for the Huskie offense
Huntley comes out of the gates aggressively as Leah Holmberg fires her shot through the Huskie defense for the score.
On the other end, Huskie Gracie Weidman has the free position opportunity. Her shot sneaks past the Red Raider goalie for the score to even things up.
The North offense keeps its foot on the gas as Merian Giese attacks the defense, and her low-angle shot sneaks past the defense for the goal! North leads 2-1 with 8:23 left in the opening quarter.
After winning the faceoff, Huskie Gracie Weidman picks up the ground ball and turns on the jets. Weidman passes to Senior Bridget Battaglia as her shot finds the back of the net.
Huskie Merian Giese is on the attack. She spins past her defender as her shot bounces into the net for another North goal. What a start for North, who run out to a 5-1 lead.
The comeback is on for Huntley
Red Raider Mya Holmberg attacks the Huskie defense before finding Lauren Cardinal, whose shot is out of the Husky goalie’s reach. The Red Raiders trail 5-3 with under three minutes in the quarter.
With the quarter winding down, Mya Holmberg attacks the defense as her shot finds the back of the net for her second goal of the game. Going into the second, the Huskies’ lead is down to 5-4.
Into the second, as Huntley’s Leah Holmberg passes to her sister, Mya Holmberg, as they attack the North defense. Mya passes it back to Leah, who secures her second goal of the game to tie the game up at 5.
The Red Raiders continue to stay hot as Mya Holmberg passes to Kate Barnes for the goal! The Red Raiders take the lead, 6-5. Huntley goes on a huge 10-0 run to flip the script and take an 11-5 lead.
After the long run from Huntley, North’s Merian Giese looks to put an end to the drought. The Huskie’s shot bounces into the goal and secures the hat trick on the free position opportunity.
Late in the quarter, Merian Giese gives the Huskies life as her shot finds the back of the net for her fourth goal of the half. Going into halftime, Huntley leads 13-7.
The Red Raiders maintain the lead to win the sectional title
Huntley’s offense stays hot in the second half as Lauren Cardinal loops around the goal and sends it home for another Red Raider goal.
Later in the quarter, Mya Holmberg maneuvers through the defense and finds twine for her third goal of the game. At the end of the third, Huntley leads 17-7.
Midway through the fourth, Mya Holmberg connects with Cardinal, who sneaks it through for her fourth goal of the game.
North is not giving up. Merian Giese passes to Riley Wattles, whose shot finds the back of the net for the goal. But it would not be enough for the visitors.
Huntley secures the sectional championship win over Naperville North, 18-10. The Red Raiders will move on to the super sectionals to take on Barrington. A great year from the Huskies comes to a close.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
