It’s a breezy evening on the pitch as Naperville Central girls soccer looks to clinch a share of the DVC title with a win over Waubonsie Valley. The Warriors come in winless in conference play, while the Redhawks enter with a 17-1-1 record. A victory tonight would not only secure part of the title—but also mark the longest win streak in program history at 12 games. Their lone loss? To Neuqua Valley, who would share the crown with a Redhawk win. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Naperville Central sprints out to a fast start
About eight minutes in, Waubonsie tries to clear, but Malia Shen sends a low curling cross into the box. Senior Bella Brozek controls it, dribbles, and buries it in the bottom right corner! Central grabs the early 1-0 lead.
Later, off a corner, Brozek knees it over to Elenor Kane, but the Warriors’ keeper Kaitlyn Reinhard stands tall to keep it a one-goal game.
Off a throw-in from Shen, Emma Russell lays it off to Callie Tumilty, and the Ohio State commit makes it look easy. She fires from deep and curls in a beauty! An absolute stunner, and Central goes up 2-0.
Redhawk offense keeps rolling
Still in the first half, Central keeps the pressure on. Paige Connelly and Brozek work down the right wing. Brozek cuts inside and threads it across to Kira Lambin for the tap-in. 3-0 in favor of the Redhawks.
Waubonsie tries to answer. Elena Castaneda goes coast-to-coast, but her effort is deflected. Sophomore Lauren West fires from distance, but Erin Hackett handles it cleanly. The Central defense is locked in all night.
With four minutes left in the first half, Central keeps cooking. Lambin, Tumilty, and Tilton play the midfield triangle, then Tumilty breaks down the right side and delivers a perfect cross. Brozek charges in and buries it for the brace! Redhawks take a 4-0 lead into halftime.
Just five minutes into the second half, it’s more of the same. Russell, Burke, and Tumilty link up before Tumilty finishes it off with a smooth left-footed strike. That’s two goals for her as well.
Tumilty stays on the attack, dazzling with footwork before sending a perfect pass to Burke. Burke floats one to the back post, and Shen taps it home! Central up 6-0.
With 25 minutes to play, Nicole Sacak finds Emma Russell, who dribbles around a defender and lays it off to freshman Natalie Liesch. She puts it away for her first varsity goal! Central leads 7-0.
The Redhawks set new records in victory
Waubonsie avoids the shutout with a late goal from Macy Evans, but it’s all Redhawks in a dominant 7-1 victory. Naperville Central girls soccer wins over Waubonsie for a share of the DVC title, sets a new program record with 12 straight wins, and finishes the regular season with a school-record 80 goals scored!
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
