After last season’s first-ever boys water polo state championship victory, the Naperville North Huskies are back in postseason action in hopes of repeating their success. Their first quarterfinal matchup is against the Sandburg Eagles, a team the Huskies defeated 15-6 in the regular season. The winner will face the No. 1 seed, Waubonsie Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Huskies pour in early goals
Early on, Caden Tsao finds John Riordan right in front of the net, and he beats the goalie for the first score of the game. North strikes first.
Later in the quarter, this time Tsao is the one in front of the net, and he punches the ball into the goal after the pinpoint pass. The Huskies head into the second quarter with a 2-0 lead.
Now in the second quarter, Ben Hanson catches the ball with defenders all over him, but he fights through it and flings a shot over the goalie’s head for the score. That’s three straight for the Huskies while the Eagles are still scoreless.
On the other end, Jokubas Vaicekauskas makes a long pass to Eli Herrera, and he sends it into the back of the net. Sandburg with a pair of goals, but still trails 5-2 with less than five minutes to play in the half.
The Eagles stay close in the opening half
Later, Hadi Odeh nearly scores for the Eagles, but Sharva Pandya deflects it away. Odeh and JD Sanford battle for possession, but Odeh wins and nets the goal. That one makes it a 6-3 game with three minutes in the second.
Back the other way, Riordan surveys his options with the ball. He decides to go down low and bounces right past the goalie. That’s a hat trick for Riordan, and the Huskies are now up 7-3.
With two minutes left in the half, Vaicekauskas has possession and fires a missile right by the outstretched arms of the defense. It’s now 8-4 as both teams prepare for the halftime break.
Naperville North uses firepower to pull away
Now in the second half, Pandya passes ahead to Landon Fennema, and the Huskies have an advantage. Axel Sujewicz is ahead with only the goalie to beat. He approaches, offers a few fakes, and sends it into the back of the net. North’s offense continues to roll; it’s now 9-4.
Near the end of the quarter, the Huskies are moving the ball with a man up. Eventually, Alejandro Delgado makes the catch in the middle and tosses it in for the score to make it 11-5. Naperville North goes on to win 16-8, advancing to the sectional semifinals against Waubonsie Valley.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.