NSCD shows exuberance and grand style
Raiders dominate Herscher, advance to 2nd-straight state final
NAPERVILLE -- Style and grace are always secondary concerns, but the most noticeable aspect about watching North Shore Country Day is the confidence and ease they exude. Closing your eyes it would not seem out of place to think you are watching their spring musical.
Standing on the near sideline, the loudspeaker jammed out to ABBA's "Dancing Queen," and the players turned it into their own private reverie, an impromptu and glorious moment of joy and possibility.
The Raiders had much to celebrate.
Dominating from the start, North Shore Country Day flashed its beautiful combination of speed, athleticism and style in snapping Herscher's 20-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory in a Class A state semifinal at North Central College on Friday night.
"We really, really, really wanted it this season," senior midfielder Paige Forester said. "Just coming out here today, we were getting hyped up. We were getting hyped on the bus. We dressed all fancy at school today."
North Shore Country Day (16-3-0) won its 12th-consecutive game, 10 by shutout during the stretch. The Raiders have outscored the opposition by a staggering 70-2 in that run.
Now North Shore Country Day faces its biggest test of their year in a state final showdown with state power Columbia (26-2-1), who easily defeated a one-loss Lisle team 5-0 in the first semifinal.
After reaching the title game last year against Notre Dame (Quincy), the Raiders are ready.
On the widened spaces of the college field, the Raiders strutted their stuff. Though some may consider North Shore Country Day's speed second level because of the size of their school, Herscher coach Chris Longtin was very impressed with their pace.
"I saw some film of last year's team, and I saw some similar numbers," he said. "I knew where the speed was going to be and who could deal with the ball pretty well. They have some nice speed on their team. When we are playing other Class A teams, we might see one player who is that fast. We have some quick girls, but not that."
North Shore Country Day blasted its first shot in the opening minute, a prelude of the action to follow. The Raiders enjoyed an 11-4 differential in shot attempts on frame. It felt even more lopsided.
"In the first half, during the first significant periods of the time, I think we did a good job of getting the ball at our feet, looking around and playing it," junior forward Edith Edwards-Mizel said.
The Raiders struck in the 17th minute. Sophomore midfielder Eun Hae Lillig broke free in the middle and delivered a ball on the right flank that Edwards-Mizel caught in stride for a one-on-one action against the Tigers' freshman keeper Rourke Zigrossi.
Edwards-Mizel made two quick moves and drilled a ball from about 16 yards inside the near post for the crucial opening score.
"I think because we have been playing together the last two years, I have gotten to know Edith's game really well and the runs she is going to make," Lillig said. "I just saw the gap, so I thought I'd play it, and it worked out."
For her outstanding play, Edith Edwards-Mizel earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Of the many overlapping subplots driving North Shore Country Day's success, the rise of Lillig into a force has been increasingly central. Her sixth assist of the year set up Edwards-Mizel's 20th goal.
"I think this year has definitely been an improvement for me," Lillig said. "Last year I was a freshman; I was new on the team. This year I have really tried to grow, and I think my teammates have helped me do that. They are always helping me to improve and encouraging me to work harder, and that has been a driving factor."
Herscher had not experienced a shutout since a loss against Class 3A program Bradley-Bourbonnais on March 28. Senior forward Mattie Brown is one of the most explosive talents in Class A soccer. She entered the game with a staggering 36 goals and 16 assists.
She generated the Tigers' best scoring chance in the 25th minute as she chased down a ball off a ball the Raiders' back failed to clear and turned it into a dangerous opportunity. Senior keeper Abby Renaud bolted off her line and made a great diving stop.
She posted four saves in earning her 12th shutout of the year.
"Abby is always in the right place, and she has great footwork," coach Lizzy Giffen said.
A crucial component of the victory came from elite two-way talent Julia Fortier, a defensive midfielder who used her athleticism and toughness to nullify Brown at the point of attack.
"We knew she had 36 goals coming in, and my job was to try and mark her the whole time they had the ball," Fortier said. "I did not know much about her game, but I saw she was very fast. I wanted to try and step in front of her so she could not get the ball, because once she had it she was very dangerous."
The Raiders executed deft transitions from offense to defense and kept Herscher off balance and out of rhythm.
"Our backs have been working a lot on clearing," Edwards-Mizel said. "It sounds super basic, but we have been working on the over-the-top balls. We were not letting them get through.
"That [Mattie Brown] is dangerous, and Julia did a great job of shutting her down."
North Shore Country Day dictated the pace and tempo and forced the Tigers to respond to their movements. The pressure yielded repeated corner attempts. In the 33rd minute, the action paid off. Edwards-Mizel directed a service from the right edge into the box.
The ball was deflected to the left edge as Forester caught and settled it. Making a quick recovery, she smashed a rocket ball from about 12 yards that nearly tore off the back of the net for the second goal.
"I shot pretty poorly during warmups, so I was not feeling that great about my shooting," Forester said. "That really brought me in. Sometimes you never know what is going to go, so you just have to take a shot and hope for the best."
Perhaps the most amazing part of the game was Giffen did not make a single substitution as the Raiders' starters played the entire 80 minutes. They were fresh and active and until the closing moments the team drove the action and created pressure.
"It was the right moment," Giffen said.
It also underlines the special connection of sports and achievement to the different players. Every starter for the Raiders plays multiple sports, like three-sport athletes Forester and Edwards-Mizel.
These athletes are honed.
"Because we are a small school, we have two play a lot of different sports," Forester said. "We all love it, and we are good at the different sports. I play a sport in the fall and the winter, and that really keeps us in shape.
"It puts us at an advantage because we are all true athletes."
Herscher never had a chance to breathe any air.
"In the second half they forced us into a little bit of a panic mode and got us out of rhythm," Longtin said. "We could not catch a lucky break on the passes. They packed the middle, and it was to get through that. We tried to get them out wide, but we could not get the ball to bounce the way we wanted."
In last year's state semifinal, the first in program history, Edith-Mizel scored a 97th-minute goal to beat conference rival University (Chicago) to qualify for the state championship.
The final game of the season is the one they aimed for. They wil face Columbia, a juggernaut that is the top-rated team in the Illinois 10, the Chicagoland Soccer poll for top teams outside of the city and suburbs.
The Raiders are ready.
The singular focus is about having fun and living in the moment. Outside the stadium, the players again joined a circle and belted out the lyrics to the Simon and Garfunkel classic, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The team is flying high.
"We are just on, we are playing as a team, and I am really excited to see what Saturday brings," Forester said.
GK: Rourke Zigrossi
D: Chloe Chavers
D: Kylie Salm
D: Leighann McCasland
D: Claire Lovell
MF: Olivia Schultz
MF: Leighann Allison
MF: Jillian Milton
F: Chloe Walsh
F: Cassidy Walter
F: Mattie Brown
North Shore Country Day
GK: Abby Renaud
D: Emma Smirl
D: Jane Scullion
D: Rachel Olatunji
D: Caroline Segal
MF: Allie Charnas
MF: Eun Hae Lillig
MF: Julia Fortier
MF: Paige Forester
MF: Emily Weil
F: Edith Edwards-Mizel
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Edith Edwards-Mizel, jr., F, North Shore Country Day
North Shore Country Day—Edith Edwards-Mizel (Eun Hae Lillig), 17th minute
North Shore Country Day—Paige Forester (unassisted), 33rd minute
No scoring