NAPERVILLE – Naperville North forward Claire DeCook was not a happy camper after coming up empty on all 14 of her shot attempts Saturday against St. Francis.

The Huskies won that game 1-0. But DeCook, despite her dominant yet unrewarded effort, and her teammates left their home pitch feeling disappointed.

There was no such feeling Monday. DeCook scored on her first shot of the game, a highlight reel goal in the 10th minute against Evanston in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.

“It was definitely really rewarding after I was telling my parents and (Naperville North coach Steve) Goletz that I wasn’t going to let that game affect me today,” DeCook said. “0-for-14 is rough.

“Yeah, they were all on frame but they were all down the center, and I should be able to get the corners.”

DeCook did find the corner of the net after a spectacular run which started on the right sideline and ended up just outside the left post. She received the ball from Rachael Noren and attacked up the wing until being approached by a pair of defenders.

DeCook then switched the ball to her left foot and led the defenders Pied Piper-like three-quarters of the way across the field. After gaining separation but with both Wildkits still in hot pursuit, DeCook turned and fired a cutback shot through traffic in the box.

The shot appeared to cross up Evanston goalkeeper Shea Lucas, who dove to her left and got her hands on the ball, but it rolled across the goal line.

It turned out to be the best play in a game that saw Naperville North, which is ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and no. 6 Evanston play to a 1-1 draw.

“There was a slip-up where a lot of (one of the defender’s) weight was on me, so when I shifted it to my left, she went to the right,” DeCook said. “So that left me space to my left foot … and I can still score with my left. I think it is important to be able to use both options.”

Because she was moving away from the goal, DeCook didn’t get full power on her shot, but it turned out she didn’t need it in order to bag her sixth goal of the season.

“I would definitely say it was 50 percent speed, just because I was going all the way across my body,” DeCook said. “At first, I thought it ricocheted off someone, because I definitely could have struck it harder. But because it was across my body, if I did go near post it would have been a harder shot.”

DeCook, who was about 20 yards out when she opened fire, normally would have looked to pass in that situation, but she remembered something Naperville North goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner told her.

“Olivia always tells me how it’s always hard (for the keeper) to keep her eye on the ball when the ball is going through all the defenders,” DeCook said. “Because I crossed so many defenders, that’s why I didn’t look to service it in, because I knew everyone was in the box.”

Evanston’s Lucas, who finished with three saves, also had to contend with North forward Annie Chang, who was crashing in from the right wing on the play.

But for most of the rest of the game, it was Evanston (6-0-1) doing the crashing. The Wildkits tied the match five minutes later on Loyola-bound forward Jocelyn Leigh’s third goal of the season.

Leigh latched onto a cross from the right wing in the middle of the box and immediately unleashed a shot, which was blocked by the defense. But Leigh got the rebound and put it inside the left post.

“They are a really physical team, and it’s a long game,” Leigh said. “So even one opportunity that you can capitalize on out of a thousand, you only need one.”

Naperville North (5-1-2) had the better of limited chances in the first half, but the Wildkits dominated possession and the opportunities after intermission, outshooting North 13-4.

“Obviously, it was a really hard battle, and I think we did well,” Leigh said. “The second half I feel like we were able to really dominate and with having a hard game against Libertyville a few days ago, I feel like we were able to step it up again today. I’m excited to see what we’re able to keep doing.”

Evanston coach Stacy Salgado was pleased to see the dominant performances from players like Leigh and midfielders Sydney Ross and Mia Darer, who slowly took over the play in the center of the park. They combined with winger Bridget Durkin to put all sorts of pressure on Naperville North’s defense.

“I think it’s a good game to have where we are in the season,” Salgado said. “It’s a great little checking point to see what we need to continue to work on.

“It was definitely a very physical game. Obviously, every team plays a little different, and it’s something that we need to figure out. I think the girls figured it out and started doing a great job with it and realizing how to push back.”

The Wildkits pushed Naperville North back on its heels in the final 40 minutes.

“We did create some great chances once we started playing our game versus how we started,” Salgado said. “I’m happy with the overall effort. Syd really stepped up for us.”

It was Ross, not Leigh, who generated the bulk of Evanston’s chances. But that’s because Leigh often faced two defenders, which left Ross free to fire from just about anywhere.

Ross took 10 of Evanston’s 20 shots. But most were from distance and all of the ones which were on frame were easily stopped by Ochsner, who finished with 10 saves.

Goletz got the turnaround he wanted from his Huskies.

“We challenged the group before this game that we had to have a better performance than we did on Saturday,” he said. “I told the girls that we need to be proud of how we play when we walk off the field, and I know we weren’t on Saturday.

“A lot of that was due to St. Francis and the battle they put up, but it was also we weren’t locked in like we should have been.

“And tonight I was super happy. We tie 1-1, and I’m really happy with the performance.”

Especially the defense, which was under siege for nearly all of the final 40 minutes. The Huskies defended with grit even after losing senior defender Reagan O’Malley to a sprained ankle in the 16th minute.

O’Malley was replaced by sophomore Addie Sitzmann, who slotted in at center back next to Minnesota-bound junior Emily Buescher. They combined with outside backs Lily Radek and Abby Penn to produce a yeomanlike effort.

“I thought we had a little bit better of the play in the first half, and they definitely had the better of the play in the second half. But I couldn’t be more proud of how hard the girls fought, especially Addie Sitzmann,” Goletz said. “She comes in and plays center back and hasn’t played there all year and does a fantastic job against a big-time Division I kid. And Buescher has just been incredible back there.

“Lily Radek playing out here as a freshman against Durkin was an unbelievable battle. Lily was absolutely fantastic. And you throw Abby Penn in there who played all 80 minutes at right back. She did a fantastic job of being in the right spot, always providing cover when she needed to.”

None of which surprised DeCook.

“The thing about us is we shift so easily, and I can always depend on Buescher and Addie and Lily,” DeCook said. “I can always expect those three to work so hard every single game that I wasn’t worried.

“Even though she’s a freshman, Lily is amazing. Addie went to center back, and she worked so hard all those times too. The thing about us here at North is we work hard all the time, so I didn’t feel worried at all.”

Even against a top-notch opponent.

“We want the hard games,” DeCook said. “We love to battle.”

The Huskies definitely got a battle against the Wildkits.

“We love to win every game, but the performance tonight was so much better than it was Saturday,” Goletz said. “If we continue to build on that and play like this, against 95 percent of the teams in the state we’re probably going to get a pretty good result on most of the days, because Evanston is about as good as I’ve seen since Barrington.”

Naperville North finished pool play with a 2-0-1 record for seven points. Evanston is three points behind with a game to play. If the Wildkits beat visiting St. Francis on Wednesday, the tiebreakers for the pool title will be (in order): game aggregate goal differential (up to four per match); fewest goals allowed; aggregate goals scored (up to four per match); most shutouts; and a coin toss.

Starting lineups

Evanston
GK: Shea Lucas
D: Sydney Johnson
D: Damilola Adeniyi
D: Alexandria Merriam
M: Mia Darer
M: Maddie Ball
M: Sydney Ross
M: Maddie Verela
F: Kelly Maizlyn
F: Jocelyn Leigh
F: Bridget Durkin
 
Naperville North
GK: Olivia Ochsner
D: Lily Radek
D: Abby Penn
D: Regan O’Malley
D: Emily Buescher
M: Audrey Hartmann
M: Kelly Wilson
M: Jacey Sturek
F: Annie Chang
F: Rachel Noren
F: Claire DeCook
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jocelyn Leigh, sr., F, Evanston

 
Scoring summary

First half
Naperville North: Claire DeCook (unassisted), 10’
Evanston: Jocelyn Leigh (unassisted), 15’
 
Second half
No scoring