NORTHFIELD — Shortly after scoring the goal in Evanston’s 1- 0 defeat of Naperville North in Saturday’s 6th annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic final, Evanston senior midfielder Sydney Ross had to brace herself.

Coming at her, full tilt, was Wildkits teammate Jocelyn Leigh, who’s an Indy car compared to the Vespa-ish Ross.

Leigh, a senior forward and a Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater last spring, wrapped her arms around Ross, the bear hug turning simultaneously into a joyous tackle on a gorgeous, 67-degree day at New Trier’s Robert Naughton Field.

“As we both fell to the ground, I heard, Jocelyn yell, ‘Let’s go!’” Ross recounted.

Leigh, who was credited with the assist on the 74th-minute tally, remembered shouting a certain name three times in rapid fire: “Sydney! Sydney! Sydney!”

“I get so happy every time Sydney scores,” Leigh said.

Neither player suffered an injury on an encounter that could have passed for an emphatic sack in an American football game.

“I love seeing excitement and emotion after a big goal like that,” Evanston coach Stacy Salgado said after her Wildkits — ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 — improved to 9-0-1 and no. 5 Naperville North slipped to 7-2-2.

“This game should be fun,” she added. “You saw that fun, especially after the rest of our players joined Sydney and Jocelyn in the on-field celebration.”

The win came five days after the same two clubs settled for a 1-1 tie in Deep Dish pool play and a year after Evanston finished runnerup to Lyons in the tournament.

Evanston avenged that 2023 loss with a 2-1 defeat of no. 1 Lyons in a Malnati’s semifinal Thursday; Naperville North got to the title match with a 2-1 win over no. 9 New Trier.

“We played extremely well today. We did everything but win,” said Huskies coach Steve Goletz, who, before the championship match, noted Evanston would be a handful up-top and in the middle. “We talk a lot about performance. Every performance has to be better than it was in the previous game. We can say that was the case for us in each of our games at this
tournament.

“We played 80 minutes of great soccer against Evanston. We left chances on the field, yes, but I could not be more proud of our team than I am right now. Effort-wise, soccer-wise, the
number of chances we generated … we had a lot going for us the entire game. Today was our best game of the season — in a loss.

“Soccer can be a cruel sport,” he added.

Naperville North, with a slight breeze at its back, “won” the scoreless first half based on run of play. The combination of speed and toughness from sophomore forward and 2023 CS
All-Stater Claire DeCook and senior forward Rachael Noren, along with dependable distributions from midfielders Jacey Sturek, Audrey Hartmann and Kelly Wilson, tested Evanston’s backs and kept Wildkits senior goalkeeper and Wisconsin-Stevens Point-bound Shea Lucas (two saves, one critical smother on a Noren cross) on her 10 toes for most of the 40 minutes.

Evanston’s centerbacks, freshman Maizlyn Kelly and senior Damilola Adeniyi, either cleared dangerous balls in front of Lucas or clogged up Naperville North rushes.

Lucas made the save of the afternoon in the 21st minute, sprinting 10 yards off her line before a 20-yard shot attempt by DeCook. The laser glanced off Lucas’ quads, resulting in a
Huskies corner kick.

The Wildkits’ top threat at the other end of the pitch was sophomore forward Bridget Durkin, who’s adept at executing quick touches to create just enough space to thump a spot-on cross.

Each side contested each 50/50 ball as if a state trophy were on the line.

“It was competitive out there,” said Kelly, who shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP honors with Ross, who came off the bench Saturday. “We kept pushing, and we didn’t break. We found a
way to persevere.”

Kelly has been dubbed a “brick wall” more than a few times in her rookie prep season.

“That’s nice,” a grinning Kelly said, “except when the ball goes over my head, and I have to chase it.”

Naperville North’s second best-chance to score came in the 43rd minute after a splendid cross from DeCook. Noren barely overcooked her five-yard shot, the ball clearing the football goal post’s crossbar at New Trier’s west campus.

Huskies centerbacks Emily Buescher, a junior Minnesota commit, and Addison Sitzmann, a sophomore, played high-caliber ‘D’ throughout the final 40 minutes. Naperville North
freshman Lily Radek, another tenacious defender, returned to action in the second half after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury late in the first half.

“Today’s game was the perfect example of a ‘pressure game,’” Radek said. “Our coach likes to say, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’

“It was a privilege to play in a game like this.”

Swarthmore pledge Ross’ goal Saturday — her seventh of ’24 — was a left-footed ground ball struck from the top of the box and taken moments after the ball had pinballed among a cluster of Wildkits and Huskies in front of her.

Leigh, who will play college ball at Loyola, got the assist, because the ball deflected off her frame last.

Ross’ shot eluded the fingers of Naperville North sophomore keeper Olivia Ochsner, who dove to her left — a few yards shy of the post — in a valiant effort to preserve the tie.

Ochsner stopped five shots in the match.

“Both teams are great,” Salgado said. “Either team could have won today. We found a little burst there at the end.”

A late battle for the ball involving Naperville North’s DeCook and Evanston’s Adeniyi, deep in Evanston territory near a sideline, captured the essence of the contest between elite
teams.

Tangled briefly while vying for possession, DeCook and Adeniyi tried to extricate themselves before flying in different directions a la bowling pins being picked up on a spare.

The final horn sounded as the pair hit the turf simultaneously.

“Our players made us proud as coaches, in terms of having given everything they had today,” Goletz said. “I’m sure the loss will sting the girls for a while, but they should walk out of here
with their heads up.”

“What I’ll definitely remember about today,” Kelly said, “was the positivity we showed from the start to the finish.”

Next up for Evanston is a Central Suburban League South Division home game against Maine South at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Wildkits return to Robert Naughton Field to battle New Trier at noon Saturday in a game that holds huge conference implications.

Naperville North will prepare for the talent-laden Naperville Invitational. The Huskies welcome no. 23 Minooka at 5 p.m. Thursday in their opener.

Footnotes

Ross deserved an assist after Saturday’s Classic final. She handed out Malnati’s hoodies to her teammates after the trophy presentation. … Naperville North took four corner kicks to Evanston’s three. … Chicagoland Soccer posted its Players to Watch for teams that support the website via subscriptions. Ten of the 53 players selected played in Saturday’s Malnati’s
championship match: Evanston’s Ross, Lucas, Leigh, and junior midfielders Maddie Ball and Mia Darer; and Naperville North’s Noren, Buescher, Winona State commit Sturek, Ochsner and senior forward Annie Chang. … Last spring, Evanston and Naperville North squared off in Group B pool play at the Malnati’s, with Evanston winning 3-2 on April 8. … Ross, on Kelly: “She’s an amazing player, very composed and strong. Knows the game well, too.” … Kelly, on her approach as a freshman on varsity: “I’m here to play the game I love and to
work hard to support my teammates.”

Starting lineups

Evanston
GK Shea Lucas
D Maizlyn Kelly
D Sydney Johnson
D Damilola Adeniyi
D Fiona Vosper
MF Maddie Ball
MF Mia Darer
MF Maddy Varela
F Bridget Durkin
F Jocelyn Leigh
F Alexandra Merriam

Naperville North
GK Olivia Ochsner
D Emily Buescher
D Addison Sitzmann
D Abby Penn
D Lily Radek
MF Jacey Sturek
MF Audrey Hartmann
MF Kelly Wilson
F Claire DeCook
F Rachael Noren
F Annie Chang

Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Sydney Ross, sr., MF, Evanston; Maizlyn Kelly, fr., D, Evanston

Scoring summary

First half

No scoring

Second half
Evanston — Sydney Ross (Leigh), 74’