NAPERVILLE —An own-goal off a corner kick in the first overtime was a fitting finish to a wild match between the top contenders for the DuPage Valley Conference title.

Naperville North repelled Naperville Central 4-3 in a barnburner.

Josh Pedersen initiated the game-winner in the 84th minute.

“Beating Central is always a great feeling,” Pedersen, a junior, said. “It’s great. We’ve been undefeated against them since my freshman year.”

Pedersen’s corner kick with 6:55 left in the overtime was headed toward teammates Colin McMahon and Sam Hess but found an opposing player instead and was redirected into the back of the net.

His kick flew among a swarm of players from both sides. The crowd it impossible to see from afar what actually happened to the ball as it ultimately found its desired destination. Hess, a Chicagoland Soccer all-stater, had a great view of the goal and came charging out of the box toward Pedersen to celebrate one of the wildest games in the longtime rivalry.

“Everyone wanted to win that game no matter what, no matter how we did it,” Hess said. “How we played obviously wasn’t our best, wasn’t near our best, but those two seconds where you realize -- ‘Yeah, it’s finally over, and we won the game!’ -- it feels really good. 

“Instantly we got up and shook (Naperville) Central’s (players’) hands because it was a good game, and we all knew that (we) should’ve been a lot better.

“We all were humble about it. We kept our heads down and walked off the field and talked (in the locker room) about how we can improve.”

Naperville North, the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, came out strong, wasting little time before jumping ahead 1-0 in the eighth minute. 

Recent history showed a single goal was all the Huskies needed to blank the Redhawks 1-0 on Sept. 7 in the Best of the West championship game. That was rewritten Tuesday. Goals were popular, in a rare change of pace.

Pedersen, who shared the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor, got the Huskies going when he sent a 25-yard pass deep into the box to Jaxon Stokes who tapped the ball to Niko Ladas who buried his short attempt for a 1-0 advantage.

In what would become the theme of the night, no. 10 Naperville Central answered.

Michael White, who wasn’t in the starting lineup for the Redhawks, crossed the ball to the front post from about 15-yards away to Matias Jacobs who headed it home in the 29th minute to tie the match. White shared Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.

All-stater Noah Radeke put on a show while putting the Huskies back on top at 2-1 with 7:20 remaining before halftime.

Fellow all-stater Stokes sent the ball to Anthony Flores, who with his back to the goal, flicked the ball off his head to Radeke, who did the rest. Despite being flanked by a handful of defenders, the senior used four touches to find the time and place to score from short range. It simply was another great play by one of the top players in the state.

Again, the visitors responded, though it took some time for them to knot things up again.

Naperville Central (4-2-3, 1-1-0) tied the game moments after Ryan Lafferty got banged up defending for the Redhawks. With Lafferty hobbling around near the net on the other side of the field, the Redhawks used a quick restart to stun the Huskies with 26:42 left to play.

Michael White sent a through-ball from midfield ahead to Nolan Ewanic who used a couple touches before slipping a shot through a defender’s legs, out of the reach of Naperville North’s all-state goalkeeper Jack Bouska and just inside the far post to draw the teams even again at 2-2.

Less than five minutes later, the Huskies had an excellent opportunity to take the lead. However, Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Connor Waite looked like he was ready to make huge plays to keep his team in the game. 

He did that after a handball call led to a PK for Stokes.

The senior tried to put his shot past Waite toward the bottom right of the net, but the keeper prevailed. The ever-dangerous rebound went to Niko Ladas whose follow was on target, but again Waite was there to knock it away.

It wouldn’t be Stokes’ final opportunity of the night, and he made sure he buried his following chance with a little more than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

Radeke volleyed the ball ahead to Stokes’ left. Without taking a touch, Stokes sent in a left-footed shot that neither defender Ryan Gervase nor Waite could stop. It went inside the far post for a 3-2 advantage.

Like throughout regulation time, the Redhawks found an equalizer. This one came in the 77th minute.

Michael White was only a few yards away from putting in the game-tying goal, but Bouska knocked his shot to the left. That’s where Conor White came charging in to put away the rebound for a 3-3 tie in the 77th minute.

Naperville North (10-0-0, 2-0-0) came a sliver away from winning the game in the opening minute of overtime after Hess sent a long kick to Radeke who blasted a shot just a hair too high for a clanking response from the crossbar. Ladas snagged the rebound for the Huskies, but his follow-up sailed left.

“It was not a typical North versus Central game,” Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. “I think both teams don’t let up goals like that. (Naperville Central was) great in the counterattack. They did a really nice job of moving the ball and were super clever in the quick restart there to get their second goal.

“We learned a lot of lessons today that will hopefully help us grow, and that’s why you play great teams.

“We’re lucky to play (Naperville) Central two times every year, and probably a third time in a month or so. They’re a great team. Obviously, we needed a little bit of luck here to win tonight.”

The Huskies lost three leads but still came out on top to remain perfect with less than two weeks to go until the calendar turns over to October.

“I think our team is so athletic that it is almost impossible to beat us physically, but mentally we broke down as a team. I think that’s where we need to improve,” Hess said. “If we can solidify that and do all the little things that no one wants to do, we can come back and win again.”

After outscoring opponents 30-2 coming into the match, the Huskies gave up more goals to the Redhawks on Tuesday than they had allowed in their first nine games of the season.

“I think we were definitely feeling a whole lot of emotions,” Hess said. “As team we did a good job of bouncing back throughout the game, but I think it can be a lot better. 

“I think where we’re going to use this is as a turning point for us where this won’t ever happen again.”

Valuable lessons being learned during the regular-season can ultimately be a difference-maker when the schedule turns to the win-or-go-home scenario of the state series. 

“It’s soccer, where any team can beat any team. Anyone can score one lucky goal and win the game for their team,” Hess said. 

“The whole point of this game is how we’re taking it as a learning experience, so we’re ready for the next time we play them or any other team.”

Konrad said wisdom gained through experience is invaluable.

“We learned a lot of lessons,” he said. “You know it’s going to be a tough game with Central, right? They played very well and taught us some things we’ve got to better at. I’m happy we won, but I’m more happy with the lessons we hopefully learned tonight.”

Naperville North came off a strong weekend in Peoria where they knocked off a pair of renowned programs in Chaminade (Mo.) and Notre Dame (Peoria), which is the top-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll. 

“I think that we came off a hard weekend and that kind of made us relaxed and laid back a little too much,” Hess said. “We learned from it and know to always be at our best.”

Naperville Central has yet to put together its best starting lineup this fall. Chicagoland Soccer all-state forward Eli Jarrell remains sidelined with an illness. Despite his continued absence, players have stepped up to fill big roles for the Redhawks.

No team has taken the Huskies down this fall, but no one came as close as the Redhawks.

“I told the players when we get done with a game and I don’t have anything (negative) to say about your work-rate, your effort and your attitude, then that’s a good game,” Redhawks coach Troy Adams said. “And we did a great job.”

Gavin Brown, who normally plays an attacking wide midfielder, had to take on a defensive midfielder role. Conor White shifted from outside back to a defensive mid position, and Jay Larson, who Adams said really isn’t an outside back, played 75 minutes and “played very well and made great decisions.

“The great takeaway we get is every game Michael White gives me more reason to play him,” Adams said. “That’s a kid who is battling for playing time.

“As I say to the kids, you play well, you get more minutes. We’ve got a situation here that when everybody gets healthy we’re going to have more players than we have minutes. That’s a good problem for a coach and team, because everyone is competitive for shifts on the field.”

Taking on new roles, meeting big challenges and putting the team before oneself are habits that make the Redhawks better.

“When you talk about what makes a team, that’s what makes a team,” Adams said. “It’s guys adjusting, adapting, guys giving their all. It’s guys saying I don’t normally play this position but will give it my best. That type of attitude with the work-rate we had today, as I told them, it’s going to keep us going in the right direction.”

The match was the highest-scoring between the schools since Chicagoland Soccer debuted in 2009.

Starting lineups

Naperville Central
GK: Connor Waite
D: Bryce Dodsworth
D: Conor White
D: Ryan Gervase
D: Calum Bohan
MF: Aidan DiClemente
MF: Nathan Laird
MF: Ryan Lafferty
MF: Michael DeFalco
MF: Gavin Brown
MF: Nolan Ewanic

Naperville North
GK: Jack Bouska
D: Andrew Hebron
D: Josh Pedersen
D: Colin McMahon
D: Niko Ladas
MF: Connor Hanrahan
MF: Dylan Healy
MF: Sam Hess
F: Noah Radeke
F: Anthony Flores
F: Jaxon Stokes

Chicagoland Soccer Men of the Match: Josh Pedersen, jr., D, Naperville North; Michael White, jr., MF, Naperville Central

Scoring summary

First half
NN: Ladas (Stokes), 8’
NC: Matias Jacobs (Michael White), 29'
NN: Radeke (Flores), 33’

Second half
NC: Ewanic (Michael White), 54’
NN: Stokes (Radeke), 70’
NC: Conor White (Michael White), 77’

Overtime
NN: Own-goal (Pedersen), 84’