NILES, Illinois — The Northridge varsity soccer program walked out of the Skokie Playfields Wednesday evening with the 7th IHSA regional title in program history following a 4-2 victory over defending IHSA 1A state champion North Shore Country Day.
Longstanding rivals in the Independent School League, the Knights and Raiders fought and clawed their way through a physically intense match in front of a strong Northridge contingent of parents and SuperFans.
The Knights opened up play with intensity but were admittedly sloppy in their touches and getting the ball to the open man. That was until senior Jacob Klatt opened up the scoring to put the Knights in front, and they would never trail.
Fellow senior Linus Coleman joined in on the effort, knocking in a goal of his own to bump up the Knights lead and transition the maroon and gold into a strong second half. Klatt, however, was not done, scoring his second goal of the afternoon to make it a 3-1 game. As the Knights play continued to be sharp with crisp passes and competitive shots on goal, Miguel Valdez joined the party with a score of his own, making the score 4-1 and sealing the championship for Northridge and dashing any hopes the Raiders had of a potential comeback.
"Everybody who stepped on the field today contributed really well," head coach Alvaro Vargas said following the win. "We won every individual battle in the second half and I think it was that intensity than won us the championship."
As is common in Northridge athletics, the Knights vocal student section traveled well and represented the school loud and proud. Vargas wholeheartedly believes it had an impact on the game, which was hosted by North Shore Country Day.
"The fans were amazing," Vargas said. "When they came alive, they really helped our squad. It was almost as if we were the home team in this game."
Now, the Knights turn their sights toward the IHSA sectional semifinal match, which will take place Friday at Cristo Rey St. Martin in Waukegan. Northridge will take on Marine Leadership Academy, who defeated top-seeded Chicago Academy in the regional championship.
"I think going forward, if our boys stay focused and come out with intensity from the first minute, we have an opportunity to advance," Vargas said.
Northridge athletic director Will Rey had this to say on the victory:
"A huge congratulations to our varsity soccer team on a hard fought win. A very strong performance by all of our players. I'm especially happy for our seniors to get to experience one of the best thrills of high school athletics — winning a regional championship. This is great for our school community. I'm very happy for our coaching staff, especially head coach Alvaro Vargas, who has persevered through the ups and downs of building the program."
Kickoff on Friday is set for 5:00pm
