NILES, Illinois — The Northridge soccer team made history Tuesday night in Waukegan, walking into enemy territory and capturing the first sectional championship in school history over top-ranked 1A opponent Cristo Rey St. Martin, 3-2 in an overtime thriller.
In front of the spirited Northridge faithful who made the trip up north, the Knights competed hard for 90 minutes in the instant classic. The opponent, Cristo Rey St. Martin, came into the match with a 15-1-1 overall record — ranked 23rd in the state of Illinois according to MaxPreps — and was widely regarded as one of the top 1A teams in the state.
Sophomore Keller Karnes got the Knights on the board in what was a physical first half of play. Soon after, Tommy Cartwright joined the party with a score of his own as the Knights matched the energy level of CRSM the whole first half, and went into the halftime break tied 2-2.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair as the physical play continued, as it was evident both teams were well aware of what they were playing for. Each squad had competitive chances, but the defenses stood tall to eventually push the game into overtime to decide the sectional champion.
After the first 10 minutes of overtime went scoreless, it was Keller Karnes' turn to play hero once again, as the sophomore knocked in the biggest goal in program history to give the Knights a 3-2 lead with 8 minutes remaining in extra time. Stout defense from the Knights preserved the lead, sealing the momentous victory and Northridge's first soccer sectional championship in school history.
Head coach Alvaro Vargas was proud of how his boys played in the pressure-filled moments, and says they executed what they had practiced to perfection.
"The boys did a great job of matching the intensity and play of Cristo Rey," Vargas said. "In our last practice, we spent time going over set pieces because we knew we would have a height advantage over Cristo Rey. We called a play that we have rehearsed several times through out the season, and it worked! Keller did a great job of running off his marker and getting to that ball first. Linus could not have provided a better pass."
Looking ahead, Vargas hopes the Northridge faithful continue to show up loud and proud as the team pushes toward State.
"Having a large Northridge crowd really helped our boys. They were able to drown out a very loud Cristo Rey fan base."
Vargas continued: "Over the next few days we will go back to working on our style of soccer and set pieces to attack Cristo Rey Jesuit — our next opponent — in every area of the game. As long as our boys put in the kind of gritty performance that they did today, I think we can come out victorious on Saturday."
Northridge athletic director Will Rey had this to say on the monumental win:
"This was an incredibly well played game by two very good teams. Congratulations to Cristo Rey St. Martin on a great season. This is a historic win for our soccer program. This group of seniors have set a standard for future Knights soccer teams to aspire to. Congratulations to our players, coaches and parents. Go Knights!"
The Knights will now turn their focus to the IHSA 1A super-sectional match on Saturday, Nov. 2, where Northridge will square off against Cristo Rey Jesuit (Chicago) for a shot at the program's first-ever trip to the IHSA State semifinals. The super-sectional contest will once again take place at Cristo Rey St. Martin in Waukegan, the same location as Tuesday's match.
Kick off on Saturday is set for 5:00 pm.
