The Naperville North High School boys varsity soccer team defeated Neuqua Valley High School in a home conference matchup on Tuesday.

The Huskies (5-1-1) beat the Wildcats (1-3) by a final score of 3-0.

The team struggled to pick up momentum at the start of the first half, but were able to find their groove after junior Adam Zielke scored off of a corner kick in the first half.

“I made a run in and Alex [Barger] played a perfect ball that I was able to get my forehead on and put it in the back of the net. It kinda got us going a little bit because we needed a jump start,” Zielke said. 

After halftime the Huskies created more open shots by moving the ball quickly and getting behind the back line. Head coach Jim Konrad believes that the team bounced back from their slow start in the first half and finished the game strong.

“In the second [half] I thought we did far better in terms of creating chances to score and you could see the game change in the second half for sure,” said Konrad.

Throughout the game, the Huskies’ defense created minimal opportunities for Neuqua Valley to make substantial plays. Senior Keegan Flaherty attributes the communication from the defensive unit to a successful team environment.

“I think we just played well as a team, together, connected well, [we] were organized defensively, kept them off the board, and managed to score a few goals ourselves,” Flaherty said. “If we do that we can hold pretty much any team to a low score.”

The Huskies hope to continue their five game win streak as they face off against the East Aurora High School Tomcats on Thursday, Sep. 9.