Kaitlyn Nudera, St. Charles North turn away upset-minded Batavia in 2OT for 22nd consecutive regional title

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles North junior forward Kaitlyn Nudera is still recovering from an illness that caused her to miss three days of practice this week.

The bug sapped some of her energy but none of her desire, which was a good thing because the North Stars needed every bit of her drive to keep their season alive on Saturday.

“I would say (the illness) affected me a little bit,” Nudera said. “But I just know I had to push hard.”

Nudera did just that, scoring the game-tying goal with 6:57 left in regulation. Senior forward Kaitlin Glenn then scored the game-winning goal in the first overtime as St. Charles North rallied to beat Batavia 2-1 in double overtime in the Class 3A St. Charles North Regional final.

It was the 22nd consecutive regional championship for the fourth-seeded North Stars (11-5-2), who advance to play top-seeded St. Charles East in the Glenbard West Sectional semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“This team showed a lot of fight today, a lot of resiliency,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said. “Batavia obviously is a quality team.

“They were prepared to step up and play. They got the early goal, but the way that our girls fought back and to find the game-tying goal, and the way that they dug deep to find the game-winner in overtime was really impressive.”

Looking to avenge a 1-0 regular-season defeat to the North Stars, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (11-9-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead when Emma Wecker headed home a cross from Leah Zimberoff with 31:16 left in the second half.

But Nudera, who had worked tirelessly on the wing throughout the match, broke through when she raced onto a loose ball and ripped an 18-yard shot inside the left post for the equalizer.

“When you talk about digging deep, Nudera was definitely one of those players,” Harks said. “She’s somebody that was actually just coming back off of a sickness and so she was fatigued.

“But she found a way to compete and to drive, make those runs, and then the composure to be going as fast as she was and still find the back of the net was impressive.”

Nudera knew she had to do something to turn the tide.

“I just kind of found it at my foot,” Nudera said. “I knew that I had to push through.

“I just really wanted to do it for my seniors, give them more games to play, because I know some of them aren’t playing after this, so I just really wanted to do it for them.”

One of those seniors is Glenn, a Loras commit who gave the North Stars the lead for good when she scored on a 30-yard shot with 3:28 remaining in the first overtime. Sophomore Keira Connolly set up the play.

“She’s a very good player,” Glenn said. “She was in the corner. Picked her head up, found me, I took a touch in, curled the back post and that’s how we won.

“It’s exciting. However long we worked, we worked hard mentally and physically. It’s awesome to be able to get the game-winner and give our team the win.”

The North Stars still had to hold on for another 13 minutes. The Bulldogs nearly tied it in the first minute of the second overtime when a 20-yard free kick hit the crossbar, but that was their final shot.

After an up-and-down regular season, the North Stars have won five consecutive matches. So they think anything is possible.

“We’ve been on a pretty good winning streak,” Nudera said. “I think the momentum that we’ve had from all those wins have been pushing us through and we’re keeping a positive attitude.”