Naperville North junior goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner was brimming with nervous energy and uncommon confidence as the Huskies went to penalty kicks on Tuesday.
Ochsner bounced up and down on the goal line as Wheaton Warrenville South’s first shooter strode to the spot. Watching from 50 yards away, Naperville North senior defender Emily Buescher had a prediction.
“We said she was going to save at least two,” Buescher said. “We said that standing there holding hands. We knew that was coming.
“It’s a really cool feeling that you can take PKs and you’re not that worried.”
Ochsner delivered, saving three of five shots to lift the Huskies to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the Class 3A Streamwood Supersectional.
After Ochsner’s heroics, Naperville North (16-5-3) will play Lane Tech in the state semifinals at North Central College in Naperville at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
“Olivia is such a great kid,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “She’s a great leader, and to step up and stand on her head in the shootout was incredible. It was incredible to watch.”
Ochsner could only stand and watch when Illinois recruit Ashlyn Adams scored on a penalty kick to give the Tigers (19-2-2) a 1-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the first half. The Huskies tied it at the 33:57 mark of the second half when senior midfielder Isa Polavieja scored off of Buescher’s 55-yard free kick.
By the time the shootout arrived, Ochsner was ready for the spotlight.
“With the first PK that they called at the end of the half, I think I was a little nervous,” Ochsner said. “I wasn’t ready on my feet, and so I knew going to the PK shootout I’ve got to tune out everything else around me.
“But I knew I also had to be super light on my feet and ready to go. That was probably the difference-maker, me being able to read a couple shots before they actually shot it.”
The shootout began with Ochsner lunging far to her right to stop Brooke Ittersagen’s shot. Naperville North missed its first shot, and Adams converted to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. But Ochsner stopped the next two shooters.
That turned the tide, as sophomore midfielder Kennedy Bertsch and Buescher converted to give North a 2-1 lead after four rounds.
“I get very excited after I make a PK save,” Ochsner said. “I’m not supposed to save a PK, right?
“My energy got me through that and the mental pressure of it because I wasn’t even thinking about it at that point.”
Goletz pointed to that as one of Ochsner’s strengths.
“I was a goalkeeper myself, and you gotta have such a great mindset, and Olivia has that mindset,” Goletz said. “For her to have her moment here on the biggest stage, it’s just an incredible thing.
“The kids love her. We love her as a coaching staff, just in how she approaches every single day and how good she is to her teammates. For her to come through and bail us out today in penalty kicks was pretty special.”
In the fifth round, Grace Rodakowski converted to keep the Tigers alive. But Naperville North junior forward Michelle Ruan, who didn’t play during regulation or overtime, then converted the clinching kick.
Ruan said she was buoyed by Ochsner’s performance.
“Every time she saved it, my heart jumped, I was just so excited,” Ruan said. “Then to be able to put away that shot just meant a lot because I knew the entire team worked so hard to get us to this point.
Ochsner, a three-year starter, has played a vital role in the Huskies’ thrilling postseason run.
“She’s everything for us,” Buescher said. “She’s just kind of like a nose-to-the-grindstone player.
“What you see on the field in the sense of her ability to handle some absurd shots is incredible. But then there’s also what she does for us that you guys don’t see, like keeping everyone going and keeping all of our heads up. She’s irreplaceable.”
And irrepressible in the aftermath of the Huskies’ win.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” Ochsner said. “It’s making me emotional thinking about it.
“I wanted to do it for my teammates, and to be able to step up in that moment and deal with all the pressure to save my teammates’ season and make my coaches proud means absolutely everything to me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
