Replacing All-State caliber players is never a simple matter, and doing it with young players in girls soccer can be especially difficult.
But behind sophomores Avery Fitzgerald and Hannah Scholer, Huntley has shown the rebuild might not be such an overwhelming task.
Fitzgerald, a forward, had a hat trick Thursday and Scholer controlled the ball while doling out pinpoint corner kicks to help the Red Raiders beat Hampshire 7-0 in the Fox Valley.
“It’s kind of hard to fill the shoes of all the other great players we’ve had, especially like Taryn Jakubowski,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s the hardest one, almost impossible to replace.”
Jakubowski led the Red Raiders last year to a fourth-place finish in Class 3A, and the 5-foot-9 Fitzgerald resembled her against Hampshire (2-10-3, 0-4). She was particularly effective alternating at the long forward position with Lauren Talesky.
“We had her out of position part of the game, but when we have her up where she can use her height with other taller players, she is able to do that well,” Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. “We’re so young, with seven sophomores and freshmen on the roster, and they’re coming along.
“We’re trying to get our intensity level up early and it was feeling better out there (Thursday).”
Huntley (6-5-2, 2-3) grabbed a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the game after Scholer and Brenna Keegan hooked up for a goal and Fitzgerald scored her first.
Scholer sent in a corner kick so perfect it almost went in on its own and Keegan finished it. Then Fitzgerald fought for a deflection on a ball kicked by Alyssa Xanos and put it into the left corner.
Scholer continued to make an impact after halftime by controlling play.
“We’re trying to get her more into the attack,” Grabner said. “We had a discussion about it at halftime. After that you really saw her getting forward, making a difference.”
Fitzgerald scored twice late in the second half, and Huntley also received two goals from Xanos and one from Madelynn Hill.
It was the kind of offensive onslaught Grabner would have liked in losing recent one-goal verdicts to Dundee-Crown, Jacobs and Cary-Grove in conference.
“We have such a young team and we have to build it back up,” Scholer said. “We think we can make our team better again and get there in a few years.”
Huntley doesn’t own a monopoly on good, young players.
Freshman sweeper Veronica Walker kept the score from being more lopsided for Hampshire throughout the first half with a powerful leg and knack for beating attackers to the ball.
“It’s going to be fun to see how she develops in the future,” Whip-Purs coach Colin Brice said. “She’s very talented.”
Hampshire came into the game after going 2-0-1 to win Saturday’s Woodstock North Tournament.
“Being physical, more aggressive and working on beating people to the ball is something we need to continue working on throughout the season,” Brice said. “It cost us on the first few goals (Thursday).”
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