Junior forward Emerson Burke has scored so many goals, often in dramatic fashion, that everyone who attends a Naperville Central game has come to expect something sensational from the Michigan commit.
Sure enough, Burke delivered again during a Class 3A state semifinal on Friday. Senior forward Malia Shen sent a quick lead pass up the left wing to Burke, who ripped an 18-yard shot into the upper-right corner of the net with 25:33 left in the first half.
“It was a great ball,” Burke said. “I feel like (Shen) saw that she had taken on the runners by cutting inside, and then I just kind of took her space.
“I took advantage of the opportunity when the keeper came off her line.”
Burke wasn’t done. She later added her 40th goal of the season on a penalty kick, leading undefeated Naperville Central to a 5-0 victory over Warren at North Central College in Naperville.
Sophomore defender Sophia Cochran, sophomore forward Natalie Liesch
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and sophomore midfielder Reece Mudd also scored for the Redhawks (22-0-1), who will try to win their first state title when they play seven-time state champion New Trier (26-1-1) in their first state championship game since 1995 at 7 p.m. Saturday.The Blue Devils (15-5-2), who made their first appearance in the state semifinals, will play Edwardsville (16-4-2) in the third-place game at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Burke was asked where her first-half goal ranked among her fantastic finishes.
“I feel like that was more of just a placement kind of goal,” she said. “I was just getting it past the goalie because she was out of her box. That was more of a placement, not necessarily the power.”
Burke might have been underselling the power aspect.
“It’s a really good goal, but it’s a typical Emerson goal, you know what I mean?” Shen said. “So even though Emerson said that’s a placement shot, it was still hit really hard.
“Emerson shoots rockets. She’s hit a couple players in practice, and it’s been almost hospitalizable.”
Shen kept the Redhawks on the attack. She sprinted more than 40 yards to catch up to a long pass from Burke, saved the ball from going out of bounds and forced a corner kick.
Freshman defender Jenna Laga’s corner kick went to Cochran, who drilled a header under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead with 19:20 remaining in the first half.
Shen’s hustle set an early tone.
“I think a big part of it has to do with our crowd,” she said. “It was pretty electric out here.
“I will be happy with my performance as long as I can do the things I can control, which is my work rate and my attitude toward others. As long as I can do those two things, I’m a happy camper.”
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams was happy with how the Redhawks came flying out of the gates.
“When they come out and they get focused right away and they get after it, we’re in good shape,” Adams said. “Getting on the front foot of everything is always a key in any sport, soccer especially, and they’ve gotten much better about being disciplined before the game to be able to start the game right away. That’s been a good progression to see.”
The Blue Devils, who made good progress this season, were unable to keep up with the Redhawks’ juggernaut. Freshman forward Kenzie Szczerowski took all five of Warren’s shots and put all of them on goal, but Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Erin Hackett stopped each one, including a breakaway in the second half.
“It was obviously a track meet for the first 15 or so minutes where we didn’t have a great flow to the game yet, and then I was very happy with how we handled their top players,” Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. “When they were coming at us, we did a nice job of slowing down a lot of their efforts. Super proud of the effort and the work rate.”
It wasn’t enough to deny Burke’s opening goal.
“No one is going to save that one,” McCabe said. “In watching film, we knew she had a pretty lethal left foot, so we really wanted to try to minimize that as best we can.
“But she’s just a strong player. She’s going to get a window, and she’s going to capitalize on it.”
The Redhawks will try to capitalize on their greatest opportunity in 31 years.
“It’s been a fun journey, and hopefully you’ll have a storybook ending to it,” Shen said.
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
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