When Naperville Central senior goalkeeper Erin Hackett hoisted the Class 3A second-place trophy with her teammates on Saturday night, it was the final act of a remarkable high school athletic career.
Hackett, a Carthage basketball commit, graduated with 10 varsity letters across three sports — four each in basketball and soccer and two in golf.
Barry Baldwin, who is an assistant for the girls soccer team and the coach of the boys golf team, said Hackett is one of the best athletes in school history.
“Erin is a competitor,” said Baldwin, who has golfed with Hackett. “As soon as she steps across the line, it’s game on.
“But when she’s not in competition, she’s a funny, kind, caring kid that you absolutely want to be in a foxhole with. When the game’s on the line, she’s a gamer.”
Naperville Central senior forward Malia Shen
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has witnessed that juxtaposition firsthand.“I’ve known Erin since kindergarten,” Shen said. “We went to the same elementary school together. She’s the sweetest.
“She’s such a good team supporter. She celebrates everyone’s wins and then helps them when they’re feeling down.”
There have been a lot of wins to celebrate during Hackett’s four years.
In basketball, she helped the Redhawks win a DuPage Valley Conference title last season, when she was an all-state second-team pick. She finished with 2,048 career points, which ranks second on the program’s scoring list behind Candace Parker, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in August.
In soccer, Hackett was a four-year starter who backstopped the Redhawks to their first state championship game since 1995. They lost 2-1 to New Trier in the state final at North Central College in Naperville on Saturday.
For the second straight season, Hackett posted a 0.47 goals-against average, which ranks fifth in program history, and her 16.5 shutouts rank second on the single-season list behind Ashleigh Koenig’s 17 in 1998. Hackett ranks fourth in games played among goalkeepers with 57 and fifth in career shutouts with 26.5.
But those stats only hint at the progress that Hackett, who earned all-state honors, has made over the years.
“She made a huge jump,” Shen said. “Every single year, she’s just gotten better, and this year it kind of all came together for her.
“She does talk a lot more, and it’s been very beneficial to us. I mean, this is her second sport, and she’s this good at the second sport. That was really impressive.”
Hackett was modest as she explained her success.
“It was just a lot of work through practices, and I think the main thing was that I was friends with the whole team,” she said. “We love to hang out together, so I think that’s one of the best things we had was our team chemistry. And I think our back line, the stops that they had, helped me get the shutouts.”
Hackett gets her competitive zeal from her older sisters, Cassie and Maddie, who are seven and three years older, respectively. She played one season with Maddie, who graduated in 2023.
“I always looked up to them,” Hackett said. “I played soccer since I was 3, so it’s kind of surreal to end it now. It’s a great way to end it, going all the way to state. It was not the ending we wanted, obviously.”
Indeed, the loss to the Trevians denied Naperville Central’s bid for its first state title. But the Redhawks (22-1-1) set a program record for fewest losses and tied the mark for most wins.
“Erin played outstanding,” Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. “Just her growth as a goalkeeper and then as a leader has been outstanding to see.
“You don’t get many kids that can grow that much in a four-year span. You just enjoy seeing girls have that type of experience and enjoy them having the kind of success that she’s had. Obviously, tonight hurts, but hopefully as she looks back, she enjoys her high school experience.”
Hackett did. Playing for a state title in front of thousands of fans, many of the clad in red, was a fitting end.
“It just shows how strong our community is here and how everybody knows each other,” she said. “This is the biggest stage you can play on at the high school level, so it’s great to get here. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other team or coaches. I’m grateful for that and to have great coaches.”
Michigan-bound junior forward Emerson Burke was grateful to have played with Hackett, who wants to become a physical therapist.
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“She’s incredible,” Burke said. “Her play speaks for itself, but she’s an amazing person.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.