Jake Hadaway Shines in Naperville North Victory

Jake Hadaway did not play for Naperville North’s Class 3A state championship team last year. He wasn’t on the top junior varsity team either. In his first and only varsity season, Hadaway is making an impact. On Tuesday, the senior forward scored against rival Naperville Central, marking his team-leading third goal.

“I don’t think I’m going to have any better feeling this season,” Hadaway said. “To put us up 1-0 against our rivals, especially as underdogs on paper, is something that will be significant for me.”

With eight seconds left in the first half, Hadaway seized a long outlet pass from Will Boniface and scored. Early in the second half, Hadaway’s deep cross set up a goal for Boniface. The Huskies, beginning the season with one returning starter, added another goal to defeat the Redhawks 3-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference. Coach Jim Konrad commented, “We’re not three goals better than Central.” Despite this, the Huskies (2-1-2) secured the win after having their 31-game unbeaten streak ended earlier in the season.

In the first half, the more experienced Redhawks (1-1-1, 0-1) controlled play but couldn’t score. Coach Troy Adams remarked, “Soccer’s a cruel game. We weren’t the better team today. In front of the goal, it’s about finishing.” Dylan Healy, the Huskies’ only returning starter, demonstrated this by capitalizing on a rebound for a 3-0 lead. Ukiah Morris’s shot hit the crossbar, and Healy scored the follow-up.

Hadaway mentioned, “Everyone built off each other, and all the little things were done correctly. We have a lot of good players, and when everything is done right, you can score three goals against your rival.”

Most of the current players were part of the JV2 team last year, which Hadaway was a part of, scoring 28 goals. “There’s good soccer players, and there’s kids that just want to win,” Coach Konrad said. “Jake is a good player who wants to win, and it shows.”

With many players graduating last season, Boniface is also enjoying his expanded role alongside Hadaway. “We have Jake Hadaway, and he has been amazing,” Boniface said. “We may not have a superstar, but we play together as a team.”