For a moment, senior Captain Alex Lynch thought North would have an opportunity to tie with a penalty kick as time nearly expired in the Regional Final against Naperville Central. That opportunity never came.

Seconds earlier, Tiger Forward Luke Stell lined up a quick corner kick with time winding down, trailing by a goal to Naperville. What ensued will be permanently etched in the brains of North’s senior players as they saw their record season come to a tragic close.

With the ball heading towards an open part of the goal and a tie in sight as the final seconds of regulation were counted, a Naperville defender caught it. However, a handball violation was never called. North never received a chance to tie with a penalty kick, and Naperville took the Regional title by a score of 3-2.

“It was heartbreaking,” Lynch said. “For us seniors especially, that was our last game and that will be our last memory on the soccer field. We were potentially cheated out of going into extra time and winning our first Regional at Plainfield North.”

Rumors concerning consequences given to the referee surfaced, such as he was suspended for the remainder of the postseason and even that he had lost his job due to the call. Both were confirmed false by IHSA’s Assistant Executive Director Craig Anderson.

“As I oversee the officials department and discipline of officials, I can confirm that no officials were suspended as a result of the outcome of this contest,” Anderson said in an email.

Despite the missed call to conclude their season,  Lynch acknowledged the Tigers did not play to their full potential.

“We’ve played better,” Lynch said. “That definitely wasn’t one of our best games. If we would have played at our best, we definitely would have beaten our opponent and they wouldn’t have scored. We had three mental lapses and they punished us for them.”

North beat East in the regional semifinal 2-0 to advance to their first regional final in school history against Naperville. With the win against East, they won the season series 2-1 and responded to a loss to them back on October 6.

Their best finish ever was only appropriate given North’s record breaking season. According to MaxPreps, the Tigers were ranked 25th in the state with a record of 18-3. Those 18 wins were the highest in school history

North broke the state record in goals scored as a team with [statistic], shattering many school records in the process. The 18 win mark was the most in school history.

Lynch and Senior Austin Collier both received All-Sectionals honors, with Senior Austin Hansen and Junior Nick Farley as honorable mentions.

This year was Coach Stephen Berry’s first season over the boy’s soccer program. He implemented a new style of play, helping the team score more goals and wear out opponents, as well as leading a team to a successful season, breaking records.