New Trier piles it on vs. Highland Park

The battle of New Trier and Highland Park featured a confrontation of strengths that put the Trevians’ versatile offensive attack against the elite skills of the Giants junior keeper Grace Quirk.

For a while it was a stalemate as Quirk neutralized New Trier’s offensive attack with a series of spectacular saves.

“She is a shot stopper,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said.

But host New Trier’s armada of weapons wore Quirk out.

The No. 3 Trevians broke the match open with three goals in a 14-minute flourish and Quirk was knocked out with a hand injury as New Trier blitzed the Giants 5-0 in a Central Suburban crossover Thursday night in Northfield.

“We just come at you in too many different angles, and that is the way it has been for us so far,” Burnside said.

Quirk collided with a New Trier player in front of the net in the 25th minute. She stayed in the game, though New Trier senior midfielder Meg Wozniak scored the first of her two goals a minute later and she left for good with 14 minutes to play in the first half and New Trier up 3-0.

New Trier’s Kelly Maday continued to impress for the Trevians. She scored a goal and added an assist, her team-leading 11th of the year. She is fully recovered from surgery to correct a bone chip in her left knee that forced her to miss her entire freshman year.

Off a re-start Maggie Armstrong flicked the ball to Maday, who finished with a shot from about 16 yards out for her fifth goal of the year.

“It has been great to make a comeback and contribute for the team,” Maday said.

She is creative with the ball and has a fantastic finish with either foot. In the 21st minute, she left a perfect ball for sophomore midfielder Celia Frei for the 2-0 lead.

“I think it is very important to think about what you can do out there, not just for yourself but the other players,’’ Maday said, ‘‘and since I have come back I have really tried hard to play for the rest of the team.”

Wozniak’s first goal derived from a Maday corner kick.

“We had a goal from a re-start, a corner and a couple in the field of play and that is what has made us so effective,” Burnside said.

New Trier has scored 40 goals in its nine games and allowed just three.

Sophomore Michelle Sokol had four saves, and Wozniak and Molly Cahill added second-half scores.

Freshman Maile Lunardi replaced Quirk and recorded four saves for the Giants (0-2), playing just their second game after spring break and cancellations disrupted the schedule.

“I thought my girls did a very good job of responding to their pressure, but New Trier is very good and very skilled and they really play well together,” Highland Park coach Kate Straka said.

Quirk, who finished with seven saves, was had her hand X-rayed after the game.