Kelly Maday sends New Trier to title match with lone goal against Waubonsie Valley

She has a presence and a sense of her environment uncommon and almost surreal. Kelly Maday is just a sophomore. Her gifts and athleticism are something to behold.

The dynamic New Trier sophomore forward scored the game-winning goal with a rocket shot in the 34th minute as the No. 2 Trevians avenged their only loss with a dramatic 1-0 victory over top-ranked Waubonsie Valley in a Class 3A state semifinal Friday night at North Central College in Naperville.

New Trier (30-1) advances to the state title game Saturday against No. 5 St. Charles East. New Trier is going for its fourth state title.

The win also marked the second time in three days Maday scored the game-winner. She also beat No. 3 Barrington in the supsersectional. “I think it’s just urgency and determination that gets me through,” Maday said of her 19th goal on the season.

New Trier senior forward Maddie Mulford registered her 12th assist by playing the through ball Maday delivered.

“I know to count on Maddie to play a nice through ball to me,” she said. “Once I see her, I know immediately I have to make my run and do everything in my power to finish.”

Maday’s propulsive finishing kick makes her especially dangerous in open space. “Kelly goes from zero to 60 in like nothing,” New Trier coach Jim Burnside said. “She reminds me of a sports car that as she starts to accelerate, she gets lower to the ground.

“You see that fifth and sixth gear, and she is so dangerous all over the field.”

The win smashed Waubonsie Valley’s 18-game winning streak and its remarkable run of 25 matches without a loss. The Warriors (22-2-3) defeated New Trier 2-1 in the championship of the Naperville Invitational on May 3.

New Trier had completed an arduous stretch of playing nine games in 11 days after winning the PepsiCo Showdown.

“No excuses but we weren’t playing like we normally do that first game,” Mulford said. “We were slower than normal and we didn’t have the energy we always had.

“They didn’t really play us because they didn’t see the real us.”

The Trevians were quick and aggressive to the ball. Elite defender Sarah Connors sparked the aggressive backline play that disrupted Waubonsie Valley’s precision passing attack. The first half saw both teams mount aggressive flurries.

New Trier made the decisive move late in the first half as Mulford seized the opportunity. “I know Kelly’s going to be out there making that run, and we had to play that quick ball,” Mulford said. “I saw there was a little gap, we hit it there, it went over someone and Kelly played it perfectly and we got that one ball through.”

Waubonsie Valley strung together some tantalizing scoring chances of its own in the second half. Working off a sharp pass from Mackenzie Fuller, senior forward Kristen Dodson hit the post in the 69th minute. In the 77th minute, Dodson drove down the right flank and delivered a cross that freshman forward Maggie Roe hit wide with a header.

“We played them earlier in the season, and they know how we like to play,” Fuller said. “They had a couple of more opportunities and they finished it.”