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Chicago Tribune
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Isa Polavieja's personality is truly dynamic for Naperville North. That is ‘what makes this team go.'
Naperville North senior midfielder Isa Polavieja has always played with an Old World flair. Isa Polavieja has blended that with a newfound confidence to become a formidable leader as a captain for the Huskies this season. 'She's a super versatile kid who has just grown so much over the course of the last three years, not only on the field but as a leader,' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. 'Her personality and her charisma is really what makes this team go this year.' Isa Polavieja's father, Javier, was born in the Canary Islands and grew up as a staunch Real Madrid fan. He moved to America to marry his wife, Lara. 'My mom's best friend brought him over here and introduced him to my mom,' Polavieja said. 'It was like, 'Oh, you'd really like him.' Boom, so he moved here for her.' Javier and Lara Polavieja work in the guidance department at Metea Valley. They passed down their passion for soccer to Isa and her older sister, Marina, who played for the Huskies for two seasons before graduating last year. 'My dad was my Park District coach,' Isa Polavieja said. 'He always coaches me from the sidelines, and I look up to him because he's taught me a lot.' Much of that involved introducing her to a different playing style. 'The way Europeans play soccer is a completely different way than the Americans,' Isa Polavieja said. 'European teams are technical. They get the ball and move it. They're always keeping possession.' That became her primary objective. 'My dad makes me watch all the European games against my will, but it has really helped me,' Isa Polavieja said. 'Keeping the ball is my No. 1 thing.' Isa Polavieja, who has one goal and one assist for the Huskies (6-2-2), is good at that. Goletz uses her as an attacking midfielder tasked with getting the ball to Tennessee-bound junior striker Claire DeCook. 'Her work rate and her willingness to just continue to do the dirty work every game for us both offensively and defensively has gotten us off to a great start,' Goletz said of Isa Polavieja. 'She's just a fantastic soccer player.' That was evident against defending Class 3A state champion New Trier in the championship game of Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic in Northfield on Saturday. The Huskies lost 1-0 on penalty kicks but became just the second team to shut out the Trevians (12-0-2). 'You can look at the game and see how many balls she won today and how hard she played,' Naperville North senior defender Abby Penn said. 'Our midfield was running their butts off the whole time. I'm super proud of not only Isa but just our whole team.' Isa Polavieja's physical skills are obvious, but Penn said her spirit is just as beneficial. 'She's always there to lift everyone up, and I think that's very important as a captain to lift people up,' Penn said. 'She's always there when someone is down. But also her aspect of always working hard is super important.' Goletz has seen a transformation in Isa Polavieja this season. 'She's got a super fun-loving personality, but when it's time to play, she's a very serious and reflective player,' Goletz said. 'Isa is probably harder on herself than anybody else on the team. 'As she's gotten older and more mature, she's realized that everything is not going to be perfect, and her ability to play through those moments has been incredible. What makes somebody special is the ability to continue to give everything that they have even if they may not be playing their best game, and that's been Isa this year.' Isa Polavieja said she had confidence issues in the past, but no longer. 'The confidence piece for me is everything,' she said. 'I used to put so much pressure on myself. This year, I learned to just play as hard as I can. 'When I encourage people, I play better. I've progressed a lot in that aspect of not getting down on myself, just being positive no matter what.' Isa Polavieja, who plans to major in business at Illinois but won't play soccer there, is fluent in Spanish. She has embraced her heritage ever since she visited the Canary Islands as a child. 'When we go to Spain, we try to go for a long trip so we can visit family,' Isa Polavieja said. 'Some are in Seville, and some are in Madrid. It's super nice having that whole other world.'
Chicago Tribune
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Former forward Abby Penn gives her all on defense. Playing for Naperville North has ‘always been my dream.'
Naperville North senior Abby Penn comes from a soccer-mad family known for producing goal scorers. Her brother Josh Penn has played five seasons of professional soccer, most recently as a forward for the Portland Timbers 2 of MLS Next Pro in 2024. 'In our family, we definitely like to attack,' Abby Penn said. 'I used to play forward my whole life.' That changed when Abby Penn was elevated to the varsity team as a sophomore. Naperville North coach Steve Goletz turned to Penn to fill a hole on defense. 'Goletz asked me if I could play outside back, and of course I said 'yes' because part of this team is people being able to play different spots,' Abby Penn said. 'That was definitely a learning year for me, and the next year was kind of like a building year.' Now in her third varsity season, Abby Penn is a co-captain with senior defender Emily Buescher, a Minnesota commit with older siblings who have played soccer too, and is a rock at right back. The Huskies (2-1-1) have allowed just three goals in four games. 'This year, it's time to show my strengths and just work hard for the team,' Abby Penn said. 'Goletz has taught me so much, like how to play defense, and I've also worked on it outside of high school. It's been great.' Among the people with whom Abby Penn has worked is her brother. Josh Penn, 24, who played one season of high school soccer at Naperville North, is without a contract and helping train Penn, Buescher and some other Huskies. 'It's been great to have him home,' Abby Penn said. 'He's a great brother, obviously super talented, and there's a lot to learn from him. 'He really works on the small things with me. After every game, he will usually say, 'Hey, can I give a little critique?' I'll always take it from him. It's great advice, and it's going to help me become a better defender for my last year of soccer.' Abby Penn, an honors student who plans to study bioengineering, will not play college soccer. Her final season will be a family affair. Her father Brian Penn, who is the assistant boys soccer coach at Benet, and her older sister Madison Emamjomeh, a middle school coach, are among her biggest supporters. 'We are definitely close,' Abby Penn said. 'We're all such a big soccer family, so we're always talking about soccer. With Josh home, it's been a lot of soccer talk.' Goletz loves talking about the Penn family. 'Abby is a kid who will do anything that a coach asks and comes from an amazing family, not only soccer-wise,' Goletz said. 'They're soccer junkies, but they're great people who believe in hard work and doing what you can to be a part of something bigger than you. 'Abby is the epitome of that. Asking her to play outside back sophomore year, we were short a spot, and she's an athletic kid. I knew that she would be coachable. Abby took it and ran with it and did a great job.' Abby Penn is doing the same thing this season with additional responsibilities, such as taking corner kicks. She has two assists while mentoring younger players. 'Abby really helps me by always bringing 100% effort and always making sure that we get lifted up,' Naperville North junior defender Addison Sitzman said. 'She always makes sure I'm in the right spot as well as organizing us.' While her offensive exploits are mostly a thing of the past, Abby Penn is committed to helping others support the offense. Sitzman likes to join the attack and already has three goals. 'When I go up, I have complete trust in my other backs,' Sitzman said. 'If I lose it, they have my back, and I of course will get back and do it for them.' Sitzman said Abby Penn and Buescher have been good about being inclusive. 'That has really helped us bond,' Sitzman said. 'We all are more comfortable with each other on and off the field, so it helps us play better together.' That bond is what Abby Penn enjoys most about playing for the Huskies. 'It's always been my dream to play for North,' she said. 'What's awesome about our team is we are all so close. We're all best friends. You don't get that with every high school team.' Nor does every team have a leader like Abby Penn. 'She's just somebody who I can't say enough good things about,' Goletz said. 'As a high school coach, you wish you could coach every kid like that because it's what makes high school athletics special.'
