Latest news with #Ochsner
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Spotlight finds Naperville North goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner in supersectional. She's ‘incredible to watch.'
Naperville North junior goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner was brimming with nervous energy and uncommon confidence as the Huskies went to penalty kicks on Tuesday. Ochsner bounced up and down on the goal line as Wheaton Warrenville South's first shooter strode to the spot. Watching from 50 yards away, Naperville North senior defender Emily Buescher had a prediction. 'We said she was going to save at least two,' Buescher said. 'We said that standing there holding hands. We knew that was coming. 'It's a really cool feeling that you can take PKs and you're not that worried.' Ochsner delivered, saving three of five shots to lift the Huskies to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the Class 3A Streamwood Supersectional. After Ochsner's heroics, Naperville North (16-5-3) will play Lane Tech in the state semifinals at North Central College in Naperville at 5:30 p.m. Friday. 'Olivia is such a great kid,' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. 'She's a great leader, and to step up and stand on her head in the shootout was incredible. It was incredible to watch.' Ochsner could only stand and watch when Illinois recruit Ashlyn Adams scored on a penalty kick to give the Tigers (19-2-2) a 1-0 lead with 54 seconds left in the first half. The Huskies tied it at the 33:57 mark of the second half when senior midfielder Isa Polavieja scored off of Buescher's 55-yard free kick. By the time the shootout arrived, Ochsner was ready for the spotlight. 'With the first PK that they called at the end of the half, I think I was a little nervous,' Ochsner said. 'I wasn't ready on my feet, and so I knew going to the PK shootout I've got to tune out everything else around me. 'But I knew I also had to be super light on my feet and ready to go. That was probably the difference-maker, me being able to read a couple shots before they actually shot it.' The shootout began with Ochsner lunging far to her right to stop Brooke Ittersagen's shot. Naperville North missed its first shot, and Adams converted to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. But Ochsner stopped the next two shooters. That turned the tide, as sophomore midfielder Kennedy Bertsch and Buescher converted to give North a 2-1 lead after four rounds. 'I get very excited after I make a PK save,' Ochsner said. 'I'm not supposed to save a PK, right? 'My energy got me through that and the mental pressure of it because I wasn't even thinking about it at that point.' Goletz pointed to that as one of Ochsner's strengths. 'I was a goalkeeper myself, and you gotta have such a great mindset, and Olivia has that mindset,' Goletz said. 'For her to have her moment here on the biggest stage, it's just an incredible thing. 'The kids love her. We love her as a coaching staff, just in how she approaches every single day and how good she is to her teammates. For her to come through and bail us out today in penalty kicks was pretty special.' In the fifth round, Grace Rodakowski converted to keep the Tigers alive. But Naperville North junior forward Michelle Ruan, who didn't play during regulation or overtime, then converted the clinching kick. Ruan said she was buoyed by Ochsner's performance. 'Every time she saved it, my heart jumped, I was just so excited,' Ruan said. 'Then to be able to put away that shot just meant a lot because I knew the entire team worked so hard to get us to this point. Ochsner, a three-year starter, has played a vital role in the Huskies' thrilling postseason run. 'She's everything for us,' Buescher said. 'She's just kind of like a nose-to-the-grindstone player. 'What you see on the field in the sense of her ability to handle some absurd shots is incredible. But then there's also what she does for us that you guys don't see, like keeping everyone going and keeping all of our heads up. She's irreplaceable.' And irrepressible in the aftermath of the Huskies' win. 'It's absolutely incredible,' Ochsner said. 'It's making me emotional thinking about it. 'I wanted to do it for my teammates, and to be able to step up in that moment and deal with all the pressure to save my teammates' season and make my coaches proud means absolutely everything to me.'
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Family honors loved one's organ donation at Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A Baton Rouge family joined Ochsner staff on National Donate Life Blue & Green Day to honor their loved one, whose decision to become an organ donor saved lives. On Friday, April 11, the family participated in a special ceremony to mark the donation of their relative's heart, lungs, and kidneys to individuals in need of transplants. The family's participation in the event was meaningful because their loved one had also received multiple organ transplants during his lifetime, including a pancreas. Ochsner described it as a 'full-circle moment,' where someone who had received the gift of life was now passing it on to others. The ceremony featured a flag-raising and butterfly release, both symbols of remembrance, renewal, and gratitude. Oschner said the LOPA flag, which was raised to signify that lifesaving donations were in progress, was presented to the family as a keepsake after the process was complete. Ochsner's event also honored the generosity of organ, eye, and tissue donors. The hospital said that just one donor can save up to eight lives, help heal up to 75 people through tissue donations, and restore sight to two individuals through cornea donations. The ceremony recognized 23 other lifesaving donors from Ochsner Baton Rouge in 2024. Family honors loved one's organ donation at Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge Baton Rouge community unites to honor Devin Page Jr. and call for change Make-A-Wish grants Masters trip to teen cancer survivor Masters patrons rediscover the joy of old-school communication Measles cases rise to 700, adding pressure to RFK Jr. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville North's Addison Sitzman makes teammates laugh. She plays to win. That's just ‘Addie being Addie.'
There are two activities that Addison Sitzman enjoys more than any other. One is playing soccer for Naperville North. The other is talking. When the junior defender can do both at the same time, that's when she is happiest. 'We always joke around about it's always a bad thing if Addie's silent,' Naperville North junior forward Claire DeCook said. 'So it's always good when she's loud, especially on the field, because that's when you know she's in her element and she's comfortable.' Sitzman wasn't comfortable when she first joined the Huskies. But she soon bonded with DeCook, forward Brooke Welch and goalkeeper Olivia Ochsner. They were the four freshmen who made the varsity team in 2023. 'Addie shows up freshman year, and the first thing she says to me is, 'I forgot my shin guards,'' Ochsner said. DeCook, Ochsner and Welch attended middle school together. Sitzman went to a different school, so she was initially the new kid on the block. 'The first day of tryouts is when we first started meeting and talking,' Sitzman said. 'We were the only four freshmen on varsity, so it kind of helped us, like, 'This is our group. We need to stay together.' 'Everyone had each other's back. We were there for each other all the time.' All the while, they were talking. During the Naperville Invitational, the quartet were scouting Benet, which the Huskies would play the next day. It was cold, so they asked Naperville North public address announcer John Cole whether they could sit in the press box. Cole let them inside. The girls began a conversation about the game and other topics and talked continuously for well over an hour, prompting one witness to dub them 'the chattering class.' 'They made my teeth chatter,' Cole said. Cole, a chemistry teacher, had Sitzman in his class that year. But she never said a peep. 'She did not want to talk at all because she knew that if she did, I would ask her questions about chemistry,' Cole said. 'She didn't want that.' Sitzman, who laughingly agreed with Cole's recollection, continues to verbally lead the Huskies (3-1-2), and they appreciate her personality and talent. They have given up just three goals in six games. Ochsner recorded her third shutout of the season in Naperville North's 0-0 tie with Huntley on Wednesday. 'I would say we talk even more than we did freshman year,' Ochsner said. 'I wasn't that close with Addie when we first met, and now I feel that we're so much closer than we were before. 'That's helped our connection on the field, especially communicating. We can give friendly criticism, and it's not anything personal. We can all give it and take it back.' Sitzman, who is a three-year starter like DeCook and Ochsner, can play in the back and up front. She often does both in the same game and had a hat trick during the Huskies' 6-0 win over Downers Grove South on March 22. With three goals, Sitzman is tied for the team lead with DeCook, a Tennessee commit, and senior midfielder Kelly Wilson. 'Addie has always been great for us,' Welch said. 'Her versatility really makes her dangerous on the field. That really adds to the team because we know we can rely on her in multiple spots. And also our bond — we're all super close with Addie.' That happened quickly. 'Addie likes to say she didn't have friends coming on the team, but she does,' DeCook said. 'We became a family really fast.' Sitzman's sunny disposition is one reason. 'Addie is a special kid,' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. 'She's so fun to be around. I am blessed to have so many great kids, but Addie stands out in regards to just her outlook on life. She's always happy, always raising the spirits of this group. It makes me always happy when I'm around her.' Talk to any of Sitzman's teammates, and it doesn't take long for the stories to flow and the laughter to get loud. 'She has that innate ability to laugh at herself a lot, and we have so many moments in practice where we all kind of stop for a second and look at each other and laugh because it's Addie being Addie,' Goletz said. 'It's such an important dynamic. 'She's got such a great personality, but when the game starts, she'd cut her leg off for us to win. When you have kids that are able to lighten the moment, that's an important piece because I really feel like she is the glue that keeps this group together.' Sitzman takes great pleasure in that. 'I love high school soccer so much,' she said. 'It's so fun to play with my friends.'
