(Photo: Kate Daley earned MVP accolades for her work at flyhalf. Mike Nolan photo)

Chicago North Shore improved to 2-0 in DI's CR2, winning 47-5 on the road against the Minnesota Valkyries. The reigning club champions are second in the CR2 standings, as Detroit has an extra game under their belts and fattened their point differential with a three-digit win over Black Ice Saturday.

North Shore’s victory was even more impressive considering the trials they had to overcome en route to the match. While driving to Minneapolis, one car blew a tire and looked to be stranded. But then the other vehicles re-routed – some back-tracking across the state – and made sure that every player made it to the game. Instead of using the distraction as an excuse, the team embraced the experience to form and play by the mantra, “No one gets left behind.” The mentality proved to be very helpful on the field, as support play was spot-on and everyone worked together cohesively.

“Week two went really well for us, especially since we were traveling light and some people were playing out of position,” North Shore captain Jenny Lui said. “We also knew that the Valks had a lot of dangerous players, so we had to start strong and keep the pressure on.”

Kate Daley, who typically plays No. 8 for North Shore, moved to flyhalf for the day, and did an excellent job managing the game. She saw space well, made key breaks, and set up many of the tries. Liz Baker-Jennings put forth a noteworthy performance, tirelessly trekking across the field; and fullback Alison "Big Al" Friedheim put her fancy footwork to good use for two tries.

North Shore scored tries in the first half (Alexa Gomez, Friedheim and Lui) and four in the second (Friedheim, Jackie Endre, Ali Avgeris, Baker-Jennings), while Nicole Fisch slotted three conversions. The Minnesota Valkyries prevented the shutout with a Justina DeBruzzi five-pointer.

“The forwards deserve a lot of credit for creating momentum throughout the game,” Lui said. “They played a tough Valks pack well, had some really solid set pieces, and worked hard in the open field.”

North Shore hosts Black Ice this weekend. For some perspective: Detroit defeated Black Ice 107-5; North Shore defeated Detroit 34-5. So the potential for another big point differential awaits North Shore. The Minnesota Valkyries are still looking for their first win, and will try their hand against Detroit this Saturday.