Kits Bounce GBN For 2-1 Soccer Win

The ball bounced Evanston’s way Tuesday night at Lazier Field.

And it’s the kind of a fortunate bounce that could decide the Central Suburban League South division soccer championship.

The Wildkits took one step closer to accomplishing that goal with a 2-1 conquest of Glenbrook North in a defensive duel that maybe only true soccer aficianados could really appreciate. Joseph Sargent’s goal with just over 5 minutes remaining in the contest secured the 11th straight win for the undefeated Wildkits this season.

Evanston, now 11-0-1 overall, improved to 3-0 in division play behind goals from Sargent and Cristiano Hamer. Glenbrook North converted the only real mistake ETHS made on defense the entire night for a game-tying goal in the 32nd minute , but fell out of the championship picture at 6-3-2 overall, 1-2 in the CSL South.

The hosts caught a break late in the second half when Orlando Tobin’s booming (and accurate) pass from midfield deflected off two GBN defenders --- and right to Sargent, who had slipped behind them simultaneously. The Evanston senior drilled a left-footed shot past Spartan goalkeeper Gil Meyers with 5 minutes, 3 seconds left on the scoreboard clock.

It was the team-best 15th goal of the season for Sargent, who didn’t have many opportunities against the Spartans up until that point.

“In my head, I kept thinking that a last-minute goal was going to save us,” said the senior forward. “So I just kept trying. When I got that chance, I pulled the trigger and thankfully, it went in.

“We didn’t play our game tonight. I don’t want to make excuses but it was because of the (wet) conditions. The field was really slippery, and that took us off our game. But we still played amazing.”

“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to win,” said ETHS head coach Franz Calixte. “We’re lucky we got this win. That was a lucky bounce, but it was still a great finish by Joseph. He came downhill on that play and put it in. The soccer gods smiled for us tonight. We gave GBN a gift on their goal, and we received a gift, too.

“That was one of our best games on defense this season. We’re playing very strong defensively and we’re continually improving, too. GBN isn’t really known for its attacking prowess, but we were able to decrease the number of shots they were able to get off. No one’s breaking us down this year defensively and overall we’re starting to feel a cohesiveness back there. This win felt like a shutout.”

Most of the dangerous opportunities for North, which finished 4th in the Class 3A state tournament a year ago, came off the accurate (and long) throw-ins from standout Chase Peterson. But ETHS goalie Finn Kramer-Mann was only required to make 3 saves for the winners as the defense led by senior Kingston Scrim was rock solid throughout.

Evanston surrendered the tying goal when usually reliable center back Max Gentry whiffed on his attempt to trap the ball at his own 15-yard line, and North’s Manny Salto immediately pounced on the ball and shot it into the back of the net.

The Wildkits were minus the services of one of their top defenders, George Lewis, who suffered a toe injury last Saturday in a win in Wisconsin. But Calixte has been able to rotate in a half dozen different defenders this fall with no drop-off in performance on the back line, a tribute to the team’s depth.

Finn Lennon switched from the left side of the defense to the right side in Lewis’ absence Tuesday and Iyanuo Jolaoluwa contributed some precise passing in a rare start for the senior.

Scrim, who provides a physical presence that can be traced to his hockey background even though he isn’t the biggest player on the back line, contributed a couple of game-changing plays to thwart GBN’s rare threats.

After a flurry that Wildkit fans thought had produced the go-ahead goal midway through the second half --- an apparent rebound shot by Johnny O’Carroll was nullified by a whistle --- Scrim chased down Salto with a sliding tackle that knocked the ball out of danger.

And in the last 7 minutes, the plucky defender absorbed a foul that kept Jackson Lee of North from a possible breakaway attempt, and he also stripped Lee of the ball near the goal with about two minutes left in the contest.

Right after that, the Wildkits had to play the last 1:41 short-handed when Hamer was tagged with his second yellow card of the game --- resulting in an automatic red card and his ejection. He won’t be available for Thursday’s showdown at Glenbrook South.

“Kingston had a great game for us tonight,” Calixte praised. “Those hockey guys really bring toughness and they know all the angles out there. They’re really good at that. I thought the defense was really locked in tonight.”