Hilltoppers Post Third Consecutive Win

posted its third consecutive win on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Willowbrook, just 24 hours after tackling a big win.

The Hilltoppers took down one of the top soccer teams in the state—Lyons Township.

Glenbard West (5-4) beat the Lions 1-0 on Tuesday, the Lions are currently ranked No. 10 by the Chicago Sun-Times and No. 5 by the Chicago Tribune.

A Brendan Loftus goal in the second half put the Hilltoppers up on the Lions, and the boys in back and goalkeeper Zach Watson did the rest.

“They had the possession for most of the game but we kept fighting,” Watson said. “We got a clear opportunity in the second half and Brendan Loftus put it in off a corner. From there, we just fought to keep it out of our box.”

“Every second they had the ball we had to pressure, get on them as fast as we could, and just get it out. Most of their shots were from about twenty yards out,” said Watson.

West coach Maciek Kusmierz hopes the win over a ranked team gives his boys an added edge.

“From a motivational standpoint, that was good for the guys,” Kusmierz said. “We know that when we play a team of that caliber we have to be mentally ready, minimize our mistakes, and we have to be on top of our game in terms of determination, effort, and desire. I think that’s what won it for us yesterday, was our pure effort and determination.”

A soccer team can suffer a letdown after an emotionally and physically draining game like the one West played against LT, but they controlled possession for most of Wednesday’s win over visiting Willowbrook.

Shawn Herrera scored just 18 seconds into the second half on a nice give-and-go with teammate Zach Venzon before the Warriors tied the game on a Tito Cabral goal.

The Hilltoppers kept pressuring, and got the game-winner off the foot of Ruslan Seyfulov soon thereafter.

Seyfulov, Loftus, Herrera, and Ben Ruby were prominent in the attack throughout the contest, and the Hilltoppers’ backline of Anthony Sansone, Andrew O’Connell, Gonzalo Villa, and Aaron Griffin stayed strong against the Warriors’ counter-attacking threat.

“Our defense wasn’t as strong early in the season but now that we’ve got all of our players back I feel like we’re progressing,” Watson said. “We’re also getting some good chances up top and some of our young guys are finishing.”

Watson has three shutouts in the Hilltoppers’ last five games, and the senior keeper made a pair of exceptional stops on Wednesday.

“We always knew Zach had the potential to be a varsity player, even as a freshman,” Kusmierz said. “We brought him up to varsity as a sophomore and ever since then he has just continued to improve. This year he is really stepping up for us.”