Unbeaten Hersey, Hinsdale S.
square off in Hinsdale Invitational
By Derek Wolff
Hersey marches into Hinsdale South at 7:30 p.m. Thursday looking to keep its perfect record intact after back-to-back victories to open the new season.
The Huskies beat Glenbrook South 2-1 in their season opener before rolling over Brother Rice 3-1 on the road on Tuesday.
Still, Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn knows there’s plenty of room for improvement if his side wants a repeat of last year's success against Hinsdale South. And that improvement must start in the defensive third of the field.
“We are playing pretty consistently and haven't really been challenged in terms of our defense,” Llewellyn said. “The defense hasn't given up many chances so far, but we have been scored on in both games. I believe we will shore up that defense and not make the mistakes of the first two games. Campbell White is our senior defensive leader and he organizes and runs the show back there.”
With five goals scored through the first two games, Llewellyn was hopeful the scoring lanes will continue to develop as he continues to experiment with various formations. He has also been impressed by the number of goal scorers for the Huskies.
“On the attack, we are still trying to determine our formation and tactical approach,” Llewellyn said. We have had four different people score, so it's not like last year where we had two guys taking on the responsibility. We have speed and give great effort, so I think we will get looks in every game. But this is still evolving.”
Hinsdale South has experienced a number of changes player-personnel wise this season due to roster turnover and started the season last week with a home loss 3-1 against Wheaton Warrenville South.
In that game, the Hornets were able to ratchet up their intensity in the second half and looked better on the defensive side of the ball. They’ll need solid play in the defensive third against Hersey to come out with a victory.
Despite the changing tactics thus far, Llewellyn was confident that his side will adapt to play well against Hinsdale South and was excited for the long-term prospects this season.
“It's hard to tell what will happen this year, except that I believe we could become a very good team,” he said. “Nothing is settled at this point and I am playing many boys in the attempt to determine what we can do. It's always fun.”
Tim Griffin and George Boyle serve as captains for the Huskies while Michael Noble leads the Hornets.
Hersey won the meeting between the pair last year 3-1 in the same tournament.
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Where: Hinsdale South (7401 Clarendon Hills Road, Darien)