Wheaton North, Huntley
seek 1st win in Hillner Classic
When: 1 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 30)
Where: Lake Park East Campus (600 Medinah Rd, Roselle)
Team tournament results: Wheaton N. (0-0-1, 1-1 tie vs. St. Francis), Huntley (0-1-0, 4-1 loss to Lake Park)
By Derek Wolff
Two frustrated sides want their to gain their first tournament win on the second day of the Hillner Classic hosted by Lake Park.
In Thursday’s opener, Wheaton North played to a frustrating 1-1 draw against St. Francis.
The Falcons fell behind 1-0 in the first half after conceding a free kick but rallied to even it up in the second. Afterward they created a number of chances to win.
Head coach Tim McEvilly hopes his team will bring the same intensity against Huntley on Saturday.
“Last night we held the ball 80 to 90 percent of the game,” McEvilly said. “We had lots of shots on goal; lots of opportunities, our kids did an excellent job of putting defensive pressure on St. Francis. ... I don’t know if we could have created more chances than we did last night.”
The Falcons have an experienced lineup with 13 seniors on the roster. They include co-captains Aaron Deeke in the midfielder and defender Zach Oslund.
Last season, McEvilly preached that every player should expect to lead the team and decided to not elect captains. Midway through the season and in the midst of a losing streak, he relented and allowed the players to choose captains. Deeke and Oslund were named as juniors and have retained the role.
The chemistry the Falcons have generated by playing together and gaining experience is mirrored in the Huntley side they’ll face tomorrow.
McEvilly was quick to praise the feeder programs that the Red Raiders have developed and knows his side will be in for a challenge.
“They are a very physical team, extraordinarily well organized in the back,” he said. “They’ve got a good group that has a lot of experience playing in the system.”
Huntley suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of host Lake Park on Thursday and struggled in a number of areas, particularly in back.
“We really fell apart in the defensive areas,” head coach Kris Grabner said. “You’ve got to give Lake Park a lot of credit; a lot of what they did caused that, but we looked like a completely different team than we did in our first game.”
Grabner said his side was able to observe part of Wheaton North’s opener and was impressed with the Falcons spacing on defense.
“We expect to have our hands full tomorrow,” he said. “We know we’ve got to come out and shore up the details on our own end before we get concerned with theirs.”
The two sides were scheduled to meet in this tournament last season but the game was rained out.
seek 1st win in Hillner Classic
When: 1 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 30)
Where: Lake Park East Campus (600 Medinah Rd, Roselle)
Team tournament results: Wheaton N. (0-0-1, 1-1 tie vs. St. Francis), Huntley (0-1-0, 4-1 loss to Lake Park)
By Derek Wolff
Two frustrated sides want their to gain their first tournament win on the second day of the Hillner Classic hosted by Lake Park.
In Thursday’s opener, Wheaton North played to a frustrating 1-1 draw against St. Francis.
The Falcons fell behind 1-0 in the first half after conceding a free kick but rallied to even it up in the second. Afterward they created a number of chances to win.
Head coach Tim McEvilly hopes his team will bring the same intensity against Huntley on Saturday.
“Last night we held the ball 80 to 90 percent of the game,” McEvilly said. “We had lots of shots on goal; lots of opportunities, our kids did an excellent job of putting defensive pressure on St. Francis. ... I don’t know if we could have created more chances than we did last night.”
The Falcons have an experienced lineup with 13 seniors on the roster. They include co-captains Aaron Deeke in the midfielder and defender Zach Oslund.
Last season, McEvilly preached that every player should expect to lead the team and decided to not elect captains. Midway through the season and in the midst of a losing streak, he relented and allowed the players to choose captains. Deeke and Oslund were named as juniors and have retained the role.
The chemistry the Falcons have generated by playing together and gaining experience is mirrored in the Huntley side they’ll face tomorrow.
McEvilly was quick to praise the feeder programs that the Red Raiders have developed and knows his side will be in for a challenge.
“They are a very physical team, extraordinarily well organized in the back,” he said. “They’ve got a good group that has a lot of experience playing in the system.”
Huntley suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of host Lake Park on Thursday and struggled in a number of areas, particularly in back.
“We really fell apart in the defensive areas,” head coach Kris Grabner said. “You’ve got to give Lake Park a lot of credit; a lot of what they did caused that, but we looked like a completely different team than we did in our first game.”
Grabner said his side was able to observe part of Wheaton North’s opener and was impressed with the Falcons spacing on defense.
“We expect to have our hands full tomorrow,” he said. “We know we’ve got to come out and shore up the details on our own end before we get concerned with theirs.”
The two sides were scheduled to meet in this tournament last season but the game was rained out.