Hersey, Prospect renew rivalry
in very early league battle
By Dave Owen
Early Mid-Suburban League play has a game with huge significance Saturday.
Prospect (0-1-0) plays host to Hersey (1-1-0) in a 3 p.m. East Division showdown, an August renewal of a dramatic 2021 series between the two sides.
The clubs posted nearly identical conference records last fall -- Prospect went 7-2-2 and Hersey earned the Soccer Bowl berth with an 8-3-0 mark. The Knights won the regular-season matchup 2-1 on Sept. 30, but Hersey grabbed the Oct. 19 regional semifinal rematch 1-0.
Now the high stakes rivalry resumes, just six days into the regular-season.
“It is what it is,” Prospect coach Mike Andrews said. “It's early for us, but it's early for them too.
“The beginning of the season always brings a degree of experimentation, but this is a big MSL matchup, so we need to bring our best effort, regardless of how many games we have under our belt thus far.”
In the Knights’ case, that game total to date is one: a 1-0 loss Monday to Vernon Hills.
Hersey, ranked 48th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 state-wide poll, fell 4-1 to no. 2 New Trier in its opener Monday, but rebounded to top Crystal Lake South 2-0 Thursday.
“Having a conference game this early in the season will be an immediate reminder of how competitive MSL games are,” said Huskies coach Mike Rusniak, whose team plays its third-straight road match. “The boys are looking forward to conference play and know the importance of every result.
“It will be important for the leaders and experienced varsity players to develop the efficient rhythm that we need in a big match like this. It's also important for the team to embrace the atmosphere of a rivalry game and enjoy every minute.”
Prospect is also gearing up for the challenge.
“The tough part about facing Hersey is always breaking through their organized backline,” Andrews said, “Their team defense is always solid, and we will have to move the ball quickly and accurately to break that organization.
“It's something we struggled to do effectively against Vernon Hills, but we learned from it and have spent the week refining our approach.”
“Hersey vs. Prospect is always going to be an intense rivalry game any given year,” Rusniak said. “Prospect is a fast and disciplined team, and has quality players that need to be identified at all times.
“High Intensity and work rate are going to be extremely important in this game. We need to have control over our pace and tempo the whole game.”
Prospect begins a stretch of three games in four days Saturday.
“We have a core group of varsity returnees and several new faces, many of whom (five) are sophomores,” Andrews said. “The younger guys are getting more accustomed to the speed and physicality of the varsity game with each passing day.
“(Vernon Hills) was our first game so we were a bit panicky, and we were often trying to force the ball forward. We just need to relax, compose ourselves and get back to our passing game.”
Hersey has faced a pair of 2021 regional champions already, starting with a New Trier team that went 17-2-1 last fall.
“Playing a quality opponent like New Trier was an excellent opportunity for us to evaluate what areas we need to improve on, and what adjustments we need to make to be the most effective,” Rusniak said.
“Our intensity from the start was the best it has been, and that really helped with creating opportunities for scoring.
“Trust has been a big theme that we have been extremely focused on,” Rusniak added. “With a roster of new faces, trusting one another in every aspect of the game will determine the amount of success we have this season.”
Saturday will go far in determining the success the Knights and Huskies enjoy in the 2022 MSL title race.
History indicates a close one: Hersey won 2-0 in the spring of 2021, the only meeting of the last five between the schools decided by more than one goal.
“I expect a tough game against Hersey,” Andrews said. “It's always a close one with them, but that's what makes it fun. And I feel we are ready.”
Adding to the intrigue of the game is the battle for the Cardinal Cup. The in-season competition began last fall between Hersey, Prospect and Rolling Meadows.
The trophy commemorates Arlington High School, whose sports teams were nicknamed the Cardinals. After the school, which opened in 1922, was closed in 1984, its students filtered into each of the three new area high schools.
By virtue of Prospect’s draw with Rolling Meadows and victory over Hersey last season, the Knights are the first defenders of the Cup.
in very early league battle
By Dave Owen
Early Mid-Suburban League play has a game with huge significance Saturday.
Prospect (0-1-0) plays host to Hersey (1-1-0) in a 3 p.m. East Division showdown, an August renewal of a dramatic 2021 series between the two sides.
The clubs posted nearly identical conference records last fall -- Prospect went 7-2-2 and Hersey earned the Soccer Bowl berth with an 8-3-0 mark. The Knights won the regular-season matchup 2-1 on Sept. 30, but Hersey grabbed the Oct. 19 regional semifinal rematch 1-0.
Now the high stakes rivalry resumes, just six days into the regular-season.
“It is what it is,” Prospect coach Mike Andrews said. “It's early for us, but it's early for them too.
“The beginning of the season always brings a degree of experimentation, but this is a big MSL matchup, so we need to bring our best effort, regardless of how many games we have under our belt thus far.”
In the Knights’ case, that game total to date is one: a 1-0 loss Monday to Vernon Hills.
Hersey, ranked 48th in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 state-wide poll, fell 4-1 to no. 2 New Trier in its opener Monday, but rebounded to top Crystal Lake South 2-0 Thursday.
“Having a conference game this early in the season will be an immediate reminder of how competitive MSL games are,” said Huskies coach Mike Rusniak, whose team plays its third-straight road match. “The boys are looking forward to conference play and know the importance of every result.
“It will be important for the leaders and experienced varsity players to develop the efficient rhythm that we need in a big match like this. It's also important for the team to embrace the atmosphere of a rivalry game and enjoy every minute.”
Prospect is also gearing up for the challenge.
“The tough part about facing Hersey is always breaking through their organized backline,” Andrews said, “Their team defense is always solid, and we will have to move the ball quickly and accurately to break that organization.
“It's something we struggled to do effectively against Vernon Hills, but we learned from it and have spent the week refining our approach.”
“Hersey vs. Prospect is always going to be an intense rivalry game any given year,” Rusniak said. “Prospect is a fast and disciplined team, and has quality players that need to be identified at all times.
“High Intensity and work rate are going to be extremely important in this game. We need to have control over our pace and tempo the whole game.”
Prospect begins a stretch of three games in four days Saturday.
“We have a core group of varsity returnees and several new faces, many of whom (five) are sophomores,” Andrews said. “The younger guys are getting more accustomed to the speed and physicality of the varsity game with each passing day.
“(Vernon Hills) was our first game so we were a bit panicky, and we were often trying to force the ball forward. We just need to relax, compose ourselves and get back to our passing game.”
Hersey has faced a pair of 2021 regional champions already, starting with a New Trier team that went 17-2-1 last fall.
“Playing a quality opponent like New Trier was an excellent opportunity for us to evaluate what areas we need to improve on, and what adjustments we need to make to be the most effective,” Rusniak said.
“Our intensity from the start was the best it has been, and that really helped with creating opportunities for scoring.
“Trust has been a big theme that we have been extremely focused on,” Rusniak added. “With a roster of new faces, trusting one another in every aspect of the game will determine the amount of success we have this season.”
Saturday will go far in determining the success the Knights and Huskies enjoy in the 2022 MSL title race.
History indicates a close one: Hersey won 2-0 in the spring of 2021, the only meeting of the last five between the schools decided by more than one goal.
“I expect a tough game against Hersey,” Andrews said. “It's always a close one with them, but that's what makes it fun. And I feel we are ready.”
Adding to the intrigue of the game is the battle for the Cardinal Cup. The in-season competition began last fall between Hersey, Prospect and Rolling Meadows.
The trophy commemorates Arlington High School, whose sports teams were nicknamed the Cardinals. After the school, which opened in 1922, was closed in 1984, its students filtered into each of the three new area high schools.
By virtue of Prospect’s draw with Rolling Meadows and victory over Hersey last season, the Knights are the first defenders of the Cup.