Saxons still seeking that killer instinct
By Chris Walker

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There were a few reasons why Schaumburg High School wasn't the hot spot for sports entertainment on Thursday night.

For one, temperatures were only in the low 50s and a steady rain came down all evening.

There was also a huge baseball game on the south side of Chicago as the White Sox were slated to do battle for first place in the American League Central outright over Detroit.

Of course, poor weather and White Sox baseball weren't the biggest detractors; that came in form of the beloved Chicago Bears who were battling their long-time rivals - the Packers - in Green Bay.

Despite the wet and chilly weather, and a local professional landscape that was highlighted with pennant fever and a big NFL clash, a fair share of faithful fans (and their umbrellas) tuned in for the Mid-Suburban League battle between Fremd and Schaumburg to see the Vikings beat the Saxons, 1-0.

Fremd (2-6-2) scored the game winner in the 20th minute when junior Brock Vonholt displayed his powerful right leg, blasting a kick from 55-yards out.

With his teammates crashing toward the goal for a potential header or rebound attempt, they likely didn't give Schaumburg junior keeper Dan O'Connell a great view of the shot attempt, as it bounced off the wet turf and slid into the right side of the goal.

"It was kind of a fluke the way it bounced through," Fremd coach Steve Keller said. "His foot is impressive."

Vonholt came clean, saying that he wasn't aiming to try to break the shutout with a shot attempt from more than 50 yards away, but was only trying to put it within the penalty area where one of his teammates might've been able to persuade it into the net with a little personal body contact.

"Far post looked like the best chance for one of my teammates to get a head on it," Vonholt said. "I think they blocked the goalie's view a bit."

The Vikings may not have an impressive winning percentage, but that hasn't done anything to dissuade Keller from believing that he's got a competitive ball club. Perhaps more important is the fact that the Vikings haven't stopped believing, and now they're continuing to get better.

And they're seeing success.

"Our record doesn't reflect how we've played," Keller said. "I told them not to worry about the record because we've played some quality teams and been on the wrong end of the decisions that we've could've been on the other end of.

"They've been phenomenal despite the record and now they're starting to gain some confidence and to believe in what we're trying to do. Tonight I was pleased with their performance but they've still got a lot of room for growth."

The Vikings started eight seniors on Thursday so having that veteran leadership has most definitely been a huge plus despite the early-season losses piling up. The Vikings dropped matches to Buffalo Grove, Downers Grove South, Hinsdale Central and arguably the top team in the state, unbeaten Naperville Central.

The Vikings all four contests by a single goal apiece, and have undoubtedly learned valuable lessons every time they've taken the field and incorporated it into practice sessions.

"We took a lot out of those losses, especially by working on the mistakes we made," Vonholt said. "And we've worked hard in practice, which has brought the team together, but also have stayed loose. Even today on the bus ride here we had fun."

The fun will continue, especially if it brings more victories for the Vikings.

"We're getting much better every time out really," Fremd senior Lucas Cholewa said. "At the beginning of the season we weren't combining as much, but now we're running well together. We know each other a lot better and that's led us to play a lot better as a team."

Schaumburg (2-4-2) dropped its third game in succession.

"One team came out to battle and the other one didn't," Schaumburg coach Hamid Mehreioskouei said. "In our conference you have to come out every night and fight and tonight we didn't come out and play."

The Saxons have lacked a killer instinct this fall and Mehreioskouei is patiently waiting and wondering if it will arrive in time.

"No one is taking an initiative and understanding the sense of urgency," he said. "That's from me, too. These games are just too competitive to not take initiative. I know we have a lot of new players and it's taking them awhile to understand how you need to rise to the occasion and right now we're just not showing up for games."

The Saxons had a couple decent chances at scoring the equalizer late in the second half. Senior Kacper Wasilewski's attempt with 13:32 was stopped. Their final opportunity, which was arguably as good as any they had all game, came with only 50 seconds left.

Junior Alan Santana was awarded a free kick from 22 yards away but he appeared to rush his attempt, sending a low sinking liner off a Fremd defender. The ball caromed off a couple players before the Saxons were whistled for an offsides violation.

"When you play for 80 minutes you'll always get an opportunity here or there, it just happens that way," Mehreioskouei said. "If we want to start to get things going our way we're going to have to start working hard as a team. In the past that's how we've been successful."

It's apparent that a team can turn around quickly. Perhaps the Saxons will be rejuvenated soon, just like the Vikings have thanks to a couple victories.

"We had ball movement and created opportunities going forward, and that was the best we've seen all year," Keller said. "They're coming along and had a solid performance. We're still making far too many mental mistakes defensively that give the other team chances. It's not necessarily our backs, but everybody."

The teams didn't stick around long after the 80 minutes expired. Not that we were necessarily bothered by the steady rain that was still falling, after all, they were all saturated by that point.

"Ask any soccer player and they'll tell you that if it's between 40 and 60 degrees, they're happy," Keller said. "A little rain like this isn't a problem and playing on turf the rain didn't have much of an effect."

Maybe they just wanted to get home to dry off, finish their homework, or watch the Bears.