Griffin scoring woes continue in loss to rival Knights

 

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By Chris Walker

Lincoln-Way East concluded its tour of District 210 schools when it hosted Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday for a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover.

On a rainy evening in Frankfort, the visiting Knights shut out the Griffins by a 2-0 score in the oldest of the Lincoln-Way rivalries.

The Griffins finished 1-2 against their fellow Lincoln-Way schools. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Lincoln-Way West last week and beat Lincoln-Way North 1-0 on Saturday.

East (4-6-4) continues to struggle offensively. In their last eight matches, the Griffins have been shutout four times and only managed one goal on three other occasions.

"We've got to get this fixed up because it's getting old," Griffins coach Brian Papa said.

"We've got to do something with the offense. I've tried multiple things and somehow, someway, someone has to take the bull by the horns and put the ball on the frame."

The Griffins have managed just a single goal in their last three matches.

"It really changes the game when you get that first goal and that's what we need to get," Griffins defender Michael Roth said.

"I think we're close. We do have a good team and we're looking forward to the rest of the season."

The visitors won nearly every 50/50 ball and controlled the midfield.

"I know they were one step faster and won 90 percent of the 50/50 balls in the air and when you're not winning the midfield play you're not going to win many games," Papa said.

"They've got so much speed up there. They're a handful. They work hard, God bless them, and they did a great job, while we're a work in progress."

East might not be getting many wins these days, but it's not from a lack of effort.

"We had opportunities in the first half and when you've got as many restarts as we had, you've got to do something," Papa said.

"But give credit where credit is due. They outplayed us, they beat us to every 50/50 ball and they had strong goalkeeping."

Central (11-2-1) took a 1-0 lead into halftime on a goal from junior C.J. Zuraitis.

"The kid outworks everyone on the field," Knights coach Sean Fahey said. "That's been our identity this year.

"Coming in, no one was going to do us any favors. We're a solid team, but we're a really dangerous team when we're all working together."

The Knights most definitely put it all together to score what proved to be the only goal they would need.

Senior captain Conor Bartuch had the ball on the end line, dribbled past a couple defenders and crossed the ball.

Meanwhile, Zuraitis outran his man, caught up to the cross and connected on a header to the back post.

Zuraitis also scored in the second half to provide the Knights with some insurance.

After East's Antony Cetera had a shot saved by keeper Mike Dybala, the Knights quickly worked the ball upfield, creating a breakaway opportunity for Zuraitis with 33:40 remaining.

"East is our favorite team to play. It's the biggest rivalry around," Zuraitis said. "We love nothing more than just to beat them."

While the Knights' record attests their strong season, the Griffins continue to struggle to find their identity. Time is now running out, with the conference season taking off this week.

"I think it boils down to finding the right combination," Papa said. "One of these boys is going to step up and it takes one of them to get going and everyone is suddenly happy."

There was a ray of light spotted last Saturday in the 1-0 victory over the Phoenix.

"We scored the one good goal early and it held up and then we came over here and we didn't get any opportunities," Papa said.

"They thwarted everything we could throw at them. We went to a 3-5-2 and got the ball down there, but nothing, we didn't get a shot."

The rainy conditions, combined with the rivalry, resulted in a 36-foul match.

"It's sloppy but not really a mean game," Papa said. "With that many fouls you're looking for a blood fest, but it was calm. The yellow cards that were issued were deserved and there weren't that many."

Just another typical hard fought game against Lincoln-Way schools.

"Lincoln-Way versus Lincoln-Way is always going to be physical and emotional," Fahey said. "I think the rain scared some of the fans away, but it's always going to be a tough game."