Knights clinch MSL East with win over Conant

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By Mike Garofola

Prospect booked their place in the 2011 MSL Cup after its hard-earned 2-0 victory Wednesday afternoon in Mt. Prospect, giving the Knights their second trip in three seasons to the long-running championship match, as MSL East champions.

Richard Lenke effectively sealed the historic victory when he put his club 2-0 in the 62nd minute, after teammate Bill Cooney put his 17th of the season into the back of the net just before intermission to score the actual game-winner.

"This is one of the things we've all been working really hard to accomplish, and although it wasn't the best of soccer out there today, we still got the win we were looking for to get us into the MSL Cup," Cooney said.

Cooney was all smiles after he and his teammates dispatched a gritty side from Conant (3-5-1), which came to the park shorthanded after losing Curtis King for the season with a broken ankle, and then lost Billy Belmonte, who was unable to go after a 50-50 tackle with Lenke in the first half ended his day abruptly.

"I am proud of how we played out there today, despite being without (Curtis), then Billy, and with a different look in our lineup, and a handful of players up from the jayvee to help fill out our roster," Cougars coach Jason Franco said.

"We're still without Michael (Natalino), and we hope to get him back soon, and about all we can do is concentrate on trying to get healthy, and finishing strong, and then maybe picking up some momentum here in the final week and have it carry through once we hit the postseason."

After a long dry spell which saw the Knights’ soccer program missing from the guest list of the MSL Cup after making its first appearance ever in 1994, the club finally made it through in 2004, when it lost in the rain to Barrington 2-1, and once again in 2009 against Palatine.

"It's kind of amazing to think that we're undefeated in 15 matches this season,” Cooney said. “I would have never imagined we could have a record like that. But I always knew this team was capable of playing the way we have, winning the division and a place in the MSL Cup."

Cooney’s all-important goal at 38 minutes lifted the home-side and dashed the visitors’ hopes, after giving their hosts a good battle for the first 40 minutes.

"It was tough losing Curtis to a very bad ankle injury, and with him being gone, it really kind of disrupted what he, Billy and I had began to develop along the back," began senior Dan Ruzich.

"(King) was finally back in form after an earlier injury (to his other ankle) and the three of us were playing with a lot of confidence, and getting forward in the attack, and then when Billy went out in the first half, it only made things that much worse, since we had to move some guys around here and there."

Conant would enjoy the better run of play during the first quarter hour, despite a lack of solid possession soccer, much of that due to the sloppy turf from nearly a week of rain. The Cougars quartet of Kevin Quinn, James Blonde, Gio Rocha and Tristan Conrad all were running hard, and winning balls in the middle of the park to help neutralize their counterparts from Prospect (13-0-2, 7-0-1) while keeping things in the host’s end.

"We didn't generate any dangerous opportunities, but we kept pressuring them on occasion,” Franco said. “But I thought their no. 19 (Matthew Burikas) did a very good job of cleaning things up, and making sure nothing turned into a scoring chance for us.”

In one of its rare bright moments of attack in the first half, the Knights nearly connected when Stefano Dolomas put a ball over the Conant defense and almost onto the foot of a streaking Cooney. If not for an alert Ruzich, who retrieved smartly to head away the Dolomas serve, Cooney would have been in on Cougars keeper Sean Cox.

Cooney would steer his 20-yard freekick blast through the Conant wall and on frame to force Cox to save just a few minutes later, giving way to the game's best chance to that point when Lenke tricked his way past two marks, only to see his hopeful shot go wide of Cox to keep things goal-less at 25 minutes.

The Knights finally grabbed the lead when Joe Tuczak won the ball just inside the mid-line and quickly played forward to Cooney, who did the rest by going low with enough pace past Cox in the 38th minute.

"Those goals just before the half are real killers," admitted Ruzich. "But I thought we came out really strong after the break, and were down in their end early in the second half, but we've had so much trouble finishing, and today wasn't any different."

With starting keeper Brad Reibel giving way to teammate Christian Talbot after intermission, the Cougars' hopes may have been fueled by the change, but the senior did well to stand his ground under some initial pressure from the visitors, which included a drive by Conrad from in close and a well-driven serve to the back post from Ruzich, in which Talbot stayed with in order to pull out of the air.

Blonde would set up one final chance for the Cougars when he found the head of Ruzich, but his redirected attempt would end up in the gloves of Talbot in the 50th minute.

"Conant came out us pretty hard after the break, but we defended well and held our shape, even when they put us on our heels, and slowly we began to possess and control the play, leading up to Richard's goal, which was a big one for us," Prospect coach Kurt Trenkle said.

Alex Schnepf, who delivered several quality corners for the home-side, created a try for Avi Chitman, whose strike was stopped by Cox at the hour mark. Two minutes later, after a scramble in the midfield, Cooney picked out Lenke, who would guide his third goal of the season into the back of the net with a deft touch.

"Maybe tired legs caught up with us in the second half after back-to-back hard fought matches (Conant lost in OT on Tuesday to Fremd),” Franco said. “But whatever the reason, we just cannot finish right now, and if we can begin to find a way to do so, it will help our play on both sides of the ball.”

For Trenkle and his club, the celebration of its advancement into the MSL Cup will be short-lived, as three more conference games await the Knights in the days leading up to the October 13th match against either Schaumburg, Fremd or Barrington, who are both still alive in the MSL West, despite Schaumburg's comfortable lead in the division.

"This is all well-deserved for the guys, and it's great to reach the first of many goals they have set for themselves,” Trenkle said. “But there's still a lot of work and soccer ahead of us.”