Hersey storms back, stings Saxons in OT
By Mike Garofola

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Overtime has been very, very good for Hersey of late.

For the second time in less than a week, the Huskies (5-3-0) found the extra session game-winner to earn three points and a spot on top of the MSL East table over rival Rolling Meadows, which lost 2-1 to Barrington.

Nikola Vukovic's 88th-minute strike on Tuesday spoiled the evening for visiting Schaumburg, which opened fast but then struggled to keep its form after the home side roared back to draw even, thanks to a frenzied second half of soccer that saw the tension build with each deep touch in both sides’ end.

"I was a little concerned we were too confident going in after coming off a big OT win over Barrington, then a hard-fought 2-1 win against Wheeling,” Hersey coach Darren Llewellyn said. “It was just a sense I was having leading up to tonight. And of course, we came out and just played poorly. I mean, just horrible.

"We couldn't put a pass together if we had to, and we defended about as badly as a team could, especially on their two first-half goals."

Llewellyn challenged his lads at the break, and it apparently did the trick.

"Oh yeah, coach really let us have it at the half but we deserved it," said Vukovic, who caught some good natured abuse from Llewellyn after the Huskies’ cool down.

"I should have scored at least two others - I know that - but I’m thankful I was able to finish when we really needed it."

The Saxons (2-3-2, 2-2-0) created a good number of scoring chances, particularly in the first 40 minutes when they dominated the run of play for long periods, leading up to a second Christian Huerta goal that doubled their lead heading into the intermission.

"It was a terrific first half for us, and why wouldn't it be? We clearly had eighty percent of the possession, we were creating chances, we defended, and our keeper (Dan) O'Connell made a couple of nice saves for us," began Saxons head coach Hamid Mehreioskouei.

"But when you have a team down two goals to none and don't put your foot on their throat and finish them off, bad things can happen. And tonight you saw just that.

"This team right now doesn't have that kind of killer instinct, and in order for us to be there at the end of the season, they're going to have to find that in them to survive the playoffs."

Huerta swooped in and easily slotted past Hersey keeper Irving Velasquez, after a freekick sent in by Alan Santana that Raul Alcala kept alive inside the box, just 5 minutes into the match.

After the early goal it was all Schaumburg, with Santana, Alcala, Huerta, Kacper Wasilewski and Carlos Sarasti all helping cut a swatch through the Huskies to keep them on their heels and defending to keep the Saxons out of the back of the net.

Velasquez would be forced into a full extension dive to turn around a Wasilewski drive, and later the Huskies keeper watched his backline mates clear a ball of the line, served in by Wasilewski.

John Cappuccitti would record both shots on frame at O'Connell in the first half hour until Vukovic crushed the near post with a wicked smash in the 29th minute.

This would come moments after the Saxons were guilty of an offsides goal.

"I don't know why but we just played so bad as a team in that first half," admitted Vukovic, who also sent Alex Mueller through with a superb pass that found the junior running out of the back, only to see Mueller’s shot saved by O'Connell.

It would become 2-0 in the 32nd minute when Santana played a ball into the box and AJ Syvertson would then lay off a perfect set-up helper to Huerta who buried his shot past a helpless Velasquez.

Syvertson would clear a potential goal off the line as the first period ended after Cappuccitti, Ryan Nuebling and Vukovic orchestrated a fine counter, but the second half began almost as poorly for the Huskies as the first when, just after the break, Santana's serve from the right side was nearly met by Huerta at an unguarded back post.

However, Dan Gramer would bring the Huskies back from the dead with a brilliant strike, an absolute cracker from 35 yards that exploded into the back of the net, high into the upper right corner.

Llewellyn and Vukovic agreed that Gramer’s goal brought the Huskies some much-needed life.
 
It nearly become an even match three minutes later when a loose ball fell to Hersey’s Steven Barrios, who surged up the left side but was stopped by O'Connell, who went far off his line to turn away Barrios' close-range blast.

This sequence seemed to be all the Huskies would need as the presence of Vukovic, Cappuccitti, Gramer and Charlie Davenport in the Saxons end made an immediate impact in the swing of the run of play, which turned completely in favor of the home side for the next 20 minutes, until Cappuccitti poured in the equalizer.

In between, Wasilewski, Santana, Huerta and freshmen Jessie Lopez helped the Saxons’ side go close with a few chances, the best coming at 54 minutes when a header from Huerta was blocked on the way in.

But the middle part of the second half belonged to Hersey.

Cappuccitti would spray a shot over the bar, and then Vukovic beat the Saxons’ trap before sending a shot wide.

Later, Cappuccitti fashioned a nice chance for Vukovic, and if not for a sturdy tackle from Mike Ralston, the Huskies' senior could have had Velasquez all to himself in close.

The onslaught continued until Cappuccitti teed up a shot which he curled up and over Velasquez to finally level the score in the 68th minute.

"We tried doing some things in our end to tighten things up, such as moving (Wasilewski) into the back line, but we just didn't defend the way we should have," said Mehreiouskouei, who continues to be without one of the best in the business in Christian Mikalowski, who is currently rehabbing an injury.

With everything going the Huskies' way, Schaumburg nearly stunned its host in the closing moments of regulation when Santana found Wasilewski with a corner kick. But Wasilewski quickly sent in a ball to Sarasti that failed to connect.

As the second overtime period approached, it would be Vukovic to the rescue when a ball fell to the opportunistic striker. This time, he wouldn't miss the target.

"I had missed so many chances tonight, so I knew all I had to do was use a nice easy touch to put it into the back of the net,” Vukovic said.

"If they go up 3-0, I am not sure we come back to get this win, especially with the way we were playing in that first half," Llewellyn said. "It's been kind of a funny week or so of soccer for us.

"We're up 1-0 against a very good Lincoln-Way East club with 4 minutes to go, and we lose 2-1. Then we come back and get a hard fought (2-1) win in OT against Barrington, before getting past Wheeling by the same score, and Wheeling is a team which has some very good technical, attacking players.

"I don't know what to make of tonight, except I am happy with the win, but we've got to get some things cleaned up if we hope to continue to stay on top of the things."

The Saxons will have their hands full Thursday when they host Fremd, which on Tuesday earned its first three points in the league after its victory over Wheeling.

"Fremd is always a touch opponent, we saw them play a terrific second half of soccer against Peoria Notre Dame at our tournament last Saturday, so we've got to be ready to play on Thursday," said Mehreiouskouei.