Lancers win third straight against Wheaton North
By Bill Stone

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Last soccer season, Lake Park junior Gustavo Contreras received plenty of experience playing sweeper for the junior varsity.

That defensive lineup also included senior stopper Joe DeSario, senior outside defender Dom Azzolin and juniors Zach Czesak and Stephen Mack splitting time in goal.

Now they’re part of the Lancers’ almost completely new varsity lineup under first-year head coach Anthony Passi.

“We knew (starting together) was going to be a possibility because all of the seniors obviously were going to go,” Contreras said. “We knew that some of us were going to have to be the corps back there and step it up and be leaders and help the team. So far it’s been going well. We hope it keeps going that way.”

On Saturday afternoon, the defense posted its second straight shutout while the Lancers won their third in a row by edging Wheaton North 1-0 in Roselle as part of Lake Park’s annual early-season tournament.

Senior midfielder James Proctor scored the lone goal for the Lancers (3-1) with 15 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the first half.

Meanwhile, Lake Park’s defense of allowed just two shots on goal by the Falcons (0-2-1) for the game – a long roller in the first half and a great one-touch shot by unmarked junior outside midfielder Julian Robertson about 10 minutes into the second half that went right to Czesak.

“For some reason, we find a way. (Our guys) play with a lot of heart. There’s no quit in these kids,” Passi said. “We graduated a lot of seniors, a lot of starters. I think we got just about everybody in (to play) today. What I like is if I sub somebody, I don’t think we miss a beat. It’s nice to have fresh leg and keep that pressure on.”

Every team plays four games in the seven-team tournament, which has been renamed the Hillner Classic after longtime Lake Park coach Norm Hillner, who retired as the varsity head coach in 2011 after 28 seasons in two tenures as head coach dating back to 1980 and from teaching at the school.

Lake Park won its tournament opener 1-0 over Conant Thursday night after losing its season opener 2-0 at Addison Trail Aug. 20 and beating Streamwood the next day at home 2-1. The Addison Trail game was halted at halftime because of lightning.

The Lancers conclude a stretch of six consecutive home games with their final two tournament rounds against Glenbard East at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 and Buffalo Grove at 9 a.m. Sept. 1.

“It’s nice to finish (off with a victory), especially when you have (you own tournament),” said Passi, who has coached in Lake Park’s program since 2000. “It’s nice to go (further) into the tournament, just to be in this position (with a 2-0 record).”

Wheaton North coach Bryce Cann is seeing progress, but the Falcons still are seeking their first victory and first goal. They lost their tournament opener to Buffalo Grove 6-0 Thursday after a scoreless tie at home with Stagg in Monday’s season opener. Lightning also forced that game to be stopped at halftime.

“The big concern after (Buffalo Grove) was just that we didn’t play with the pace and intensity that you need to when you play varsity soccer,” Cann said. “I think today we did a nice job demonstrating we could come and play an 80-minute match with that type of intensity. That’s a big positive for us.”

Lake Park trailed 11-9 in total shots but dominated in quality chances and 10-1 in corner kicks thanks, in part, to a quickly maturing defense. Especially with inexperienced varsity lineups and 90-degree weather, both teams substituted liberally.

Contreras, the lone junior on the back line, has remained at sweeper, and Azzolin has stayed at outside left defender. DeSario has moved to outside right defender, and senior Dillon Hock is at stopper.

Sophomore outside defender Kris Lopez provided some breaks off the bench. Czesak and Mack have been switching games at goalie.

“We’re lucky because three of the four guys played together on JV so we know each other pretty well,” Contreras said. “That helps with communication, knowing where the guy is going to be and knowing who is going to step up and all of that stuff. The guys played great today.”

There’s the added benefit that Passi was the JV head coach in 2011 and that group comprises most of this year’s varsity. Now the Lancers have scored four unanswered goals, dating back to the Streamwood victory.

“(Contreras is) like the anchor back there. I was looking to put him at midfield, but he is just a fantastic defender. He’s aggressive, makes good decisions back there,” Passi said. “(Wheaton North) definitely was there. They were definitely playing hard, physical.
Whatever opportunities they had, I think we kind of shut them down.”

Proctor saw few varsity minutes last year in mop-up time and even managed to score a goal in a season-opening 5-0 victory over Addison Trail. He already has two this season.

“I went down to JV just to work on skills and get more playing time. I knew the seniors were all going to leave and I wanted to be with the guys I was going to be playing with this year,” Proctor said.

Proctor’s first goal came was a header off a cross to the far post just a couple of minutes after Streamwood scored to force a 1-1 tie. Senior Cassidy Fauser later scored the game winner.

Saturday’s occurred amid just a second of confusion. Sophomore Oliver Horgan crossed the ball towards Proctor near the upper right-corner of the box, but it was thwarted by a Wheaton North defender. After a slight hesitation that a handball might be called, Proctor regained possession and tucked a shot into the lower right corner of the net.

“Everything paused for a second because no one was sure if we had advantage of not. You just play through the whistle,” Proctor said.“(The defender) handballed it, but we had the advantage, so I just came in lefty, (like Brian) McBride -- toe-poked it there, got some post. It was nice. I was just happy it went in.

“The ball’s in front of the net at the 18 (yard line), you just go for it.”

“From my vantage point, I wasn’t really sure how it happened,” Cann said.  “That play was a bit of a slow-motion play for me because (Proctor) was dribbling east-west and then all of a sudden he lets one fly from about 25 yards out and it trickles into the back of the net.”

From Passi’s point of view from the other side of the field, the Lancers nearly scored first with 23 minutes left in the first half. Junior Sean Lang’s blast just outside the box off a pass from Azzolin went off the top of the crossbar and out of play.

“(To me) it looked like it was going in. Going against the wind, he put something behind it,” Passi said.

Wheaton North began gained consistent offensive pressure near the end of the half, but Lake Park nearly scored two minutes into the second half when Proctor headed Joe Keane’s corner kick over the goal.

Just when the Lancers appeared to have regained the momentum, Robinson got open on the right-wing post for a cross by Danny Norton. Robinson struck the volley well but Czesak was there for the stop.

“Your heart just drops on those because you’re just running around and hustling and it’s just like one play, you lose the guy for a second, they can score. That was a good save on Czesak’s part,” Contreras
said.

“Danny played a great ball across, and it was times perfectly. Everything was spot on and he kept it on frame, which is what you want,” Cann said. “The keeper made a nice reaction save. Sometimes it bounces out, sometimes it deflects, sometimes it goes in. The keeper made a nice play on it.”

Lake Park returns just four players with significant varsity experience – Hock, junior midfielder Joe Keane, senior midfielder Mason Wieclawek and senior forward Konrad Malyszko.

Keane, who scored against Conant, Hock and Azzolin are tri-captains. Oliver Huerta would have been a returning starter at center midfield, but he transferred to Streamwood, and the Lancers got to see him when the teams met.

“Streamwood knocked the ball around nice, but the big thing was we were like the Berlin Wall. They could not get through our defense,” Passi said. “Our biggest thing after the first couple of games is finding a way to combine between our midfielders and forwards, be a bit more dangerous in that final third (of the field).”

Wheaton North’s roster has 14 underclassmen, seven of which started Saturday, with only three returning juniors from varsity. Cann said key starters among the six seniors have been central defender Brooks Jay and center midfielder Isaac Roberts.

“I’ve been real impressed with the leadership so far to try and bring a younger group along,” Cann said. “The returning guys have been doing a great job of just trying to acclimate everybody to what it’s like, but you can’t replicate real well in training all of the time. The games this week have been real good from that vantage point.”

Passi has 25 years of high-school coaching experience, but this is his first stint as a varsity head coach since the 1997-98 school year with the De La Salle boys and Maria girls.

As a lower-level coach at Barlett for two years and Lake Park, Passi also was able to coach his children’s teams for youth soccer and other sports and follow his daughter’s club gymnastics.

Passi talked with Hillner Saturday morning about the tournament, but Hillner remains busy as the new Director of Operations for the Northwestern University men’s soccer program.

“I’m 45 and how many more years do I have as an opportunity to be a head coach? I think the time is right, and hopefully I can finish my career being a head coach,” Passi said.

“Nothing’s really changed for me (coaching wise). I don’t know if anything’s different. It’s just maybe more personal responsibility. I’ve got to be here at 8 in the morning for the tournament, whereas in the past, the game is at 1 p.m. and I show up at noon. It’s my name on it now more than anything else.”