Porters score twice late, beat T-Bolts for second-straight win

 

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By Curt Herron

It's a amazing what a big difference just a few minutes can make for a team's confidence.

That certainly proved to be the case for Lockport Township when it met up with Andrew on Tuesday.

The Porters and T-Bolts battled through 76 frustrating minutes and looked to be headed to a scoreless draw.

But just as that result appeared to be playing out, the Porters did something that has been rather elusive this season.

And that was to score not only one goal but two within a 70-second span, which helped them claim a 2-0 win in Lockport.

Robert Zieba scored both goals for the Porters (3-7-2), who put together their two-match winning streak of the campaign.

After scoring late to beat Lincoln-Way West 1-0 in its opener, LTHS struggled during a stretch where it went 0-7-2.

Coach Chris Beal's squad finally ended that drought last Thursday when they captured a 2-1 victory over Thornton.

Now they head into a weekend trip in St. Louis feeling that they'll be able to close out the year on a high note.

One of the reasons for such optimism is the team's defense, which has shown great improvement during recent weeks.

After giving up 17 goals in their first six matches, the Porters have allowed six in the last half dozen contests.

On Tuesday, LTHS recorded its second shutout of the season, with the other one coming its season opener.

Keeper Sebastian Matoniak stopped everything that came his way to earn the shutout victory for the hosts.

He benefited from the efforts of Luke Harnik, Jeff Milas, Louis Halper, Matt Muszynski and T.J. Buckley.

Harnik's move from his position from a year ago, keeper, to center defense has been a big key for LTHS.

"Last year I played the whole season as the starting goalkeeper but I had a little problem at the beginning of the season and Sebastian took over and he's doing a fabulous job and you can't ask someone to do a better job," Harnik said.

"Now I'm playing center defense with Jeff, Louis and Matt and I think we're going to keep it up back there. Our forwards, Louis Piccione and Rob Zieba, are also playing better and you couldn't ask for better midfielders than we have.

"We started the season off with some bad results but there was no way that we were going to let that continue. Now we're doing pretty well so I can't wait for our trip to St. Louis this weekend."

For the first part of the final half, neither squad generated much in the way of good scoring opportunities.

LTHS had the best chance at about the midway mark when Zieba sent a quick free toward Kristian Cockburn.

Cockburn moved the ball downfield and got off a close attempt but it was cleared by a T-Bolt defender.

A few minutes later, Andrew's Mike Schauer had a shot deflected by a defender to set up a corner kick.

Abel Trujillo's corner went to Jonathon Sustaita, whose long shot forced Matoniak to jump for the save.

Not long after that, Porter Wojtek Iwan and T-Bolt Kyle Busch exchanged attempts that were both denied.

After Zieba had a liner halted, Schauer's short try was cleared by Harnik with just over five minutes left.

The Porters finally connected in the 77th minute when Cockburn's cross found Zieba, who hit a close shot.

LTHS scored again in the 78th minute after Harnik's free kick was deflected to Zieba, who fired in a liner.

"Our team morale is high right now and we're on a winning streak and playing good together," Milas said. "Our coaches are excited and we're excited and are happy that we won some matches going to St. Louis.

"Earlier in the season we were switching players around and trying to find what position they were best at. But now we're playing good together and connecting passes and not turning the ball over as much.

"Luke and I are playing well together and on the opposite side, Louis always has Matt's back. I believe that our team is good, we just have to stick together like we have in the last couple of games."

The opening half featured few good opportunities as both squads struggled to connect on the wet grass field.

A corner kick from Halper and a short try from Zieba were the best Porter efforts in the first quarter hour.

In the next few minutes, Matoniak stopped a shot by Austin Stariha and pinched away a corner by Glorind Lisha.

LTHS had a few other good chances prior to halftime, with the first being a short attempt from Nick Castro.

Shortly before the break, Buckley and Harnik had shots halted and Zieba saw a try deflected by a defender.

"In the first half we let let Andrew dominate the play and control the possession," Beal said. "At halftime I told the guys that it was their turn to control possession and to play two- or three-touch.

"When we do that, we move the ball better with more speed and get behind defenders. It showed in the second half with us creating more chances and with Rob Zieba and Louis Piccione, we're going to finish.

"We shored things up in the back but couldn't score and it had been that kind of a season. But now we're getting a little more consistency with our lineup and now we get to play in St. Louis this weekend."

The Porter coach is understandably pleased by the way that his defense has improved in recent matches.

"We aren't conceding too many goals right now," Beal said. "We worked on our team's shape front to back, and whether we play four or five in the midfield, the back four has been more consistent.

"Luke who's a goalkeeper is now playing central defense and I think that was a good move to put him on the field and he's exited about that. He works hard all game, never gives up and is a leader."