Herrera ties Maine West record with 3 more goals
Nelson Herrera was at it again, and a Maine West defense led by Jonathan Schmitz kept a quality boys soccer squad from Chicago Taft out of the net in a 4-0 nonconference victory Monday night in Des Plaines.
Herrera, who poured in 4 goals in last week’s matchup against rival Maine East, struck twice just before intermission, then completed the hat trick in the second half to tie his own single-season goal-scoring record for the program at 25.
Maine West’s Miguel Lopez finished off the scoring with a late PK conversion to give the Warriors their eighth victory of the year.
“It was good to get another win tonight, but we didn’t match the intensity and focus we had for (Maine East), and that’s something we cannot do if we expect to do well when it really counts,” said Schmitz is a co-captain along with Herrera for coach Alan Matan.
“Jonathan has done a nice job in the back for us this season, keeping together a brand new unit while being the vocal leader a young and inexperienced team really needs,” said Matan. “I agree with what he said about the way we played tonight.”
“Taft, which I thought was a very good team, won nearly every 50-50 on the night, outworked us and had the run of the play for long periods of the game. We were so one-dimensional, which isn’t the way we play. So we’ll have to get back at it in training tomorrow and try to get back to where we need to be.”
The visiting Eagles (4-5-1), who recently won three games in the Vernon Hills tourney en route to a second-place finish, had an early sniff of the goal when Miguel Pena, clearly one of the best players on the pitch, took a ball from over the top from David Knurek in the seventh minute but dragged his shot over the bar.
Pena and teammate Denio Basha, who steered the Eagles’ attack, ran some slick combination play — especially after the break, when Kamil Borowski made his mark on the game at midfield for Taft coach Christine Medunycia.
“Our heart was tested when we conceded those two late goals before the break, but we didn’t give in, and I thought we came out an dominated most of the play in the second half,” said Medunycia, “but we didn’t have what Maine West, has and that’s someone who can finish.”
Herrera had enough pace on his header to go over keeper Piotr Klimek, who came perhaps too far off his line when he saw Jason Gonzalez’s serve over the Eagles’ back line. Herrera doubled the Warriors’ lead two minutes later, just as the first half was nearing an end, only this time Klimek didn’t have a chance to save.
The Warriors lost their best defensive midfielder, Danny Silva, to injury at 51 minutes. Starting back Edgar Felix also was lost in the 55th minute to injury, and the Eagles, whose confidence was building with each touch, kept possession in the Warriors’ end for most of the next 10 minutes — until Herrera put the match out of reach with a 30-yard blast.
Schmitz and his backline mates Jesus Rivera and Gonzalez helped ensure another shutout for Nick Pisani, Jose Rico and Gabriel Chacon, who all got some time in goal for the Warriors.
“It’s always great to get another clean sheet,” admitted Matan, “but I want us to get a little sharper and smarter in the way we play next time out.”
The Warriors will be on the road at Glenbrook North on Tuesday night for an important Central Suburban League matchup in Northbrook.