Bitta, Libertyville have something to celebrate

Birthdays are meant to be celebrated, and Libertyville coach Andy Bitta certainly enjoyed this one.

During his tenure as a coach covering some 29 years, he got to celebrate a victory on his birthday for only the second time Monday night.

The Wildcats gift-wrapped a 4-2 victory over rival Stevenson in a North Suburban Lake match in Lincolnshire.

Cam Fragassi netted a hat trick, and Kevin Reilly had the game-winning goal for the Libertyville.

The only other time Bitta had a victory on his birthday was back in 1991, when the Wildcats beat the Wildkits by the same 4-2 score in the final of the Evanston tournament.

For the first time this season, Libertyville (4-0, 2-0 NSC Lake) found itself trailing. The Wildcats twice battled back from 1-goal deficits.

"We came back, and it shows that we're a pretty good team," Bitta said. "Are we a great team yet? No, we still have a lot to learn. We're getting to where we want to be. But it's a long road. It shows that we can play with a lot of good teams."

Fragassi scored 3 goals, giving him six over his last four games.

"I came into the game wanting to get a hat trick," said Fragassi, who scored twice in the first half and added a late penalty kick. "I give everything to my teammates. They make me who I am. They are so good, and we're like a family."

Reilly broke the 2-2 tie with a goal in the 50th minute for the Wildcats after taking a pass from Thomas Vondrak that was dummied past Fragassi.

"I was saying to Cam, 'dummy, dummy, dummy,' " Reilly said. "He faked it and let the ball go through. I made the run, took the ball and cut in for the shot."

Stevenson (2-3-1, 0-1) got on the board in the fourth minute, when Avery Delgado was left unmarked at the top of the area. He was set up off a touch pass from Kuzuki Niimi.

Fragassi evened the score at 1-1 in the 17th minute. He took a long service from Vondrak that got over the Patriots' defense and beat keeper Jeremy Klaber.

Ethan Marx put Stevenson back up 2-1 off a set piece five minutes later. Mitch Gullett provided a short touch over to Marx, who placed a shot into the corner.

"We were looking to this rivalry, and we fought hard with the first two goals," Marx said. "I thought they played a more passing style, and we were more direct. I thought if we finished one or two more chances then we could've been ahead in that game."

Again, Libertyville came back off a set piece. Touhey, from outside the penalty area to the right, sent a kick that Fragassi redirected with a header inside the far post in the 37th minute to make it a 2-2 tie.

Fragassi got his third goal on a penalty kick.

"It was a great game, and a little closer than the score," Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. "(Libertyville) played extremely well. It's the best team I've seen by far this year. They are a complete team and it was a game of inches."