Libertyville soaks up big win against Mundelein

Nate Edmunds is a big fan of playing soccer in the rain because it makes the pitch faster, especially on turf.

The Libertyville senior midfielder showed his enthusiasm for the rain Tuesday night and soaked up some fun, scoring the winning goal in the Wildcats' 3-1 win over host Mundelein in a North Suburban Lake Division battle. Edmunds also assisted on a goal.

“I absolutely love playing (on wet turf),” Edmunds said. “It's the most fun ever. You get to test your tactical ability. I live for it and like the challenge. The speed is awesome. I believe it gives me a little bit of an advantage.”

Libertyville (2-1, 2-0) also got goals from Ryan Wittenbrink and Anthony Brucato. Mundelein (4-2-1, 0-1) received its lone goal from Jony Lucio.

There was a heavy downpour just before the game started, setting the stage for a fast-paced match between the rivals.

“(Edmunds) is a very complete player,” Libertyville coach Andy Bitta said. “He's a very good player and makes us that much better.”

Edmunds broke a 1-1 tie in the second half. He dribbled past three Mustangs players, creating a one-on-one with the keeper, before calmly slotting the ball into the corner in the 53rd minute.

“When I got to the top of the box, I was looking for a shot,” Edmunds said. “This time I was able to get behind everyone and get a shot.”

Brucato added an insurance goal a few minutes later. Edmunds assisted on Libertyville's first goal in the 10th minute, as he found Wittenbrink up top. Wittenbrink made a move and deposited the ball into the top corner of the net.

Mundelein scored the equalizer just 17 seconds into the second half. Lucio took a pass on the right wing from Bryan Alba and fired in a shot.

“We talked about our game plan for the second half,” Mundelein coach Ernie Billittier said. “But (Libertyville) took it to us for the first 15 minutes. We made some changes and some of our guys were connecting passes. I thought we were defending well, and I thought we were generating some chances. Until we gave up those goals back-to-back, we were playing well out of halftime. Obviously, we got that quick goal, but it's not something that you draw up that quickly. We talked about coming out and setting the tone, and we did that. We have a lot of speed up top. Those goals we gave up, we let them come straight up the middle.”

Mundelein's quick strike didn't sit well with Bitta, but his the Wildcats responded.

“We were just not ready to play (to start the second half),” Bitta said. “In the first 20 seconds, (Mundelein) just took it right to us. We were napping. But the rest of the game, I thought we controlled the tempo. We moved the ball much better.”