Men's soccer: Late goal helps Harper past Triton

Two of the top three men's soccer teams in the North Central Community College Conference were in action Wednesday at Harper College in Palatine.

The hosts weathered a tough stretch in the second half before getting the decisive goal late in a 2-1 victory.

"I give Triton a lot of credit," Harper coach Dan Klaus said.

"I thought we played well," Triton coach Piotr Sliwa said.

Visiting Triton (7-2) struck first as Vitalli Kvas placed a penalty kick past freshman goalkeeper Christian Hyde (Conant) 15 minutes into the contest.

The Hawks were able to tie it with 9:40 left in the first half as Jose Garcia Lopez (Wheeling) found himself on the end of a corner kick and finished the chance.

The next 44 minutes went firmly in favor of the Trojans.

"We dominated the second half," said Sliwa.

Kvas had a near miss on a free kick that he put over Hyde's crossbar.

"They came out ready (in the second half)," said Harper sophomore forward Angel Sarti (Hoffman Estates).

Harper was forced to almost constantly defend in the second half, but the offensive struggles didn't bother Klaus.

"The guys have to deal with the frustrating moments," Klaus said.

Sliwa, meanwhile, praised the Hawks' defense, saying, "They are hard to break down."

With 3:04 left, Sarti erased all that second-half frustration, finishing a chance after getting a nice pass in the 18-yard box for the winning goal.

"We made a great play," he said. "The switching of the field makes a big difference."

The win moves the Hawks into a tie with the Trojans for second place in the N4C. Conference leader Madison Area Technical College leads the conference by a game.