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Boys soccer: Deerfield turns back Vernon Hills' CSL North effort

Vernon Hills' boys soccer team has been on a roll lately after winning a couple of matches.

And though the Cougars were eager to make a push in their new conference, the Cougars were missing something in that pursuit Thursday.

They couldn't get the ball into the back of the net in a big match on the road.

Vernon Hills ended up with a 1-0 defeat to host Deerfield in Central Suburban North play on Thursday night.

The setback dropped the Cougars (5-6, 2-2) out of contention in conference play as Glenbrook North (3-0) downed Maine East 4-1 on Thursday. Deerfield (5-7-1, 2-0-1) remains in the title chase with two games remaining.

In this one, Vernon Hills generally had the better of the play. But the Deerfield defense was up for the challenge, especially in the second half.

"I think in the first half, I don't think our intensity was good enough," Vernon Hills coach Mike McCaulou said. "This is no disrespect to Deerfield or their program. I think anybody that knows soccer would know that we were the better team today. (Deerfield) coach (Elliott Hurtig) was humble and said 'You were the better team.' I do appreciate that. But that doesn't give us the result. We had our chances and dictated the entire second half. We had tons of services and opportunities. I just think Deerfield wanted it more. We just had nothing to show for it."

The Warriors' got what they needed in the 32nd minute, as the ball was bouncing around in the Cougars' penalty area. Barak Farhi slotted a ball to the left side of the box. Nikita Bankevich got a touch on it and placed a shot inside the far post for the 1-0 advantage.

Deerfield goalkeeper Ryan Grady was outstanding in goal, making 10 of his 13 stops in the second half with strong support from his back-line teammates.

"We were trying to get out with a 1-0 win, and luckily we did," Hurtig said. "The ball didn't bounce (Vernon Hills') way, and it bounced our way. We just stayed back and tried to knock the ball out each time."

Vernon Hills' Chris White (14 goals and 7 assists) had several opportunities but was man-marked and sometimes found three Warriors shadowing him. He still found some openings and got a few shots on goal, but they were off the mark. White also managed to set up his teammates with a few good passes.

"When they put two or three guys on you, it does open up the other players," White said. "It was a tough night. I had a guy in front and a guy in back of me. We could do a better job when that happens, finding others along the sideline, or just find someone who's open. We just need to learn to capitalize when I have two people on me."

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