Boys soccer: Leyden stays hot in victory at Palatine
Leyden's boys soccer team extended its recent remarkable run, getting two first-half goals and hanging on for a 2-1 victory over Palatine on Saturday afternoon in a nonconference soccer contest at Chic Anderson Stadium.
The Eagles (13-1-2) won four times this week, outscoring their opponents 19-4 during that span.
Leyden went ahead in the seventh minute on a goal from Eduardo Hernandez, and later added another before the break by Francisco Toral.
"We've had a very good week. We've been getting better and better each time out, and it's because we have great chemistry and we're beginning to play our style of soccer," said Toral. "Our attack has really picked up because of our outside (midfielders) and the ability of our guys in the back getting forward. But we'll have to be at our best on Wednesday when we play Morton."
Ah yes, Morton (11-1-1). The perennial state and West Suburban Gold powerhouse defeated Leyden last season 2-0 to end the Eagles' hopes of winning a conference title.
"We have all been waiting for another chance to play Morton," said Toral. "But just like we have all season long, we won't look past any of our opponents, including Glenbrook South who we play this Monday."
Palatine opened the week with a win over Hersey before dropping a 1-0 game with Barrington to officially be eliminated in the MSL West race.
"It's been a little tough for us lately," said Palatine's Sebastian Fraczek. "We come out slow, then finally pick it up in the second half - but that's not the way to beat good teams like Barrington and Leyden."
Fraczek who had a hand in the lone goal on the day for the Pirates (8-5-0).
Palatine done in one of its own trademark strengths - dead balls - when Hernandez ran freely to the back post to drive in his header the other way after meeting an Andy Moreno corner to get the Eagles on the board.
"There are many reasons we play Palatine every year," said Leyden coach Mark Valintis. "They always have a first-rate team, they are coached so well and they provide a real test in their dead-ball and set-piece game because they are so efficient in the way they play in your area.
"So it was good to actually score one of those goals against them, instead of the other way around."
Leyden enjoyed a clear majority of the possession for the first half-hour. They were looking to add another score through the run of play and did just that when a nice build-up ended with Toral scoring past Pirates keeper Ethan Bank in the 31st minute.
The Pirates came alive after the intermission, with part of that wake-up call coming when a long ball from Fraczek over the top forced Leyden keeper Jesus Mancha to come far off his line to challenge.
His late start allowed Ricardo Garcia, who'd never stopped running when the ball left the foot of Fraczek, to beat Mancha to the 50-50 ball. Garcia then neatly touched around Mancha before scoring to make it 2-1.
Palatined use the next 35 minutes to search for a tying goal to no avail, despite creating several half-chances, deep throws and a couple of corners.
A sensational half-volley attempt by Toral nearly pulled the net off the ground when it hit the underside of the bar. Later, with Jonathan Gatica in for Bank, the visitors were denied one last time on a wicked blast from Moreno.
"There were segments of our game that were very good today, but there wasn't enough for the 80 minutes," said Palatine coach Willie Filian. "Our midfield did well to clog things up in the second half, and we defended much better. But we cannot generate much of anything through the run of play, and that's been a problem for us all season long."
The Pirates have Hoffman Estates, MSL East-leading Buffalo Grove and Lake Zurich this week to finish up their regular-season schedule.