Red Devils shut down Hilltoppers
It happened in a blur, with Hinsdale Central goalkeeper John Shakon tearing out to meet Glenbard West's Josh Kasik, who was bearing down on him alone with a ball at his feet.
Kasik fired from 12 yards out, Shakon slid onto the shot, and the ball banged off some unknown part of Shakon's body and over the end line.
"That was the left side of my face," Shakon said. "When you make yourself big, every part of your body is fair game."
In a game loaded with close calls and hard play, Shakon's strong play preserved a 1-0 win for Hinsdale Central in the West Suburban Silver game in Hinsdale. Shakon's eighth shutout upped his squad's record to 11-6-1 overall and 2-2 in WSS play.
"I think this game just speaks to the quality of our conference," said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins.
The Hilltoppers fell to 10-3-2 and 2-2 in conference play, in a game that featured dangerous chances, shots hit off the crossbar both ways, and a lone goal in the 32nd minute by the Red Devils' relentless Jeff Graham.
Graham nearly broke in on two excellent scoring chances prior to finishing from 10 yards out, and it took two hustle plays by the Hilltoppers' Kasik to thwart him.
"That's the fourth game in a row (Graham) has had the game-winning goal for us," Wiggins said. "He has a change of speed that makes things difficult."
The Red Devils held the Hilltoppers without a shot on frame through 40 minutes and nearly made it 2-0 just before halftime when David Tiemstra sent a hard head shot in that Hilltoppers goalkeeper Lee Mathieu tipped over the crossbar.
Tiemstra was strong in the air throughout, and he and Alex Scott played strong in front of Shakon all day. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers needed a spark at halftime.
"Our guys were frustrated, but I told them we're not out of it and just to play our game," said Hilltoppers coach John Gosling.
Kasik headed a ball off the crossbar in the 46th minute, and the Red Devils' Greg Patterson blistered a free kick off the crossbar in the 60th minute before Shakon shined in keeping the slate clean under a barrage of late Glenbard West chances.
"In the first half the boys in back didn't have so much to do," Shakon said. "In the second half when (Glenbard West) brought the heat, I thought they held up really well."