Grens pull big upset over Maine South
Whether it's at the high school, collegiate, or professional level, an underdog sure is fun to watch. In the case of Elk Grove boys soccer, it continues to march through its Class AA regional while paying no mind to its No. 13 seed.
The Grenadiers notched their latest victory Wednesday as they upset No. 2 Maine South 2-0 in a regional semifinal.
"I thought that we came out fired up, our seniors especially," said Elk Grove coach Joe Bush. "All of our pieces were clicking for us and it was really good to see them have another great game."
Elk Grove will play No. 7 Maine West, a 2-0 winner over Prospect, at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the regional championship.
A speedy and agile offense got both goals in the first half for Elk Grove. Senior Billy Hubly scored first with heavy traffic in the box on an assist from sophomore Leif Lundgren.
Two more seniors combined on a goal to seal the victory. Mike Karwowski set up Robert Pechacek, who scored on an open net after a deflection from Maine South.
Defensively the Grenadiers controlled the game while protecting their lead in the second half. They received big contributions from juniors J.J. Lastovich and Garrett Greaves, who did not allow pressure near the net. Junior Andy Larson had 5 saves while in goal for Elk Grove.
Thunderstorm warnings suspended play late and ultimately ended the game with 1:50 left to play. With the way that Elk Grove is playing though, it could take a lot more than inclement weather to slow them down.
"We've been playing big games since our win against Conant," said Bush." "Just because we beat the No. 2 seed doesn't mean anything is going to be handed to us and our team recognizes that."
Maine West and Prospect's game was delayed nearly a half-hour by thunderstorm warnings.
While it was slippery on the field, it seemed just right for Maine West junior David Puka as he provided the spark to move on to the regional championship.
After a scoreless first half it was either team's game as both sides played head-to-head the entire night. Puka though, would take the game over early in the second half as he scored in the seventh minute on a strong kick from close range.
Fourteen minutes later, Puka would play a big part in assisting junior Alex Esquivel's goal. Their ball movement worked through several Prospect defenders in the box leading to the score.
"I haven't seen us pass this well since the beginning of the year," said Maine West coach Mike Divincenzo. "Puka did a really nice job of holding the ball and it was really exciting to see us put it all together."
Knowing that every game could be the last of the season, Puka said he had his teammates on his mind.
"I just thought about how this could it for us and we needed to play well for our seniors and I gave it my best," Puka said.
The Warriors had a lot of help in goal as well as junior Nate Anderson had 6 saves.
Prospect played a good game defensively, especially in the first half. Senior Eric Vandivier had 4 saves.
"I thought we played well but you have to give Maine West credit, they played hard," said Prospect coach Kurt Trenkle.