Lynch, Lake Zurich able to drive past St. Viator

If Andy Lynch wanted to take on an extra job, he might be interested in trying his hand at directing traffic.

On the soccer field Wednesday afternoon, Lynch demonstrated a certain knack for weaving through it. He threaded his way through the St. Viator defense, scoring the game-winning goal as Lake Zurich downed host St. Viator 4-1 in a nonconference game in Arlington Heights.

Lynch started a 3-goal outburst in an 11-minute span scoring for the Bears, tallying in the 50th minute as Jeff Owens assisted.

"It was a lot of hard work to get it," Lynch said. "I had about 6 inches to get the shot off. There were a number of white shirts (Lions) around me. I actually had a little bit of space and saw an opening in the right-side netting."

Nick Janus added another Bears goal 8 minutes later off an assist from Tim Kreutz and Eric Pothast scored unassisted in the 61st minute.

"We're a good team and work the ball well together," said Lynch, a senior midfielder. "We just see each other and really don't have to talk that much. We're just a good team."

The Bears (2-0) have scored 7 goals in two games after beating Glenbrook North 3-1 on Monday night.

Lake Zurich's ability to score in bunches made the difference in a game that was tied 1-1 at the break.

"We've got good team speed and played much better in the second half," Lake Zurich coach Mike Schmitz said. "Our effort was much better overall. We played well together and the tactical stuff was a part of it. It was a good effort and we're working well as a team. I think they were playing for each other."

Lynch scored the opening goal two minutes into the match, scoring on a header from a Pothast cross, giving the Bears a 1-0 advantage.

St. Viator (0-1) regrouped with a goal from Trevor Wheeler to tie the game in the 37th minute.

The Lions were competitive in their season opener and were disappointed with the outcome.

"I thought we ran the show for about 50 minutes after (Lake Zurich) scored the first goal," St. Viator coach Mike Taylor said. "When (Lake Zurich) scored the second goal we put our heads down. We had no one to step up and say 'relax' and start a comeback. We just need to take our time and play the same way. We need to let the ball do the work. The next (goal) came and it was like it was all over.

"Lake Zurich is a nice team, but we didn't have our composure in the middle and we need to put things together. We should be fine. Lake Zurich told us what we need to work on."