Versatile Bushhouse finds right spot

Wheaton North senior Trevor Bushhouse is a defender, a midfielder, a forward - essentially whatever Falcons boys soccer coach Bryce Cann needs him to be.

"He helps us out in a number of ways," Cann said.

On Tuesday against Lake Park, Bushhouse ended a 57-minute scoring dry spell by rising to a Robert Wertke corner kick and hitting a head shot about as hard as one can be hit.

In a game in which good, clean shots on net were hard to come by for either side in the run of play, Bushhouse's set-piece goal broke the ice in a 2-0 Falcons win in Roselle.

"I had a few (shots) earlier that went wide, so it felt good to get that one," said Bushhouse, who started the game as a defender but slid around the pitch as Cann saw fit.

"We said at halftime that set plays might be the difference in this game," said Cann, whose team linked passes well for only its fourth game of the year.

"Our possession was better tonight," said Falcons midfielder Jason Lollar. "We're starting to get better at that."

Wheaton North (3-0-1) got a second goal from James Waterman, who crashed the far post and finished on a pass sent across the goalmouth from Wertke in the 64th minute. Lake Park (3-1) sent a few dangerous balls on frame in the game's final 10 minutes, after struggling throughout to find space to launch a good shot on net.

"I thought after they scored that first goal, we'd have more of a sense of urgency," said Lancers coach Norm Hillner. "But instead it seemed like we had a letdown."

"We had a few emotional games leading up to this one, but that's no excuse. This was a big game early in the year and a big game in the (Lancer Classic) tournament, but we just weren't there tonight."

Through 40 minutes, the only two shots on net came on the same play, when Lancers goalkeeper Colin Norman slid and stuffed a Lollar shot from 12 yards out, and then retreated to his line to save the Falcons' follow-up.

Wheaton North earned a 5-4 edge in corner kicks and a 7-4 edge in free kicks for the game. Marty Lupou took over in net in the second half for Lake Park and tipped a shot over the crossbar before Bushhouse elevated near the goalmouth and hammered a head shot to the back netting with authority for all the scoring the Falcons would need.