Hardworking Prospect puts one in win column

A quick glance at the overall record of the Prospect boys soccer team suggests gloom and doom.

But a closer look says otherwise.

Of the Knights' 7 losses, 4 have been by 1 goal - including a recent 4-3 overtime defeat to Palatine and a 2-1 defeat at the hands of high-flying Wheeling.

Thursday night it all came together for Kurt Trenkle's Knights.

Prospect (3-7-1, 1-3-1) scored on either side of the break and used a stifling defense to shut out host Hoffman Estates 2-0 in a Mid-Suburban League crossover match.

"I thought we outworked our opponent tonight, and that's why we won the match," said Trenkle, whose Knights host MSL East rival Buffalo Grove tonight in their annual Homecoming contest. "Our center did a great job of clamping down on Hoffman's midfield, and our backline kept its shape and stayed disciplined for nearly 80 minutes, and that was the difference."

The Knights' ability to control the middle, which allowed the back-line trio of Kyle Mataloni, Victor LaPorte and Eliot Bethke to smother the Hawks' attack, only underscored recent scoring woes by Hoffman (3-6-0, 2-3-0), which has been in a downward spiral since the loss of striker Sishuh Zerihun (ACL in his knee) in a match with Libertyville.

The talented sophomore was ready to combine with junior Brad Powszok to become one of the best 1-2 combinations in the MSL this season.

With Powszok going alone while coach Matt Sriver searches for the right partner, the Hawks cannot find the back of the net.

"We cannot fault the effort the team has put forth the entire year thus far, including tonight," Sriver said. "But it's been tough getting the result we want at the end of the match with us struggling so badly to score."

A less than memorable start quickly got the Hawks in trouble when Mike Rusin slotted easily in close at eight minutes after teammate's Cesar Guerrero looping serve forced senior keeper Sebastian Kieruzal to turn the ball up and away from going just under the bar.

Unfortunately while doing so, Kieruzal yielded a rebound to the unmarked Rusin.

Kieruzal, a three-year starter, saved the Hawks from falling further behind, including perhaps his best when he stopped Sam Slusher at 47 minutes.

The Hawks came alive after the break and showed some flashes with Powszak, Reona Oishi, Edson Arzate, Lenin Roa and Luis Vargas all responding. But except for a wicked blast from Salih Golotic and a redirected header by Powszak from a long Golotic serve, Knights keeper Mark Ressl had a rather easy time of it.

Guerrero was rewarded for a superb second half when the senior finished at the end of a diagonal run to collect a Slusher through ball.

"We've been working hard in most of our games but have been unable to get the result that we wanted from it," said Mataloni, the Knights' co-captain.

"We're beginning to get our defense cleaned up (in) training, and the result from that has been showing in our matches of late."