Stevenson battles past Libertyville in rivalry match

There's no doubt when Stevenson and Libertyville meet up on a soccer field, it's expected to be a battle from start to finish.

Both teams know each other quite well in this long-standing rivalry.

The most recent battle went in favor of the Patriots, who got past the Wildcats 1-0 Tuesday as Justin George scored in the final five minutes in a North Suburban Lake Division match at the Libertyville Township Soccer Complex.

Stevenson goalkeeper Greg Golovan posted his seventh shutout after making 4 saves.

"Great game with plenty of energy expended out there," Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. "It was a really good defensive battle for both teams.

"Libertyville's defense was the best out of any teams we've played all year. It was awesome to see both teams working that hard. It was a blue-collar game."

The hard work paid off for Stevenson (9-1, 2-0 NSC Lake) with a few chances at the Liberyville goal in the second half.

One came on a Shawn Singh free kick, which led to an Alex Nadelman header. But it was denied by Wildcats defender Austin Gearing, who stopped a potential goal near the back post at the 51-minute mark.

Finally, the Patriots put a scoring sequence together in the 76th minute. George notched his first goal of the season after taking a pass from teammate Steven Johnson after a touch from Gordy Gurson.

"Steven (Johnson) took on some guys in the corner and crossed me the ball," George said. "I had a one-two with myself, faked the pass, turned and shot it far post with my left foot. I just kept working hard, waited and was patient for the shot.

"It was a big goal, because we're playing Libertyville in a big game."

Defensively, Libertyville had one of its strongest efforts in stopping one of the area's best offenses in Stevenson.

"It was kind of a letdown at the end, I thought," Libertyville defender Sam Kaplan said. "We're used to the pressure, but (Stevenson) found their way through. We just didn't deal with it right."

Libertyville (3-4, 0-1) lost the battle, but definitely learned from the experience.

"We played very well and our best game all year, probably against the best team we've played this year," Libertyville coach Andy Bitta said. "We just made one bad mistake in the back. Each game we're getting better, and that's what we're looking for. We're young and aggressive, and that's what we've got to be."