Lakes rallies to tie Round Lake
The Lakes boys soccer team proved that Yogi Berra was right when he said, “It ain't over 'til it's over.
The Eagles rallied with a pair of second-half goals to forge a stunning 2-2 tie with visiting Round Lake in Lake Villa on Tuesday, putting the Panthers' dream of another trip to the North Suburban Conference championship game on hold for another day.
The Panthers (13-1-5) are 4-0-2 in Prairie action and have clinched at least a tie for the division title.
The Eagles (6-8-5, 3-0-2) have one division game remaining, a makeup match at Vernon Hills this evening. With a victory, the Eagles would share the division title with the Panthers and a tiebreaker would be used to determine which team plays in the NSC championship Tuesday afternoon at Warren.
“We know that we have to win by so much, said Lakes coach Kevin Kullby about the match at Vernon Hills. “We just need to do what we need do to get into the (championship) game. If we don't, then we don't.
The Panthers held a 2-0 halftime advantage after Mauricio Salgado scored in the 12th minute on a 35-yard kick that was deflected before going into the goal.
Jordi Rubio made it 2-0 in the final minute before halftime by converting a penalty kick after a foul in the penalty area.
But the Eagles returned to the field after intermission s a totally different team and worked their way back into the match.
“We've been short against them the last couple of years, Kullby said. “I'm happy we were able to come back. It was a good sign and I hope it pays dividends going into the Class 2A tournament.
“I told the kids to keep the faith and stay calm, forget about what's happened and move forward.
The Eagles scored their first goal in the 50th minute when Tom Langbein kicked home a rebound that bounced off the hands of Panthers keeper Luis Leon.
Lakes added the equalizer eight minutes later when freshman Brian Werchek crossed a pass to the middle and Jonathan Stanley found the net.
“I was doing what my coach always tells me to do, taking it to the line, said Werchek, who has 5 goals and 8 assists this season. “I just found Jon (Stanley) cutting in and he scored the goal.
“I'm not satisfied with the tie, said Panthers coach Hugo Tellez said. “First half, we did everything correct. Second half, we just came out flat. (Lakes) came out firing at us with confidence in the second half. Lakes proved that were the better team even though we tied.
“This was similar to the Antioch game (a1-1 tie). We had our shots, but we were not able to finish.