Palatine's streak reaches 3 vs. LZ
It's a good time of the season for Palatine's boys soccer team to be heating up.
The Pirates got a goal from Jon Clark and the rest of the team provided a solid defensive effort as Palatine held off visiting Lake Zurich 1-0 in a nonconference game Saturday.
The Pirates stretched their winning streak to three games as the postseason draws near.
“What has been working for us is our heart, Clark said. “We haven't had the same skill level as the last couple of years. As a team, we've been putting together some wins.
Clark scored in the 33rd minute on a 35-yard blast after an assist from Jorge Caballero.
“We were working up top, and they were giving me some space, said Clark, who has 7 goals. “I was able to turn around. Jorge (Cabellero) laid it off to me and I was able to hit it. I didn't expect it to go into the corner.
Recently, the Pirates (11-8-1) got past Conant and Schaumburg and now have notched another quality win, over Lake Zurich (11-6-2).
“The X-factor is our skill and high work rate, Palatine coach Willie Filian said. “We expect that, and that's what we're doing here, working hard. We might get outplayed, but we want to outwork the other team. That's kind of our motto. We can get overmatched, but we're still in the game.
Over the season, Palatine has seen some ups and downs, but a victory such as this will only pull the Pirates together.
“For this season, any win is a good win, Filian said. “Lake Zurich is a very good offensive team all-around. We were able to keep them out (the goal) and shut them out.
Pirates Kyle Leber filled in for Evan Held on Saturday, as Held sat out as he recovers from a concussion. Leber performed quite well, making 7 stops on his way to earning the shutout. Defenders Jonathan Aburto, Martin Rodriguez, Ivan Garcia and Kyle Clancy also helped limit Lake Zurich's chances.
“I know (Evan Held) is in the stands, Leber said. “I'm just trying to do his job until he comes back. The defense was a solid core in the back.
“(Lake Zurich) was a real good team and hopefully we can see them in the playoffs.
The Bears will have time to regroup and find their finishing touch before the postseason begins. On this day, the Bears were not able to make the most of their chances.
“We had our opportunities, said Lake Zurich coach Mike Schmitz. “Palatine played a good game and always play hard.
Lake Zurich could see Palatine again in the Highland Park regional semifinals in just a couple of weeks.
“We just didn't put the ball away, Schmitz said. “Some shots, we'll miss just wide. It's something everything high school team deals with. We did create our opportunities, we just have to be able to finish.