Boys soccer: Mundelein trips up Barrington

Before Mundelein's boys soccer team resumes its stretch of games against quality conference opponents, the Mustangs picked up a quality win Saturday.

Mundelein rode a two-goal first half to edge visiting Barrington 2-1 in a nonconference match. Camden Kowalski and Paul Yoo scored goals for the Mustangs, while Junior Hernandez had the lone goal for the Broncos.

Next up for Mundelein (7-3-1) is a pair of home games in the North Suburban Conference against Stevenson (8-2-1) on Tuesday and Libertyville (10-0) on Thursday.

Mundelein lost to Larkin on the road last Monday, before tying 12-game-winner Zion-Benton (12-3-2) in NSC action on Thursday night.

"We performed very well against Larkin and Zion-Benton, but the bats went dry," Mundelein coach Ernie Billittier said. "The results were frustrating, but the effort was fine."

Mundelein generated ample scoring opportunities against Barrington (9-5-2). The Mustangs hit three posts and had other chances near the net that they couldn't finish.

"I was happy that we put a couple away in this one," Billittier said. "We left a few goals on the field too, and you can't let a good team like Barrington stay that close late in the game."

It might not be the last time the Mustangs see the Broncos this season. The seeding meeting is in a couple of weeks.

"We seem to cross paths with Barrington if we get out of the regional," Billittier said. "Obviously, our biggest concern isn't that. Stevenson is playing very well, and that's the next step."

Kowalski scored the opening goal against Barrington, finishing a pass from Darren Gray in the 14th minute. Yoo flicked a header into the net in the 28th minute off an Armando Rosiles free kick from outside the box.

"As a team, we're all pushing up," said Rosiles, who has 5 assists this season. "We've been working hard in practices and in warmups, practicing plays."

Barrington cut its deficit in half when Hernandez finished a shot that was set up by Aidan Lew in the 50th minute.

"Mundelein has been consistently getting far in the playoffs, and it was good for us to look at where we're at," said Barrington assistant coach Caleb Copeland, who filled in for head coach Scott Steib, who missed the game after receiving a red card against Hersey. "Sometimes these are some of the games you need out of the conference. You can see the big picture. Getting a one goal back after being down by two goals at the half is not a win for us, but it at least gives us a little of momentum knowing we can put one in when we're down."