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Boys soccer: Early onslaught lifts Rams in battle of Grayslake

Grayslake Central’s goal explosion — three in 19 minutes — gave the Rams the perfect start to their crosstown contest with Grayslake North in a 4-1 victory before a big crowd Thursday night at William Eiserman Stadium.

Ivan Sereno bagged the first of his two on the night with a lovely finish in the ninth minute before teammate Damian Sereno doubled the Rams (6-2-1, 1-0-0) advantage after Jake Clement and Marcus Arensen provided the help three minutes later.

Cory Hayson steered in his powerful header off a near perfect deep throw from Anderson Chevrier to send the home crowd into orbit.

“(Grayslake) North came out with so much energy, but we settled down after my goal and put another two quick goals in to take control of the first half,” said Ivan Sereno.

“This is obviously a big rivalry game for both teams. And for me, it feels great being a part of all four wins during my high school career,” added Clement.

To the credit of the visiting Knights (5-2-0, 1-1-0) there was no quit in Adam DeCaluwe’s club despite chasing three goals heading into the intermission.

“We may have given (Central) a little too much respect at the start, and we paid for that by conceding three goals. But the guys came out in the second half and dominated play, which says a lot about this team,” said DeCaluwe.

The Knights would pull one back in the 48th minute when Samuel Soriano unloaded an unstoppable 30-yard blast that exploded just inside the near post of Rams keeper Michael Taradys.

The junior would come to the rescue eight minutes later when he saved a well aimed PK from Javy Villegas to slow the now surging Knights.

“We had a great start tonight, but our play fell off in the second half, and North is very talented team (who) took control right after the break, forcing us to defend the rest of the way in order to protect our lead,” said Rams coach Keith Andersson.

Ivan Sereno would claim his double three minutes from time to end the scoring on the night.

The Rams are away at reigning NLCC champion Round Lake on Sept. 24 while the Knights host Deerfield this Saturday morning in a nonconference affair.

“I was really happy with our play in the second half. We created a few really good chances. We were unable to finish any of them, but it was a very good half of soccer for us,” said Knights junior defender Alonso Morales.

Sweat sprays off Grayslake Central’s Cory Hayson as he scores on a header against Grayslake North in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake Central’s Damian Sereno, left, and Grayslake North’s Chris Von Briesen collide in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake North’s Steven Valdivia charges to take a shot against Grayslake Central’s Josh Clement in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake Central’s Josh Clement controls the ball against Grayslake North’s Danny Fabela and Chris Von Briesen, background, in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake Central’s Ivan Sereno scores the first goal against Grayslake North in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake North’s Chris Von Briesen steps in front of Grayslake Central’s Josh Clement in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake Central’s Damian Sereno takes a shot to score against Grayslake North in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
Grayslake North’s Sam Soriano tries to control Grayslake Central’s Cory Hayson as they go for a header in a boys soccer game at Central High School in Grayslake on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. John Starks
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