Boys soccer: Elgin notches big win over St. Charles East

Something had to give in a battle of Upstate Eight River boys soccer unbeatens.

With Daniel Zavala scoring 2 second-half goals, Elgin downed St. Charles East, 3-2, to remain perfect on the season and gain an early edge in the River.

With the score tied at 1-1, Zavala pounced on a loose ball in the crease and shot it in to put the Maroons ahead to stay. Ten minutes later, Zavala took a perfect cross from Tirso Reynoso and fired it in from about 10 yards out.

The insurance goal came in handy when the Saints' Truitt Battin scored with just over a minute left.

"If we're as good as we think we are, that's who you've got to beat," said Elgin coach Dave Borg. "They've been the standard in the conference for quite a long time, and it's been about five years since we've beaten them. We needed it. We needed to do it tonight."

Zavala was in the right place at the right time for his first goal.

"My friend Cesar (Gomez) went up for it and missed it and the defender missed it, too. I got the ball. I didn't know where I was, but I just put it in the net."

The Maroons (5-0, 1-0) took an early lead on a Gomez penalty kick. The Saints slowly took control as the half wore on. Elgin keeper Edgar Rodriguez came way out to stop a breakaway by Nick Cayton, then stopped a point-blank shot by Battin.

The Saints (5-1-1, 0-1-0) finally got on the board with less than a minute in the first half. Cayton again ran in on a breakaway, this time deking Rodriguez and burying the ball in the back of the net.

"When we had the swing of momentum, they were throwing themselves in front of everything, they were doing everything they could to keep the ball out of the back of the net," said St. Charles coach Paul Jennison. "They were relying on each other, they were trusting each other, and you know what? In a game like that they had a little bit more heart than we did. We played well. They just had a little bit more heart. I think we've got it. I think we learn from it, and I think we will bring it out as the season goes on."