Fremd hangs on against Z-B

No. 2-seeded Fremd outlasted a gritty Zion-Benton team which used a PK conversion to draw close at 2-1 before Lorenzo Savino ended the hopes of the No. 15 seed.

The senior struck for his third goal of the match to help the regional hosts capture a hard earned 3-1 victory in its regional opener at home on Tuesday.

Next up for Fremd is Mid-Suburban League rival Prospect at 1 p.m. Saturday for the regional title.

“Zion-Benton gave us a scare, no doubt, said Fremd coach Steve Keller. “Give them a lot of credit for playing hard and with a lot of energy and confidence. And put some of the blame on this match on me for making a few changes after we got our early goal, which took some of our energy away while making struggle with our composure and shape at times.

The Vikings went into the break ahead 1-0, then double their lead on a second Savino goal before the vistors drew closer with their spot kick.

“We played a very good second half of soccer, and even though their PK got them back into the match, said Keller, “I still liked the way we withstood some of their pressure, while playing some decent soccer on both sides of the ball.

“Spencer (Filosa) came up big when we needed him to when he helped created Lorenzo's hat-trick goal, and to put this match out of reach late in the game.

Yusuke Kanada and Matt Burkhardt had assists on Savino's first two goals, and senior Scott Sutarik saved quality shots by Z-B in the first half to help his club stay in control heading into the break.