Warren tops Round Lake for NSC title
The Lake triumphed over the Prairie again.
Daniel Szczepanek scored twice, Auner Solis added a goal, and keeper Brady Walsh made 9 saves, as Warren's boys soccer team rallied past visiting Round Lake 3-1 in the North Suburban Conference championship game in Gurnee on Tuesday.
It was the Blue Devils' second NSC title, with the other being in 2005. The Lake Division has never lost the championship game.
Warren improved to 12-5-5 and is undefeated (7-0-3) in its last 10 games.
After a scoreless opening half, Round Lake (13-2-5) took a 1-0 lead.
But Warren responded with three goals during a seven-minute span.
“We had some chances going out wide. It was a matter if we were going to finish, Warren coach Jason Ahonen said. “One came, two came, and all of sudden we got three. You can't ask for anything more. We have boys that are banged up and tired. This was unexpected for us.
The Blue Devils pulled even in the 54th minute when Szczepanek sent a low cross from the right. The ball took a crazy hop off Round Lake keeper Luis Leon and a defender, hit the post and went into the goal.
Szczepanek scored the go-ahead goal five minutes later, hitting a left-footed blast from 35 yards out into the side netting.
“It's something special to put in two goals in a conference championship game, Szczepanek said. “I was praying for the first one to go in and it went in.
“The second one, I really can't explain it. I hit it with my left foot, even though I'm right-footed. If you're a footballer, then you have to use both feet. When I hit it, I knew it was going in.
Warren got an insurance goal in the 61st minute, when Solis headed in a shot by Sean Kinwan that went off the crossbar.
Round Lake got its goal in the 51st minute, as Mauricio Salgado scored off a touch pass from Jordi Rubio.
“I took the ball and beat a defender, Salgado said. “I just put it into the right corner. I saw the keeper shift more to his right side.
Walsh stopped a number of great opportunities with a few one-handed knock-a-ways over the bar that kept the match scoreless in the first half.
“My goal is to make one big save a game, said Walsh, a junior. “I wanted to win it for the seniors.
NSC Prairie-champ Round Lake was making its third straight appearance in the championship game.
“Once we got the first goal, I started to think defensively, Round Lake coach Hugo Tellez said. “Things didn't work out because (Warren) scored right after that. Then they scored the second and third goals, and we were out of it after that.
“The good part was, our boys fought out there and didn't stop. We wanted something more, but we weren't able to accomplish it.
Warren played without injured starters Michal Szczepanek and Jon Trout.
“We knew coming into the year we were talented, Ahonen said. “We had to transfer it over and the boys were able to buy into what we're trying to do. They started to play together and things came out better than expected. We're playing well at the right time.