Late goal lifts Maine West past Niles North

Maine West got a big week of soccer up and running with a narrow 1-0 win over gallant Niles North on Tuesday night in Skokie.

Sophomore Nelson Herrera struck the game-winner six minutes from time when he outraced his mark to reach a superb ball from teammate Tommy Cerri and fnished past keeper Dan Miranda.

That finally put the Warriors (9-2-3) on the scoreboard over a Vikings side which didn’t look anything like a club entering this Central Suburban League match with just 1 victory in 13 matches.

“Every game in the CSL is a real battle, and tonight wasn’t any different,” said Maine West coach Mike Divincenzo. “When you look at (Niles’) results, and who many of their opponents have been, their overall record is kind of deceiving.”

First-year Niles North coach Yoon Lee and his veteran assistant Paul Keenan saw their club match the Warriors’ work rate and pace for 80 minutes, and although they only created one or two quality chances at keeper Jecsan Torres, they were still right there with the Warriors until the very end. And for a brief moment, Niles North nearly snatched the go-ahead goal just 60 seconds before Herrera’s burst finished a spectacular sequence with his 13th goal of the year.

“I feel kind of lucky to have scored that goal, but I am very happy that was able to do so to help give us the win,” said Herrera, who last season was a key figure in the Warriors’ post-season run which saw them get to within 1 victory of an appearance in the 3A state tournament.

“We weren’t very sharp in the first 15-20 minutes,” said Maine West senior Ramon Contreras, who serves as one of three captains for Divincenzo. “I thought once we picked up our play, we were able to control a lot of the play in the first half, and about the only thing we didn’t do was get into the back of the net.”

The Vikings might have been fortunate to escape scoreless at the break, thanks in part to some terrific play by Miranda — and the fact the Warriors’ lacked the killer instinct in the final third. Maine West was able to get in close on Niles North’s keeper, but in the second half the Vikings made it tougher for the Warriors to attack.

On successive trips into Niles North’s end, Xavier Gomez put Alex Herrera through — but on both occasions, the sophomore striker was inches away from scoring.

Miranda stopped Nelson Herrera at point-blank range in the 19th minute, which signaled a good spell of play from the Warriors as they stretched Niles North’s defense.

Where the hosts were most dangerous in the first half and on a handful of other chances after the break, were on set piece and dead-ball opportunities. Amir Grabic offered several quality serves and teammate Kevin Lubowich tested Torres and his backline with some well-aimed deep throws.

“We’re still struggling in that area of our play, and we’ve got to get better at that in the last half of our season,” said Divincenzo.

Play got a little chippy just before intermission, and both sides began to increase the tackling intensity as a little more urgency began to set in .

Jason Gonzalez and Gomez helped generate another chance for the Warriors, but Miranda once again responded with a fine reaction save at the back post in the 49th minute.

Later, the Vikings’ keeper was surprised to see Contreras’ free-kick serve fall unchallenged inside the box. Fortunately for Miranda and his teammates, it didn’t fall on the foot of a Maine West player.

North was at its best when the ball was on the foot of fine midfielder Elan Nesi-Cohn, but the Warriors finally found a way to deny the senior down the stretch. Not before he’d sent a handful of serves into the area, including one which resulted in a goal disallowed by offsides.

Finally, Cerri’s cross flew through the middle of the field, and an opportunistic Nelson Herrera found another gear to free himself of a Vikings defender. Herrera, with his right foot reaching forward as far as it could, was able to beat Miranda’s challenge.

“All I was trying to do was chip the keeper on that play,” smiled the Warriors’ leading scorer.

“This was our longest layoff of the season, and it kind of showed in our play early on,” said Divincenzo. “It was a great test for all of us tonight, and it should help get us ready for Deerfield.”

The Warriors welcome one of the best teams in the CSL at 7 p.m. Thursday. Deerfield features all-state striker Joey Calistrio, who aleady has 20 goals this fall.