Lake Forest slows down Mundelein’s snappy start

Mundelein’s strong start to the season includes a 7-goal outburst against Carmel Catholic and come-from-behind victory over defending Class 3A state champion Warren.

A confident Mustangs squad looked to continue its winning ways against visiting Lake Forest on Tuesday night. The Scouts, however, struck early and held on for a 2-1 win in a well-played North Suburban Conference Lake Division match.

Mundelein fell to 7-4-3 and 1-1 in the NSC Lake.

“We got ourselves into a hole and tried to battle back,” Mustangs coach Ernie Billittier said. “We were in a position to get a (win), but we didn’t get the result that we wanted.”

John Moderwell drilled in a free kick in the 11th minute for Lake Forest’s first goal. His brother Matt Moderwell then headed home a Keegan Kullby corner kick in the 21st minute.

“It was hard to recover after that,” Billittier said. “You can’t afford to make mistakes against Lake Forest. They are too good of a team.”

Mundelein got a goal in the 37th minute from Stephen Wald, who pounced on a loose ball following a corner kick. The two teams played a scoreless second half with few quality chances for either squad.

“You just can’t turn things on at halftime in the North Suburban Lake because this division is way too good,” Billittier said. “You can’t expect to play 40 minutes and get a result. We have a very competitive group of teams. It’s one of the best (conferences) in the state.”

Lake Forest (5-3-1, 2-1), which beat Libertyville last week, did a good job of protecting its lead after halftime.

“Mundelein’s movement up top and pressure in the midfield was so good,” Lake Forest coach Rob Parry said. “We couldn’t deal with it. Both halves felt like it was played on our end. As the game wore on, we had more depth and were able to create more chances. (Mundelein) was excellent with their movement. They were playing two touch, and we were chasing them all game long. We were lucky to convert those two chances when we got them.”

One loss doesn’t figure to rattle Mundelein. The Mustangs know they just have to get their edge back.

“We just have to finish,” Mustangs midfielder Hector Ruiz said. “We have a lot of good chemistry when we want to show it. When we gain confidence, that’s when we’re really good.”