Grayslake North connects with another victory

The dream season continues for Grayslake North's girls soccer team, which just keeps picking up victories.

The Knights won for the 17th time in 21 games on Saturday, getting past host Highland Park 2-1 in a nonconference game.

Lauren Davis scored both the Knights' goals, with Sammi Villwock assisting on both.

Grayslake North (17-2-2) seems to have found something special this spring.

"We're really able to string passes together," said Grayslake North midfielder Maggie Fish. "We just try our best to switch fields so we can cross it, so we can find ways to finish. I've really never been a part of a team like this one. It's definitely fun out there. We like each other on and off the field. It's just awesome to see all of our hard work come together and be able to pull off some wins."

The Knights scored in the fifth minute when Villwock sent a pass to Davis, who finished the chance.

Grayslake North added another goal in the 49th minute with the same combination.

"We'll take the win," said Grayslake North coach Adam Decaluwe, who said the windy conditions were a bit of a factor. "First half, since we had the wind, we kind of gave into it. We played longer than we normally do. Second half, we remembered that we're good technically and passed the ball around. We were able to be dangerous. On both goals we were able to find somebody open and finish on them."

Highland Park (1-13-2) got a goal back in the 61st minute when Lily Pickus scored on a free kick. But the Giants spent much of their time defending sustained attacks.

"(The Knights) were strong in the midfield and were very aggressive," Highland Park coach Katie Straka said. "They were much taller and made it tough for us getting the ball forward."

Next up for Grayslake North is a Fox Valley Fox game against visiting Prairie Ridge at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in a battle for the division championship. The Knights have one loss in the league, while the Wolves are unbeaten.

"We've got one legitimate game, and then it's off to regionals," DeCaluwe said. "We want to keep progressing for Tuesday. (Prairie Ridge) has done the job against the teams that they needed to beat. They're a solid team, with results all season long. We're going to have to play our best. Hopefully, we can come out on top and share the conference."