A high point for Hoffman Estates against Prospect
Hoffman Estates enjoyed an exceptional night of boys soccer Tuesday evening, using a spectacular opening goal from Mark Hauser and a second-half double by Remzi Ahmeti to defeat host Prospect 3-0 at George Gattas Stadium.
"We were so awful last night in our loss to Elk Grove, so it was great to see the guys come out and play as well as they did tonight," said Hoffman Estates coach Matt Sriver, who watched his Hawks (3-8-0, 3-4-0) manage a strong wind, not only at its back in the first period but also after the intermission, to top Paul Elkins' team from Prospect.
"It was a most disappointing effort and result," said Elkins, whose team fell to 4-7-0 and 2-6-0. "We struggled a little playing into the wind in that first half, and we gave up a great goal to their No. 12 (Hauser). But to be honest, we allowed him too much space and time before his shot, and that seemed to be a problem all night long. So we've got to get back at it in training tomorrow and figure some things out."
Hauser worked himself free with a nice little zig-zag run before unloading a right-footed, wind-aided guided missile from 35 yards.
Hawks captain Konrad Kieruzal appeared to double the Hawks' advantage when he headed in a free kick, but the 25th-minute goal was ruled offside by the assistant referee on the near side.
The Hawks continued to work hard after the near-miss and earned a few more opportunities before the break.
Patrick Walsh's tackle as the last man for the Knights erased a potential 1-v-1 when Ahmeti was sent through by Lisandro Sanchez. Later, a wonderfully run counter with Hauser and Kieruzal set Ahmeti free up the center channel, forcing the Knights' back line to clear at the last moment.
"We were so much better with our attack than last night, and with Declan (Rustay) attacking and running hard up the right side to create chances, and our midfield playing quick and moving the ball, we had most of the run of play in both halves," Ahmeti said.
The senior struck quickly after the break, cooly chipping keeper Nicholas Jozefowski, who'd ventured off his line to challenge a Noe Padilla ball over the top in the 43rd minute.
Christian Peralta, who was rarely tested in goal for the Hawks, made a confident save on a 25-yard blast from Knights leading scorer Chris Cooney (10 goals) shortly thereafter. That was about the only serious opportunity for Prospect, aside from a half-chance for Ivan Stollov late in the match.
Ahmeti would get finish smartly after Rustay roared up the flank and fired a wicked strike on frame; the rebound spilled to Ahmeti and he finished the opportunity.
"When my teammates work as hard and well as they did tonight it helps create chances for everyone, and for me, it allowed me to score two of our goals," said Ahmeti.
"We needed a win like this tonight, and I am obviously very proud of the effort, and I hope we can continue playing like this when we host Palatine this Thursday," said Sriver.
The Knights are on the road at division-leading Buffalo Grove on Thursday before heading to Niles North on Saturday.