Boys soccer: Bartlett, Streamwood play to a 1-1 draw

Bartlett and Streamwood head into the postseason with a range of emotions after battling to a 1-1 tie in the regular-season boys soccer finale at Millennium Field on Tuesday night.

The Hawks (1-12-4) get a much-needed boost with one of their better performances of the year while Streamwood (11-5-4) loses a little momentum after a big win over St. Charles North last week.

"A lot of people are going to be surprised by this result," Bartlett coach Vince DiNuzzo said. "But I know what our team is capable of. We have been super competitive in the first half of games most of the year and then have things fall apart in the second half. However, these last few games we are playing much better and are starting to put things together. They showed a lot of heart tonight against a really good team."

After falling behind 1-0 with 23:11 left to play the Hawks bounced right back with the game-tying goal from Hernan Garcia with 20-14 left to play.

"I think being able to come right back like that just shows how much we have matured," DiNuzzo said. "Earlier in the year we fell apart after a goal was scored on us. Tonight we didn't. They know a lot of players on their team and really wanted to play well against them."

Bartlett freshman goalkeeper Zac Rebac had an outstanding game with 10 saves. He also broke up several plays right in front of the net.

"This is my first time playing Streamwood, but I know a lot of my fellow teammates really wanted to beat them," Rebac said. "That made me really want to beat them, too. I felt really comfortable in the goal. When the shots kept coming I just tried to stay focused."

Rebac really came up big in the final 15 minutes when the ball was on his end nearly the entire time. He made 3 brilliant point-blank saves down the stretch to preserve the tie.

"He is a very talented player," DiNuzzo said. "He was outstanding tonight and really kept us in the game."

The Streamwood goal was scored by standout junior Aldo Lazaro, who gathered in a crossing pass from Gregorio Esteves in front of the net and then got by a defender to fire a shot past Rebac.

The Sabres had a 19-8 shot advantage.

"It's a little disappointing," Streamwood coach Matt Povolin said. "We would have really liked to stay on a high and keep that momentum going from the St. Charles North game. We controlled the ball and run of play most of the time, but just couldn't finish around the net. But it's always a tough game against Bartlett. I know we'll bounce back and be ready. We've done it all year."