Janus, Kreutz team up for Lake Zurich

Two players and their competitive styles of play made for one of the best scoring tandems in Lake Zurich boys soccer history this fall.

The two juniors, Nick Janus and Tim Kreutz, combined for 45 goals, setting them above the rest of Lake County. For their prolific cooperation, they've been chosen to co-captain the Daily Herald's Lake County All-Area Team.

"Most teams would like to have one goal-scorer," Lake Zurich coach Mike Schmitz said. "Having two guys is a luxury. We're lucky enough to have these two guys."

The Bears have had goal-scorers reach 20 plus goals individually, but it's the first time in school history two have gone over 20 in the same season.

Janus scored 23 goals with 14 assists; Kreutz had 22 and 8 assists.

"It was like we were on the same page," Kreutz said. "We know how the game is played and we just play off each other so well."

Maybe that's because Janus and Kreutz have a history in the sport that goes way back.

Both of them started playing soccer tender age of 6 years old.

"I remember we played an indoor soccer season together," Janus said. "My dad (Tom) even coached us, when we were 8 and 9 years old. Once we got to be 11 and 12 years old, we had a good flow to the team and started getting victories.

"We've been playing together for so long, we know where to be. I think that helps us know how to win."

Janus and Kreutz have also played on the same club, Ela, together for several years and have transferred their soccer talents to the high school level.

But it was only recently that Janus found his way to forward, and that's when things really started to work.

"I was always on defense until a couple of years ago," Janus said. "As a freshman I moved up front and kind of liked it. Something happened in the Barrington tournament last year, and coach Schmitz moved me to forward. That's where we found the chemistry."

Kreutz has superior speed and is really good at finishing, while Janus has more finesse with handling the ball and a flair for taking crosses.

One thing is for sure: both of them have striking ability.

"They're awesome," said Eric Pothast, Bears midfielder. "They both work real hard and put out their best efforts and can guarantee goals.

"It's nice for the two of them to get each get 20 goals. It's a tough choice to say who's better."

There competitive nature shows not only in games, but in practice too. Both have strived to be better and have allowed competition between them to sharpen their skills.

"People always ask us who's going to get more goals than the other," Kreutz said. "It really doesn't matter to me."

Kreutz and Janus have improved this season and their numbers are just part of the story. It's actually what they can do on the field together which means a lot more.

That unique communication between them was key in an upset win over New Trier and in the run to the North Suburban Conference championship as Lake Zurich assembled an 18-2-3 record.

"I really didn't care about myself," Janus said. "I was looking more for our team making it downstate. We had a great group of guys who worked all together."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=248709">Northwest co-captains: Ozbay, Elizalde team up as captains <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248812">Northwest suburban All-Area Boys Soccer Team <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248708">Lake co-captains: Janus, Kreutz team up for Lake Zurich <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248822">Lake Co. All-Area Boys Soccer Team <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248639">Fox co-captain: Sabres' Perez just loves the game <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248641">Fox co-captain: Sandoval's moxie leads to Larkin's success <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248817">Fox Valley All-Area Boys Soccer Team <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248939">DuPage captain: With Naperville C.'s Zimmer, expectations fulfilled <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248746 ">DuPage Co. All-Area Boys Soccer Team <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248649"">Tri captain: No slowing this Sloan, either <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=248820"">Tri-Cities All-Area Boys Soccer Team <span class="date">[11/07/08]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/cook01.pdf">Cook Co. Sports Monthly Page 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/cook04.pdf">Cook Co. Sports Monthly Page 4 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/cook05.pdf">Cook Co. Sports Monthly Page 5 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/cook06.pdf">Cook Co. Sports Monthly Page 6 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/dupage01.pdf">DuPage Co. Sports Monthly Page 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/dupage02.pdf">DuPage Co. Sports Monthly Page 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/dupage03.pdf">DuPage Co. Sports Monthly Page 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/lake01.pdf">Lake Co. Sports Monthly Page 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/lake04.pdf">Lake Co. Sports Monthly Page 4 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/lake05.pdf">Lake Co. Sports Monthly Page 5 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/lake06.pdf">Lake Co. Sports Monthly Page 6 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/foxvalley01.pdf">Fox Valley Sports Monthly Page 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/foxvalley02.pdf">Fox Valley Sports Monthly Page 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/foxvalley03.pdf">Fox Valley Sports Monthly Page 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/foxvalley04.pdf">Fox Valley Sports Monthly Page 4 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tricities01.pdf">Tri-Cities Sports Monthly Page 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tricities03.pdf">Tri-Cities Sports Monthly Page 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tricities06.pdf">Tri-Cities Sports Monthly Page 6 </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>