Boys soccer: Stevenson shuts out Round Lake
Just a couple of weeks into the boys soccer season, Stevenson is considered on the young side but a team to watch for.
The Patriots (4-1) had a respectable showing in the recent Titan Invitational by taking 2 out of 3 matches with their only defeat to host Glenbrook South 1-0.
Stevenson held its own turf firm with a 1-0 shutout over visiting Round Lake in a nonconference match in Lincolnshire on Wednesday night.
Anthony Skoridiks scored the game-winning goal in the second half while Patriots keeper Zach Klaber made 6 out of his 7 stops in the second half.
"I love the way we're playing," Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. "Give Round Lake credit; they put numbers up and went for it. I think our gift right now is that we can play defense all over the field. Our Achilles' heel is getting guys bold enough to shoot the ball. They just don't want to make mistakes. We're just real careful in the offensive third and we need to change that."
What really worked for the Patriots came from one of their sophomores, Skoridiks, who connected on a free kick from 20 yards straight on into the upper corner in the 61st minute.
"It was a free kick and a good shot," said Skoridiks, who notched his second goal this season. "I did see the goalie move over to the far post. So, I had a pretty good pocket of space to bend it into the near post."
The Patriots have been showing that the team has come together in a short amount of time and can give a challenge to other schools.
"Everyone is motivated for the team," Skoridiks added. "Everyone wants to work hard and we're a good technical team. We're fast up top and work well together as a team."
The defense has been a strong point for Stevenson in this match and others. On the backline, led by Klaber in goal, it also includes Ethan Bende, Kevin Yan, Rei Kubota and Takashi Uchida.
"We definitely have a lot of communication back there," Klaber said. "We've been playing together and have known each other for a while. We have a way to talk with each other. We're just starting to mold together pretty well."
On the other side, Round Lake (3-4) had just won three straight matches and taken the Border Pride tournament in Kenosha over the weekend.
Panthers' keeper Ulises Nuno made 8 stops, while Round Lake was knocking on the door trying to get one in the back of the net the entire time.
"It was a lot of missed chances," Round Lake coach Hugo Tellez said. "It's something I've stated before, its a lot of inconsistency. It was a great game, a great win for Stevenson. We learn and we move on."