Boys soccer: Cohen nets hat trick, Glenbard South gets three-peat
Glenbard South's Josh Cohen and Eric Eismann had a little something up their sleeves.
With Cohen lining up for a free kick just outside the Nazareth penalty area, he and Eismann gave each other the signal for Eismann to plant the seeds of deception.
"He went and told the goalie, he's going top left," Cohen said of Eismann. "And then I saw the goalie looking where I should have shot it, and he was cheating over a bit, so I put it top right."
Instead of going near post, Cohen curled a shot around a four-man wall and just inside the far post for his third goal of the game and a 4-0 victory in the Glenbard South Tournament championship game. The Raiders won their boys soccer tournament for the third consecutive season.
And Cohen definitely was going for the hat trick all the way.
"Coach (Adam Szyszko) told me you've got 2, you've got to go and get a third there," Cohen said.
Despite the solid victory the Raiders aren't about to gloat. It's far too early in the season to declare it a triumph with memories of last year still fresh.
"This definitely boosts our confidence for the season," Cohen said. "We have a tough conference, the Upstate Eight, a lot of tough teams. I don't think we won a game in the conference last year, so we're hoping to get one and then improve our season, always go up."
Cohen sees signs of improvement already.
"Yeah, I feel like team chemistry is good. Everyone is working on and off the ball for each other. We just as a team, we love each other and play for each other. We hope to get some wins out there," he said.
"We're progressing," Szyszko added cautiously.
The Raiders held a 2-0 lead after dominating the first half, but the Roadrunners turned the tide somewhat in the second half, pressing to cut into the Glenbard South advantage. Nazareth twice hit the woodwork on second half shots.
Cohen's second goal, off a Kian Sandoval assist, ended those thoughts.
"It was a good momentum change," Cohen said.
Ryan Vozza, who drew the foul that set up Cohen's 75th-minute free kick for the hat trick, also scored a first half goal for the Raiders (3-0).
Joe Valli and Matt Drinnane split time in goal to share the Raiders' second shutout of the season.