Boys soccer: Freshman Delapaz helps St. Charles North down WW South
St. Charles North freshman midfielder Walter Delapaz heard all of his teammates razzing him in the aftermath of Tuesday's afternoon game.
Delapaz managed to create a bigger stir on the field during the DuKane Conference boys soccer game against Wheaton Warrenville South. Delapaz scored 2 goals to lift the North Stars to a 3-0 victory over the Tigers in Wheaton.
Luke Persenico tapped in a goal with 3:22 left in regulation to extend the lead to 2-0 before Delapaz notched his second goal at the 1:58 mark.
Delapaz entered the conference game with one varsity career goal, quickly tripling his season total with two second-half goals.
The North Stars (9-1, 8-0) remained in the driver's seat in the conference, and extended their winning streak to seven in a row since losing to Streamwood.
Wearing No. 99, Delapaz said he's been wearing the same number since he was "12 years old and it just sticks with me."
"I was just looking forward to it and (being) in the right spot," Delapaz said of his first goal. "It feels amazing to help out. It's pretty fun being on the varsity team in my freshman year. I had to finish it off with that second one. We're all hoping to finish off strong with a great season."
St. Charles North coach Eric Willson said Delapaz is rapidly becoming a key contributor for his talented team.
"Walter's gradually starting to make more and more plays on the field," he said. "We said at halftime somebody has to go out there and make a play in the second half to see if we can change the complexion of the game. He certainly did that."
St. Charles North reserve goalie Max Montgomery had a stellar effort on a difficult afternoon that included a heavy wind. Montgomery finished with 9 saves, including a leaping save with just under seven minutes left to preserve the shutout. Montgomery had the majority of his saves in a solid first half effort.
"Max came in and saved us on a couple of occasions in the first half," Willson said. "We were happy to have Max with our number one goalie Vincent Miteff unable to play today. Max had a couple of big saves, where they probably should've had a goal but he saved us."
The Tigers (2-4-2, 1-4-2) had numerous chances in the game, especially in the first half. Senior midfielder Eladio Reyes, in particular, had a few clean looks, but the wind factored into some hard-hit balls that sailed over the net. Wheaton Warrenville South goalie Kieran Cassidy tallied 11 saves in the defeat.
"Unless you are perfect or on turf, playing in the wind can be a struggle," Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. "We knew in the first half they struggled with that. We had some one-on-one chances with the goalie but he was able to block everything in the first half.
"(St. Charles North) is a quality team and just a matter of them building and orchestrating."