advertisement

Boys soccer: Prospect wins heat-shortened game over Glenbrook South

An Owen Walsh goal in the 29th minute was all that was needed Saturday afternoon as host Prospect earned a 1-0 victory over visiting Glenbrook South at George Gattas Memorial Stadium in Mt. Prospect.

This nonconference contest was called when the heat index rose to a dangerous level after both coaches met with officials before a decision was made to end things in the 60th minute.

"It would have been nice to play out the full 80 minutes, but it made sense to call the game when we did. It doesn't make sense to take any chances in these type of weather conditions," said Knights head coach Mike Andrews, whose club saw its season opener against Maine South last Tuesday postponed well before its 6:45 kickoff due to extreme heat.

"I thought the guys played well for their first time out," Andrews continued. "We struggled in the first 10 to 15 minutes, but we got ourselves together, were organized along the back, and used a great goal from Owen to help us start the season with a win."

Both Owens, and his teammate, Shea Morris are newcomers on a Knights roster with saw (17) seniors move on from the 2021 spring season.

The duo saw firsthand how important Alejandro Rider-Leiner is to the Knights' hopes this fall when the two-year starter stopped Xander Hwangs' point blank blast five minutes into the contest to keep things even.

"We have a very good keeper, and our backline is strong, and really solid at blocking shots, which is something we saw, especially in the first half when Glenbrook South (0-2-0) had a lot of the play," said Walsh, who is coming off ACL surgery.

The Walsh strike was a magnificent one - thanks in part to a brilliant early ball over the top from Morris that forced Glenbrook South keeper, Declan Cloutier off his line, leaving an empty net behind him.

Walsh gave the home side the lead.

"Our entire backline was out today (so) we had a few guys back (there) who are not familiar with the position, which is not an excuse for their goal, because it was a great finish by their No. 8 (Walsh)," Titans head coach Reggie Lara said.

After the break, Steven Lopez had a shot from 25 yards with his left-footer, going just over bar, while Morris, and his counterpart in the center of the park, Owen Beumer, showed terrific pace, creativity and purpose to help lead their respective attack(s).

David Marshall led the Knights backline of: Nicholas Casaletto, Sam Heintz, and Ari Kemperas, which, as a unit, would limit chances of quality at Rider-Leiner who recorded the shutout.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.