Boys soccer: Lake Zurich, Cary-Grove play to scoreless draw

Lake Zurich had a pretty good run at Barrington's tournament last week and ended up in the championship game which they lost to Rockford Boylan 2-1 in overtime Saturday night.

The Bears returned home with a matchup with Cary-Grove on Tuesday, and that was another battle that lasted 80 full minutes into a scoreless nonconference draw.

Lake Zurich (4-1-2) is off to a great start this season as they turn toward the North Suburban Conference schedule.

"We had a great experience and played progressively better in each game of that tournament," Lake Zurich coach Mike Schmitz said. "Coming off a tough bracket undefeated was nice. Making the championship, we have hoped for a better result. We had our chances against a good team like Boylan. It raised our ceiling and showed us what we're capable of on a good day. By the end of the season that's a good thing."

Against Cary-Grove, the Bears played well on their behalf and had numerous chances around the goal, only to see Trojans keeper Sam Kedzior make 11 saves.

"Happy with the effort and doing the things to put us into a position to get the results we want," Schmitz said. "We don't always get them. We just know that we can be a little bit sharper, a little bit cleaner, whether it's the finishing or the possession."

Of the efforts, senior forward Nick Nadda was one of the few players that had shots on goal and around the frame throughout the match.

"It's tough and it's a team sport at the end of the day," Nadda said. "If you can't finish as a team, then you're not going to score. We have to keep practicing and keep working together. When we bound together really well, we come out ready to play. That's what works the best."

Cary-Grove (0-3-1) has been in every match that they have played so far. The Trojans have three defeats, all by one goal.

"I was pleased how we adjusted and Lake Zurich was a great team," Cary-Grove coach Mark Olson said. "They were coming at us and I was impressed with the way we adapted to what (Lake Zurich) was doing. We made some changes and adjusted on the fly. We had a couple of opportunities, but defensively we played very well. Our keeper (Kedzior) has been our backbone all season."

The Trojans also rely on their senior midfielder Anthony Warfield as one of the players who dictates play on both sides of the field.

"It's the effort to the end and we just want to win," Warfield said. "We're not going to give up, no matter the score. We just always want to put in the effort. Especially, if it's our first we want to push for it."