Lindberg's goal keeps Huskies' DVC hopes alive

By Gary Larsen

Once the restarts started coming down the stretch, Naperville North figured to at least have a chance to get a goal against West Aurora on Monday.

With roughly 30 seconds left, that chance came and Kyle Lindberg jumped all over it.

“I was just watching the ball, it popped through a couple people and it just came to me,” Lindberg said, after locating a Dean Gastouniotis free kick in a crowd near the goalmouth and finishing.

Lindberg’s goal gave the Huskies a 1-0 win in a DuPage Valley Conference showdown in West Aurora, and kept their DVC hopes alive in the process.

“At halftime we talked and told them that’s how we were going to win the game today,” Huskies coach Jim Konrad said of the restart goal. “That’s one thing we historically do very well.”

“But we were fortunate, as we’ve been all year. The (crossbar) saved us three times.”

Wheaton Warrenville South is unbeaten in the conference, with Naperville Central and West Aurora left to play. Both teams will visit the Tigers this week, and one of them will have to post a win in order for the Huskies to claim at least a share of this year’s DVC crown.

Through 60 minutes of play on Monday, the Blackhawks (16-3-2, 3-2-1 in DVC) gave the Huskies (12-2-4, 5-1) all they could handle. West Aurora carried play for three-quarters of the contest, hitting the crossbar three times but failing to convert.

“West Aurora was better than us, by far, for the first 60 or 65 minutes,” Konrad said. “Then they took their foot off the gas. I’m not sure what it was, but part of it was our guys finally started playing.”

The Huskies’ Chris Boswell put in his usual lunch bucket effort all over the field, and the senior nearly scored in the game’s 76th minute, sending a good chance just wide of the post.

The game’s final 20 minutes saw a consistent pattern of corner kicks and dangerous free kicks for North, with Boswell earning the foul that set up Lindberg’s game-winner.

Konrad also praised the role that Sean LaBahn played in Monday’s game. The sophomore entered the game in the middle of the field, moved to striker, and then to an outside mid spot before sliding back up top a second time.

“I thought LaBahn’s effort changed the pace for our side,” Konrad said. “The last 20 minutes I thought we had the better of it, and he just worked and worked and worked. I thought he was the difference. Of all the guys, I thought he changed the pace of the game.”

“We fought hard the whole game and at the end we were able to put one in,” LaBahn said. “We finally found our forwards’ feet and got an offense going.”

The DVC math

While Wheaton Warrenville South is now in control of its destiny in the DVC, the Tigers need to beat a pair of big dogs this year to win the conference.

The Tigers are unbeaten in DVC play with Naperville Central on the slate Tuesday and West Aurora on Thursday. Should WWSouth beat the Blackhawks and Naperville Central, the Tigers would claim the title outright.

If the Tigers lose one of those games and Naperville North beats West Chicago on Thursday, North and WW South will share the DVC crown.

If South loses those two games and Naperville Central beats Glenbard North in its final DVC game, a West Chicago win over Naperville North would bring Central into the race for the title by adding a third team potentially finishing with a 5-2 conference record.

"Mathematically, we still have a chance," Central coach Jay Konrad said. "But it's a long shot."

West Aurora pressure comes away empty

By Gary Larsen

“I’d rather lose today than two weeks from now,” West Aurora coach Joe Sustersic said, after his squad hit the crossbar three times and controlled most of the action in Monday’s 1-0 loss to Naperville North.

“I feel that we can play with anybody. Today was one of those days where we were a little unlucky, and it was good to see my kids not back down from a Naperville North team.”

One of the hurdles for West Aurora’s program has been getting past the Huskies’ mystique as the historically dominant team in the DuPage Valley Conference.

“They’re a good team and they know how to win,” Sustersic said of North. “But in two games against them this year we’ve only given up a goal. But credit to them. They know how to finish a game when it matters the most.”

The Blackhawks also lost to the Huskies on September 19 in the title game of this year’s downstate Morton tournament, after a scoreless 80 minutes went the Huskies’ way in a shootout.

The rematch was a slightly different story than Game One between the DuPage Valley Conference foes. On Monday, West carried the play for more than 60 minutes but couldn't finish on a goal, marking only the third time all year the Blackhawks have been shut out of net.

Twice, that fate came against Naperville North.

“They’re a great team. They have eight or nine guys that are really dangerous and their front six are great,” North coach Jim Konrad said. “They just didn’t find a way to finish.”

“But I would hate to see them in the (state) tournament. That’s a scary team.”

Sustersic was pleased with his boys through 60 minutes. “We played well. We played hard and had our chances.” he said. “When you hit the post for the third time, frustration can set in.”

Sustersic applauded the play of senior defender Humberto Laguna, who stepped into the starting lineup and got the job done Monday. Midfielders Josue Martinez and Mario Alvarez also played well towards controlling the midfield.

The loss in West Aurora also dashed the Blackhawks’ hopes for a share of this year’s DVC crown. “Our last game of the regular season is Thursday against Wheaton Warrenville South,” Sustersic said. “So now we’ll just try to play the spoiler.”

With a DVC loss and a tie on their record, the Blackhawks needed to win on Monday to retain a chance at a share of the conference crown.

His boys moved the ball around and had the better of play for most of the contest, but Sustersic was quick to point out that style points have never earned a win for any team.

“They scored. We didn’t,” Sustersic said. “We didn’t get to a fifteenth round, where a judge is making a decision on a winner, and I’d rather win ugly than lose pretty.”