Falcons defending well and itching to score

By Gary Larsen

Scoring has been a struggle for Wheaton North this season, but the Falcons have been able to count on two things that have kept them in every game.

Goalkeeper Nick Barry and the Falcons’ defense.

Barry has been nothing short of outstanding this year, and the senior isn’t even a full-time soccer player. The junior is a two-sport athlete, just like his counterpart on the south side of town, WW South keeper Derek Babb.

“Nick is also a basketball player and he doesn’t play soccer in the offseason,” Cann said. “He has been fantastic this season. In the area, I’d match him up against anybody else.”

“He’s a physical kid. He’s willing to bang a little bit, and get hit. He’s confident, he catches the ball in traffic, and he’s a good athlete. He also anticipates plays before they happen, rather than having to react every single time.”

“He’s doing exactly what we hoped he could do.”

The boys in front of Barry have also been rock-solid this year, and as a team the Falcons have only given up 21 goals in 18 games through Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Batavia.

“Zak Gudanik is our sweeper in back and he sees things very well,” Cann said. “He has a very consistent touch, you won’t see him mis-hit balls, and he’s able to put a ball to our front line consistently where it needs to be.”

“Outside, we moved Vito Muilli back after he played up top for us early in the year. We moved him back (on Sept. 16) against Naperville North and we liked what he was doing. He’s a physical kid.”

“A lot of the kids we’re playing back there – it’s not a lot of flash, just stand in front of people and make them beat you. Make them make a good play rather than us making a mistake.”

On Saturday the Falcons hoped to stop a five-game stretch in which they’ve only netted two goals and lost three straight games by 1-0 margins. Against Batavia, Pat Langan ended his squad’s scoring drought with a first-half blast that tore inside the near post from 16 yards out.

“Pat has been very, very solid for us all year,” Cann said. “He works hard, he’s pretty technically sound, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and he’s a good physical presence for us as well.”

“And a lot of times he’s been working by himself.”

The Falcons played all week without attacking players Josh Bennett and Michael Lenzi, and struggled to put goals on the scoreboard as a result. While the Falcons have never given up many goals during Cann’s tenure, this year’s team has only scored 19 goals in 18 games through Saturday’s tie.

The Falcons have six 1-0 losses this season. Since topping Wheaton Academy 4-0 on September 28, the Falcons have only managed 3 goals in their last 6 games.

But if Barry and the back line can keep things close, Langan and a healthy Josh Bennett and Michael Lenzi have the potential to help turn North’s fortunes around with the postseason looming.

 “We’ve been in three games all year that have been decided by more than one goal,” Cann said. “We’ve been on the right side of that twice and on the wrong side once. In 18 games, everything else has been a one-goal game.”
 
“We’ve been joking about how if you come to play us it’s going to be a one-goal game. We’ve been in that situation a lot this year. The downside of playing in so many close games is that you’re constantly under pressure. You don’t get a minute off.”

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