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Munguia's shot, Babb's saves spell victory for WW South By Eddie Burns One right-footed blast has put the Wheaton Warrenville South boy’s soccer team in control of its destiny in the DuPage Valley Conference. The Tigers scored their biggest DVC victory to date when they won a 1-0 decision at Naperville North on a windy Tuesday night in Naperville. Ricky Munguia played a precise ball with his right foot from 25 yards out into the Huskies’ net in the 32nd minute to provide the winner. “It was kind of like a breakaway, but then I just saw the ball, it bounced and I just took a shot and squared it right in there,” said Munguia, who now has 13 goals. “It was a great goal.” Munguia’s goal ended Naperville North goalie Mike Wiest’s quest for a ninth straight shutout. “Their guy hit a bomb,” said Wiest, who played despite injuring his left thumb midway through the first half. “I mean it was a great shot. If I was going to let up a goal to end this streak, I wanted it to be a goal like that.” The Huskies (11-1-4, 4-1) responded by applying plenty of pressure on WW South goalie Derek Babb, but he was up to the challenge. Babb recorded 14 saves and was sharp throughout the night despite the distractions. “It was really tough in these (windy) conditions and it was hard to determine where the ball was going sometimes, but credit our defense,” Babb said. Babb received a little extra help from teammate and defenseman Will Huesing, who cleared at least two shots off the Tigers’ line. “It was a team effort tonight,” Munguia said. “It takes contributions from everyone to beat a team like them.” The win was crucial for the Tigers because it gives WW South an inside track to the DVC championship. That track will not be easy, as the Tigers still have to win matches against Glenbard North (Thursday), Naperville Central (Oct.13) and West Aurora (Oct. 15) next week to ensure the title. “We really needed this game to get back on our feet because it puts us in the driver’s seat,” Babb said. “That is all we wanted to have the conference title in our hands.” The victory against the Huskies was significant because it got the Tigers back on track. WW South suffered a tie to West Chicago in a weather-shortened match on Oct. 1 and then had to score twice in the final 10 minutes to defeat Lake Park on Oct. 3. Now the Tigers have a psychological edge on the Huskies if the two schools meet in the postseason. North received the No. 2 seed in the Dowers Grove South Sectional while WW South is the third seed and they could meet in the sectional semifinals. “We just came out (against North) to do our best against a great team,” Munguia said. “It was a great match. We weren’t trying to show anything. North is a good team and this definitely was a challenge for us and we feel fortunate to have a great outcome.”
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Man of the match: Derek Babb By Eddie Burns WW South would not be in position to win the DuPage Valley Conference outright without the services of goalie Derek Babb during Tuesday night’s contest in windy Naperville. “Babb made some real nice saves for them,” North coach Jim Konrad said. It was a difficult night for both teams because of the gusty breezes, but both goalies had it tough on them. “I noticed the wind a lot,” Babb said. “It was so unpredictable.” However, when Babb had to he was there to save the day and preserve WW South’s 10 shutout of the season. “North is one of those teams that you are not thinking if they’re going to score, but rather when they are going to score,” Babb said. “Tonight we held them in check and that is all you can ask for.” The Huskies have now allowed eight goals this season and were held without a goal for the first time all season.
2009 Schedule
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