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Lancers tie with Wheaton North in final round of Lancer Classic By Gary Larsen
He’s in the beginning stage of that process right now. “We’re 3-1-2 and we’ve done some good things, but I think we should be 4-0-2,” Hillner said after his squad tied Wheaton North 1-1 on Saturday, in final-round play of this year’s Lancer Classic tournament in Roselle. “We lost to Crystal Lake South with eight seconds to go in the game,” Hillner said. “We’re a good team, we’re not a great team, and our schedule is only going to get tougher.” Lancers goalkeeper Marty Lupou has been rock-solid in net, and the senior made an outstanding save early in the game against Wheaton North. He was later on the spot to field a hard-hit shot on a good Falcons scoring chance. Lake Park had no shortage of set piece chances, particularly early in the game, in another annual dogfight between the two programs. “It’s always spirited but not out of control,” Wheaton North coach Bryce Cann said of the rivalry. “There are some very good, high-quality programs here and the play is always spirited.” Lake Park’s Alex Norman forced Falcons keeper Nick Barry to tip a shot over the crossbar in the 11th minute. Lake Park’s Nick Ricciardi finally made one of his squad’s early set piece chances count in the game’s 14th minute, stepping onto a free kick feed sent towards the goalmouth by Dewey Admire and heading a shot to the back netting. Unfortunately for Lake Park, Wheaton North tied the game less than a minute later on a free kick bomb from 40 yards out. Play remained intense throughout the remainder of the game but neither squad finished on another goal. "We came out really well. We were all over them early in the game," Lake Park's Mike Keane said. "But after they got their goal on that free kick we were kind of standing around. It seemed like that took away our momentum." "But we had three or four chances early in the game and we just didn't finish." Keane is a senior captain and central midfielder, and it didn't help the Lancers' cause when he left the game due to a leg injury in the second half. Keane is one of the Lancers that carries a lot of the team’s hopes on his shoulders this season. “Nick (Ricciardi) has to be a leader, Keane has to play strong in the middle, and Norman played better today,” Hillner said. “And Marty Lupou has been solid for us.” "We have a lot of young kids that are still kind of learning," Keane said. "Intensity is always important and we have to keep it up there. After we get a lead, sometimes we get satisfied and have a letdown." After struggling for wins during last year’s Lancers Classic, Crystal Lake South was crowned tournament champion for 2009. “They played very simple, and they played a good defensive game,” Hillner said of CLSouth. “They also seemed more excited to be here than any other team. They played hard.” “They gave up a goal to us in the first fifteen minutes, and didn’t give up another goal for the rest of the tournament. They won every game 1-0 or 2-0.”
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2009 Schedule
Lake Park starters vs. Wheaton North
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Lake Park has a team with good potential again this year, and Lancers coach Norm Hillner never fails to turn potential into a solid soccer team by season’s end.