Conant beat Schaumburg in boys soccer Thursday night and Brent Clarbour had a goal in the 4-1 victory. But that’s not why he was happy.
Clarbour simply was glad to be playing this season.
“I just felt like I needed time off,” the senior said. “I wasn’t having fun going to games.”
Clarbour had played soccer since he was 4 years old and, after his first two years with the Cougars, believed he was burned out, so he skipped his junior season.
“It wasn’t the best decision when I look back,” Clarbour said, “because we did so well. I came to every game. I should have played. It was great coming back this year.”
Clarbour, who now has nine goals, rejoined friends with whom he had played youth and high school soccer and is one of the main contributors to eighth-ranked Conant’s 13-5-2 record and Mid Suburban League West-best 5-0.
The Cougars have clinched a berth in the conference’s Soccer Bowl–they’re the defending MSL champions–and Wednesday were voted the top seed in the Hersey sectional.
“He’s very skillful on the left side,” Conant coach Tony Kees said about Clarbour, now nicknamed “the Comeback Kid” at the school. “He’s tricky and even though he hasn’t had as many goals as I think he would like, he’s still a big contributor. He’s big-time.”
Big time on this night was Brian Dahlquist, who scored two goals and has the team lead with 13. Josh Kwiatkowski scored his 11th goal and came up with two assists. Josh Purse, who assisted on Clarbour’s goal, also assisted Kwiatkowski’s.
“We have four guys who are really doing the job,” Kees said. “Our goals are spread around pretty evenly. Last year we really didn’t have our front-runners scoring goals.”
Now the Cougars and Clarbour, who missed that trip to the Elite Eight in 1999, have their eyes not only on the Soccer Bowl but the state playoffs.
Schaumburg coach Eric Luzzi, whose Saxons (4-7-4, 1-4) got a goal from Ryan Fitzgerald to prevent the shutout, knows why Conant is so dangerous.
“It’s a combination of skill and ridiculous work rate,” Luzzi said. “Every time they attack, they attack with six or seven guys. And when they defend they defend with six or seven guys.
“And they’re all on the same page.”
