Any doubts about how effective Lincoln-Way Central goalkeeper Andy Strait would be this season were erased in a summer soccer game.
After watching Strait come up with a sensational save, Central coach Dan Radz thought, “We’ve got something big.”
How right Radz was. Strait came through Saturday with a huge save on a penalty kick by Waubonsie Valley’s John Dee in the 75th minute to preserve a 1-1 tie in the championship game of the Best of the West tournament at Naperville Central.
Although the game officially goes into the record book as a deadlock, a shootout was used to determine which players took home the first-place medals. Strait came through again. He stopped two of the Warriors’ shots and the second-ranked Knights won the shootout 6-5.
“Anytime you take a penalty kick, it’s just a guessing game,” said the senior goalkeeper, whose team is 3-0-1. “Sometimes you get lucky.”
No. 3 Waubonsie Valley, which outshot Central 13-6 and lost sweeper Derrick Clanton on a red card with 6:24 left, just wasn’t lucky enough. The Warriors (3-1-1) seemed on their way to victory when Danny May was taken down in the penalty area to set up Dee’s kick. But Strait was right on top of the shot.
The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute on their first shot of the game. Matt Wieclaw converted Joe Ducci’s pass for the score. Six minutes later, Waubonsie’s May caught up with a bouncing ball that had eluded two Lincoln-Way defenders. His goal tied the game 1-1.
Earlier in the day, Dave Brown scored two goals to lift Central over Neuqua Valley 3-1, and Mike Montgomery’s goal with 11 minutes left gave Waubonsie Valley a 2-1 victory over Naperville Central.
“Right now I’m so disappointed,” said Clanton, who had to leave the game after his red card. “Not only losing in penalty kicks, but the fact that I couldn’t help my team.”
Alan Sutton.
Barrington tournament: Sean Berzenski and Steve Lannefeld each scored on headers as Barrington (5-0) edged No. 7 Libertyville 2-1 to capture the title. Steve Brooks tallied a first-half goal for Libertyville (4-1-1). . . . In the third-place game, Eric O’Reilly assisted Jimmy Klatter’s goal in the second overtime as No. 4 Geneva (4-0-1) slipped past Lake Zurich 2-1.
Glenbrook South tournament: No. 9 Fremd (2-1-1) topped Lyons 5-0 behind Brandon Bilbrey’s two goals. . . . Glenbrook South shut out Stevenson 2-0 to win its own tournament.
Lake Park tournament: In the title match, Tony Jurisevic’s penalty kick with 11:44 remaining lifted Downers Grove North (4-0) over Lake Park 3-2.
Girls volleyball
Wheaton North Invitational: No. 2 Providence (6-0) won for the fifth time in six years as Renata Dargan mixed 65 assists and 16 aces in five matches.
West Aurora tournament: No. 5 Naperville Central (5-0-1) downed Naperville North 15-8, 16-14 to win the championship. In the five-match tournament, Meg Eckert recorded 60 kills and Cayley Thurlby added 126 assists for the Redhawks.
Fremd/Conant Invitational: No. 7 St. Francis (7-0) defended its title with a 15-7, 10-15, 15-12 defeat of St. Charles East (6-1) at Fremd. Nicole Crnich’s seven blocks–half of her tournament total–led the Spartans in the title game. In five matches, Melissa Markowski recorded 31 kills for the Spartans.
Cross country
Fenton Invitational: Carlos Mendoza won the 3-mile boys race in 15 minutes 30 seconds, and teammate Andy Sbertoli followed three seconds later for meet champion Fenton. The Bison scored 74 points to 88 for defending Class A champ Eureka.
Rachel Reed won the girls 2 1/2-mile race in 15:48, and Oak Park’s Jane Weber ran second in 16:03. Lake Park, paced by Maddie Macejik’s third-place run in 16:05, edged Downers Grove South 59-60 for the title.
