The Glenbrook North boys soccer team needed a spark, a jolt of energy.
With his team trailing by two goals in its Class 3A Maine East Sectional semifinal game against Lane on Oct. 27, Spartans senior midfielder Timmy Iscra dribbled into the 18-yard box on the left side. To his right was Spartans senior forward Kamil Barabas. A Lane defender was between them. Barabas ran to the right of the defender, to create space for a potential cross. It came.
“(Iscra) is a really good athlete,” Barabas said. “I thought he may be taking a shot but then he put it wide.”
Barabas cleaned up the pass from Iscra, burying the shot for a Spartans goal.
Glenbrook North scored two more goals and won the game 3-2. However, the top-seeded Spartans lost to third-seeded Evanston in the sectional final on Saturday in Park Ridge. The Wildkits edged Glenbrook North 4-2 in penalty kicks to earn a 2-1 win.
The play between Iscra and Barabas in the sectional semifinals demonstrated the playmaking abilities of Iscra, the Spartans’ best player all season. It also revealed the elevated play of Barabas, a backup for most of 2016 who was asked to do more after a teammate was injured.
“He brings energy, speed and physicality to the game,” Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said of Barabas. “A fun player to watch.”
Barabas’ season changed Oct. 13.
During a 3-2 win over Jacobs on senior night, Glenbrook North starting center midfielder and 17-goal scorer Sahil Modi went up for a 50-50 ball. On the way down, he took an awkward step and asked to come out of the game.
He was later diagnosed with a fractured pelvis, according to Vignocchi. Modi, a junior, missed the rest of the season.
“It became kind of a next-man-up mentality,” Vignocchi said.
A lineup reshuffle was in order. Barabas, who had been subbing in for junior forward Deng Deng, now started in the midfield. Barabas and junior midfielder Robbie Fraser played both in the center of the midfield and on the outside. And junior forward Matt Metzger was asked to take on a more aggressive role in the attacking third of the field.
There wasn’t much time for the Spartans to adjust to the lineup. The playoffs began five days after Modi’s injury. But a 3-0 win over Prospect in the regional semifinals on Oct. 18 and a 4-1 win over Maine West in the regional title game on Oct. 22 proved Glenbrook North was a capable of adjusting on the fly.
“We have a great bench. We all felt good right away,” said Barabas, a three-year varsity player.
Iscra said he enjoys playing with a player such as Barabas who has a high work rate.
“He’s willing to put a body on a guy and I know that I can play him a ball and he will get there,” Iscra said. “He has a lot of heart and that’s something this team really needs.”
Barabas said all the practices and games prepared him for the increased playing time near the end of the season.
“I’ve had great coaches. All of them helped me to improve my first touch and speed,” Barabas said. “I practiced with the varsity my freshman year (2013). I’ve been here. I was ready.”
Jon J. Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
