On Thursday, Oct. 12, the varsity boys soccer team took their sixth win of the season with a 2-1 victory against the neighboring Vernon Hills Cougars.
Despite cold weather in the stadium, fans filled the stands with the hopes of another Wildcat victory, coming off a tough 3-2 loss to the Stevenson Patriots. Within the first minute of the game, Vernon Hills junior Ocho Finn (8) scored a goal off of a header, putting the Cougars up 1-0.
For the Wildcats, junior Nicky Dawson (4) took over and took the ball down the field, giving the home team one of many chances to even the score. The team was not without adversity, however; a later foul on Libertyville left them in dangerous territory without possession.
Junior Matthew Underwood (2) and Portillo worked together all the way down the field in attempts to score the first Wildcat goal, until they were stopped by the Vernon Hills defense and goalkeeper, junior Brandon Grunfeld (15).
Similarly, in the last few minutes of the first half, Libertyville’s own goalkeeper, junior Danny Moreira (00) made a save of his own, keeping the score at 1-0 to end the first half.
Just over five minutes into the second half of the game, Portillo made a swift pass to senior Oliver Allen (15) who scored the first Wildcat goal.
“It was huge because we were down one,” Allen said. “It was a big comeback that we needed, especially because we were the better team there.”
With the score tied at one apiece, the home team needed to score again. Allen’s goal marked one of many shots taken by the Wildcats. In the end, it was Underwood who scored the second Wildcat goal. After a 13 month recovery from an ACL injury, Underwood was back on the field.
Underwood, who called his goal a “banger,” said that his comeback was “awesome. I worked hard for it for a long time and I got it. It’s a pleasure to be back.”
Libertyville now had the lead over Vernon Hills, but still had to hold it and outlast the clock to win. Players such as Portillo had to continuously step up to keep the ball out of Wildcat territory. With eight minutes left in the game, a yellow card was called on Vernon Hills, giving possession back to the home team.
In the end, Libertyville left their home stadium on Thursday with another win.