PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College men's soccer team got back in the win column Tuesday afternoon as the team beat visiting Madison College 3-2. After the WolfPack evened the score at two in the 81st minute, Lorenzo Savino (Barrington, Ill., Fremd) scored unassisted in the 88th minute to break the tie and give the hosts a victory.
“I wasn't that happy with the win,” said Harper head coach Jason Diebold. “We didn't do the right things to finish off the game. The guys didn't necessarily rise to the occasion.”
The Hawks got on the board first in the 18th minute when Kyle O'Meara (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) scored off a feed from Savino, a combination that worked well against Madison (0-8). After a Wolfpack goal in the 29th minute, Harper (3-5, 3-2 N4C) answered in the 33th minute when O'Meara sent a through ball to Savino. From there, the forward took care of the rest as he beat the Wolfpack keeper.
The Hawks were on the attack seemingly all game and had several great scoring opportunities. Just a minute before Savino converted, Alex Bochat (Hoffman Estates, Ill., Fremd) sent a free kick into the box and Patrick Norr (Chicago, Ill., Lincoln Park) headed it in but the goal was nullified because of an offside call. The Savino-O'Meara connection nearly worked again in the 49th minute when Savino crossed a ball into the box and O'Meara's header hit off the crossbar. In goal, Jorge Caballero (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) made four saves.
“Finishing is our number one problem,” Diebold said. “It's a mentality. We need to change how we think now versus how we have thought in the past.”
The team returns to action on Friday as Milwaukee Area Technical College (1-4) comes to town. Earlier this season, the Hawks beat the Stormers 1-0 in Milwaukee. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM.
