Vying for the title: Bret Lowry’s two goals lift Evanston over New Trier

EVANSTON — The Evanston boys soccer team decided to change things up with 32:43 remaining in the second half of Thursday night’s game against New Trier.

The Wildkits scored the first goal in their 2-0 victory on a corner kick in the sixth minute of the match. The initial tally was the result of a play, which they run often, that begins with Aaron Stone peering into the box and looking for the weak point in the defense. The senior midfielder then tries to connect with senior forward Gus Fleps, senior defender Timothy Kenney or junior defender Bret Lowry — the team’s strongest players in the air — within that area of weakness.

Stone’s cross found Lowry in the middle of the box with 34:02 remaining in the first half. Lowry, who was unmarked, placed his header into the top-right corner of the net.

Evanston (9-1-2 overall, 2-1-1 CSL South) chose to run a different play on its first corner kick of the second half. Lowry hung back at the top of the box — he was about even with the far post — as his teammates sprinted to their places in New Trier’s box.

Stone sent a rolling cross toward Lowry, hoping the junior would be left unaccounted for among the chaos.

He was.

The ball found its way to Lowry and the junior hit it square. He kept his laser of a right-footed shot low, and it beat New Trier goalkeeper Andrew Gjertsen to the senior’s left.

“I knew that I had hit it pretty well,” said Lowry, when asked if he knew the ball was going in when he struck it. “I’m just excited, pumped (after that). You get excited for that 30 seconds, but then you’ve got to calm down and make sure you don’t give up a quick one.”

Lowry’s goal, along with the team’s quality defense, sucked the life out of New Trier (8-1-3, 2-1-0). The Trevians only mustered one shot on goal after Evanston took a 2-0 lead as Lowry, Kenney and the other members of Evanston’s defense clamped down on the high-powered New Trier attack.

“It’s nice to see him scoring, but everything else he’s been doing up to this point has been just as good defensively, for the team,” Evanston coach Franz Calixte said. “Even though we’re surprised it’s a defender who scored both goals, we’re not surprised that Brett Lowry was involved.”

Thursday’s scores.

Evanston 2, New Trier 0

Glenbrook South 3, Waukegan 3

Maine South 2, Niles West 0