Hersey shuts out Barrington

Brent Killian flipped the script for Hersey.

Finishing a beatiful scoring sequence with sophomore midfielder Saul Casillas, Killian timed the end of his run and drilled a cross inside the near post in the 10th minute the No. 19 Huskies parlayed into a 1-0 victory over Barrington Thursday in Arlington Heights.

The Huskies, who usually play a defensive-oriented style, were the aggressors.

“That was huge for us,” Killian said of his fourth goal of the year. “We’re usually a team that doesn’t score first or it takes us a while, and the momentum was oustanding after that.”

Hersey (11-2-5, 5-1-4 Mid-Suburban East) then went to its bread and butter. The Huskies were willing to conceded possession to the Broncos as its stellar backline led by elite defender Campbell White exerted constant pressure.

The early goal allowed Hersey to control the tempo and style.

“The past couple of games, it’s been the first 10 minutes where we were playing more defensively and we’re not as aggressive,” senior midfielder Luis Rosado said.

“This game we played with heart and came out guns blazing.”

By contrast, Barrington (13-7, 6-4) was sluggish at the start.

“The warm up was flat, and that’s why we came out how we did,” senior midfielder Giles Phillips said. “After struggling early, Barrington mounted consistent possession but never strung together a sequence that matched Hersey’s early effort. ”

“We have to be able to make more chances,” Phillips said. “You can’t score goals unless you take the shots.”

Sophomore Adam Szymaszek recorded three saves for the Huskies.

Hersey refused to stand on its early laurels. Killian nearly scored at the start of the second half and Rosado was stymied on a superb diving stop by the Broncos’ Alex Ruffalo.

Hersey maintained high pressure and it was just enough to keep Barrington off balance.

“We played well the whole night,” Killian said. “Our defense held the middle pretty well, and on the long throws or crosses we were able to clear the ball out.”

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