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Lincoln-Way West, Joliet West settle for 0-0 draw
Updated: September 26, 2011 9:30PM
The persistent drizzle that fell during the first half of Monday night’s soccer game between Lincoln-Way West and Joliet West turned into a wind-blown downpour in the second half, making it hard for the teams to navigate.
Fans from both sides held on to their umbrellas and withstood the conditions along with the players, who battled to a scoreless finish at Joliet West.
“We haven’t seen weather like that yet this fall,’’ Joliet West coach Jeff Lundeen said. “The guys were ready. They said they were kind of excited to play in it. Down the road we may see weather just as bad or worse.’’
“The conditions got worse and the soccer wasn’t as crisp,’’ Lincoln-Way West coach Ryan McAllister said. “With conditions like this, it’s a bounce here, it’s a skip there. Both teams seemed to avoid that today.’’
Joliet West took the wind in the first half and maintained consistent pressure for most of the opening 40 minutes.
“We were looking to put some insurance goals up and be leading at halftime,’’ Lundeen said. “We couldn’t find the back of the net.’’
Lundeen singled out the overall effort of Lucas Stefanski off the bench. “He did an awesome job of coming in and controlling the middle,’’ Lundeen said.
The Tigers coach also praised goalie David Solis, who “had to fight off some hard balls coming in that were skipping.’’
Joliet West (4-7-4) opens its SouthWest Suburban Blue schedule Wednesday against Homewood-Flossmoor.
“I’d call the season up to this point real developmental,’’ Lundeen said. “We feel we’re moving in a real solid direction.’’
McAllister was pleased with the way his team handled Joliet West’s pressure in the first half, keeping the game scoreless.
“I thought our outside backs did a nice job tonight,’’ McAllister said. “Kevin Staniszewski and Jason Yaeger did a nice job. I can always talk about Eric (Staniszewski) and Conor (McGrath).’’
Lincoln-Way West (3-6-5) starts its SouthWest Suburban Red season Thursday at Stagg.
“We’re staying a little more consistent than we were at the beginning of the season,’’ McAllister said. “We’re still not seeing results like we’d like to see. But conditions like this, it’s not a bad result.’’
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