Round Lake soccer riding down Victory Lane

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COMMENTARY

Since joining the North Suburban Conference eight years ago, Round Lake's athletic programs haven't had much luck collecting trophies for winning league titles.

In fact, most programs at the school have struggled to compete year in and year out against the sometimes bigger and almost always better-financed teams in the NSC.

But while other teams are finding it hard to pick up victories this fall at Round Lake, the Panthers' boys soccer team is riding high with an experienced and talented group of players with a Latin flair under the guidance of six-year coach Mike Hruska.

Round Lake owns a 9-2-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the NSC Prairie Division with one division game remaining.

Should the Panthers top visiting Grant on Oct. 7, they would win their first-ever NSC Prairie boys soccer title.

Round Lake hasn't just been the cream of the crop in the NSC Prairie this season, they have piled up victories in dominating fashion -- including a 4-0 win over Wauconda and a 5-1 thrashing of Lakes, two of the usual powers in the division.

Round Lake's success this season isn't surprising to junior forward Gilberto Alfaro, who put in two goals and dished out two assists in the Panthers' convincing victory last week at Lakes.

"Most of us have been playing together since we were little kids," said Alfaro. "We all know each other and know each other well on the field, so we can usually tell what everyone is going to do or were he is going to be on the field."

That knowledge makes Round Lake one of the most fluid teams in the area -- playing a short-passing game with skill that most prep teams could only imagine doing.

"Round Lake has a lot of talented players," said Lakes coach Kevin Kullby. "It's the best Round Lake team I've seen in my 11-12 years in this area."

Despite plenty of talent, the Panthers aren't a selfish lot.

"We don't care who scores the goals as long as we win," said Alfaro, who is among three players -- including junior Edwin Martinez and senior Cesar Garcia -- who have scored more than nine goals each this season.

Andres Gomez, Carlos Salgado, Alex Murua, Migual Miranda and recently promoted freshman Jordi Rubio give Round Lake plenty of other talented options up front.

"We have a lot of players who can score," said Hruska. "It's hard to opposing teams to try to stop just one player."

The defense is anchored by flamboyant junior goalkeeper Jose Landa, along with steady defenders Eli Martinez, Bryant Martinez, Jose Garcia and Jimmy Avila.

"The attitude is good in the team," said Alfaro. "We know that we still have a lot of games to play and we want to continue to get better."

Bigger games include a probable berth in the NSC Championship Game against the Lake Division winner and IHSA Class 3A tournament action in the Rockford Boylan Sectional Complex.

The Panthers were assigned to McHenry Regional along with Prairie Ridge, Grant, Woodstock and the host school. A couple of wins in late October at McHenry would earn Round Lake another first -- a regional championship.

"This team has already accomplished a lot," said Hruska. "Last year, we finished 10-6-2 and that was our first winning season in something like 16-17 years.

"This season, the team wants to accomplish even more, and they know if they continue to play together they can get those things done."

One of the things Round Lake is accomplishing is getting the support of the school and the community.

"A lot of the teams at Round Lake don't win, but we have been, so we are seeing a lot more people at our games," said Alfaro. "It's nice to see more fans at our games."

If you enjoy "The Beautiful Game," you should be one of those fans in the Round Lake High stands.