Stagg claims conference crown with win

Updated: October 15, 2011 9:42PM

The SouthWest Suburban Red boys soccer championship was on the line Thursday in Frankfort, with Stagg seeking to become outright champion and Lincoln-Way North looking to become a co-champ.

The Chargers weren’t in the sharing mood, winning 3-1 to claim the conference crown for the third straight season and spoil Senior Night for the Phoenix.

With three senior starters out with injury and another — Greg Healy — going down and missing the second half, Stagg (15-2-2, 6-0) found a way to win and push the team’s winning streak to six to end the regular season.

“It definitely wasn’t how we expected it, but I’m happy,” Stagg coach Mike Kealy said. “After losing 15 seniors from last year, this was the toughest season to win conference.”

About 12 minutes into the game, Alex Tsitsopolous found Robert Torres for a breakaway. Torres took the ball to the corner, beat three defenders and found the back of the net to put Stagg up 1-0.

“I don’t like sharing anything,” Torres said. “We went all out to win and we toughed it out.”

North (8-7-6, 4-2) answered three minutes later when Osvaldo Salazar had a breakaway, stopped 16 yards out, from where he scored to tie the game at 1.

Stagg would answer nearly seven minutes later when Jimmy Connolly sent a corner kick that Tsitsopolous booted in on a fly. It was Tsitsopolous’ first goal of the season.

“It was like in slow motion,” Tsitsopolous said. “It was picture perfect.”

Less than nine minutes into the second half, Torres found Dan Pranica behind the defense. Pranica fired from right outside the box. North goalkeeper Josh Handzik kicked the ball back at Pranica, the ball hitting the Stagg player’s knee and landing in the net.

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