Boys soccer: Huntley responds with two second-half goals to overcome McHenry, 2-0

HUNTLEY – Ansel Dias was mad that he couldn’t do anything in the first half of Huntley’s match against McHenry on Thursday night, so he decided to change that.

The senior forward became more aggressive and took a chance on a corner kick early in the second half, heading in the go-ahead goal in Huntley’s 2-0 win.

“It was a great feeling,” Dias said. “When I missed those first two shots, I was feeling down, but I wanted to get one back, and I got it. Hopefully that helped my team and we got the confidence.”

McHenry’s defensive scheme frustrated Huntley (6-3-2, 2-0 FVC) for much of the first half. The Warriors packed in their players and defended the ball with strong pressure before breaking out on counterattacks to create scoring chances.

The Red Raiders had three free kicks and two corner kicks in the first half and couldn’t capitalize, but the momentum changed on Huntley’s third corner attempt. Dias broke free of his defender and ran hard toward the left goal post, where he met the ball and headed it in to give his team a 1-0 lead with 33:34 left in the match.

Huntley adjusted in the second half by moving the ball around more before moving the ball up the pitch. Zach Heitkemper ran down the ball deep into McHenry’s zone and shot it toward the net, where a Warriors player knocked it into the goal to make it 2-0 Huntley with 25:20 left in the match.

Red Raiders coach Matt Lewandowski knew McHenry presented issues if the Warriors executed their scheme perfectly, and he was proud of the way his team regrouped and found a way to pull out a scrappy conference win.

“That’a big win to go 2-0 in conference, especially one of the more difficult groups,” Lewandowski said. “We battled out, and we got the two late ones to get the win.”

McHenry (5-5, 1-1 FVC) continued to create chances after giving up its first goal, then falling behind 2-0. The Warriors had a strong shot at the net with 27 minutes left in the match, but the ball sailed wide of the net.

Warriors coach Tony Caruso thought his team kept up with Huntley’s speed and ability to move the ball around the pitch, but the Red Raiders capitalized on their chances.

“They finished a couple on us,” Caruso said. “We had some chances, and we couldn’t get any touches on the offensive third, and they did. That was the difference.”

McHenry will host Johnsburg at the Warriors’ invitational Friday, while Huntley will travel to Prairie Ridge on Tuesday to continue its conference slate.

Lewandowski knows that each FVC team presents different challenges, which is why he’s proud of the Red Raiders for finding a way to win Thursday.

“It’s good to have momentum going into the next one,” Lewandowski said. “For a team that does so well to disrupt, that’s a good one to have under your belt.”