Soccer team headed to New York?

The North Lake Blazer soccer team could be the Metro Athletic Conference champions by the time this issue of the News-Register hits the newsstands.

On Oct. 9, the Blazers faced off against the Lon Morris College Bearcats and came away with a 4-4 draw after the full 90 minutes were played. This was not a conference game for the Blazers, yet it was a good challenge for the team.

North Lake was attacking early and often in the first half. A foul in the attacking zone gave forward Tina Dreier a great opportunity on a free kick near the penalty area. Dreier put just enough strength on her kick to loop it behind the goalkeeper. The Blazers gained the lead at 1-0.

For the rest of the fi rst half the Blazers were scoreless. Lon Morris, however, was not. The Blazers had trouble containing the formidable Lon Morris team all afternoon. North Lake surrendered two goals in the fi rst half. At halftime, it was 2-1 in favor of Lon Morris.

At the start of the second half, North Lake calmed down and played better offensively. The Blazers completed a higher percentage of passes and advanced the ball with lob passes to the sidelines.

Forward Silvia Resendizg was a crucial component to the Blazer attack. Her speed allowed her to run the ball up the sideline and create chances for the North Lake attack. Time and time again, Resendizg delivered, crossing passes that equaled scoring chances for the Blazers.

“It was one of our best games ever …we played really hard … we found each other because we were passing and that’s the way we score,” Resendizg said.

The Blazers continued attacking in the second half. By the twilight of the game, the Blazers were leading 4-3. Dreier fought past the defense and poured in another goal, bringing her total for the game to two. Resendizg tallied a goal of her own after outrunning the defense. The final goal of the afternoon for North Lake was scored off a glancing header from Hilda Navarro.

Lon Morris would not leave Irving with a loss, however. A foul committed in the penalty area by North Lake resulted in a penalty kick for Lon Morris no more than 12 yards from the goal. North Lake goalkeeper Diana Garcia was disadvantaged and not able to turn away the Bearcat attacker.

“Statistics say you shouldn’t get a PK [penalty kick],” said Garcia. “There’s no way you should save it because of where you’re at and where the player is with the ball … it would be nice if you saved it, but, in reality there shouldn’t be a foul inside of the box, because a PK is basically a given goal. But if you stop it, it’s one hell of a ride.”

Even after drawing with the talented Lon Morris soccer team, North Lake was upbeat about the upcoming playoffs. On Oct. 20, the Blazers traveled to Richland College to compete in the Metro Athletic Conference playoffs. The playoffs were set at a neutral site, with North Lake taking on three other area teams.

Having a home game in the playoffs was an important issue to players. The neutral site is not an issue to coach Jim Benedek. “Those are good fi elds. I have no problem with that,” said Benedek, referring to the playoff site.

If North Lake wins the MAC playoffs, they will be well on their way to the National Championship in New York, N.Y.