Niles North’s varsity soccer team proved they’re a force to be reckoned with as they started their season with a powerful burst of strength.
Niles North went up against Schurz High School on Friday, Sept. 7, winning the game 2-0, thanks to their determination and ability to balance a powerful defense and offense. Sophomore Adrian Coardos and junior Ivan Korkes scored the two goals.
Head coach Yoon Lee called the game “a highlight of the season.”
The team agrees. “As soon as we managed to get the first goal you could feel a huge explosion of energy,” senior captain Will Braubach said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 4, the Vikings reigned victorious as they took down the Titans at Glenbrook South. The Vikings, and Spartans both managed to maintain a tight defense making offensive opportunities at the goal rare. Korkes changed the whole game when he scored the only point of the day to end the game at 1-0.
The team, led by Braubach, and North’s other senior captain Daniel Miranda (goalkeeper), ended up in 4th place in the Glenbrook South Tournament in August.
“We’ve started out really well compared to last year; we placed 4th in the GBS tournament which is an impressive leap from the usual last or second to last,” said Braubach.
With all the wins that have taken place this season, have come losses as well. On Aug. 30 Lake Forest beat the Vikings in their home opener 1-0. Sept. 5 saw the Vikings second loss of the season against the infamous New Trier, 3-1. On a brighter note, the Vikings managed to tie Elk Grove on Aug. 21, 1-1.
Underclassmen are a strong component of the team. Forwards Adrian Coardos (sophomore) and Ricky Torres (freshman) contribute their skill and years of experience to the Vikings varsity squad. When asked what he and his fellow underclassman teammate add to the team, Coardos says: “We are both working hard to help the team out and win all of our games. He [Torres] is an offensive midfielder and he already scored for a tie in one of our games in the tournament.”
The Vikings are getting serious on the soccer field, and will continue to do so. The varsity team travels to Deerfield today, to take on the Warriors, to Glenbrook North to face the Spartans, and other games that you can check out at the link below. Make sure to make the trip to West in a few weeks when North goes head to head with Niles West on October 9. Niles North fans look forward to seeing the team grow, and what else they’ll be able to accomplish during the 2012-2013 season.
