CHICAGO HEIGHTS | For the Spartans soccer team, this was a much needed win.
The Spartans were riding a five-game losing streak going into Monday night's matchup with Homewood-Flossmoor, but two early second half goals were all it would take for Marian Catholic's losing streak to be a thing of the past.
Marian Catholic won 2-0.
Aleksa Lucic scored three minutes into the second half to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Lucic's goal was set up by Cody Rodas who was awarded the assist. Teammate Alec Guarino added the second Marian Catholic goal four minutes later, and the Spartans were able to hold on.
"It started with a lot of intensity," Lucic said of the match. "We got pressure on their defenders and eventually the ball got there and we got the first goal. This game was very crucial because we had five defeats in a row.
"We were hoping this game would be a W and it was."
Guarino echoed Lucic's thoughts.
"We need this win," Guarino said. "It built up our confidence. We have a game (today) and we're going in strong and there's a lot of momentum."
The Vikings struggled to finish their shots at the offensive end, and while they were able to match the Spartans' physical game, Homewood-Flossmoor could not find the scoring needed to pull out the win.
"They scored off two counter attacks," Viking coach Chris Reid said. "We couldn't put the ball away. Finishing touch, that's what it is. We couldn't finish and that was the bottom line."
Marian Catholic keeper Chris Taborn had five saves on the night while Homewood-Flossmoor keeper Nick Wassilak recorded three.
Marian Catholic coach Nasser Shahtaji was glad to see his team finish at the net.
"We've been struggling," Shahtaji said. "It's nice to see that we were able to capitalize on the opportunities we had."
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