While thousands of other high school students were struggling with the ACTs, members of Fremd’s boys soccer team were taking their own intelligence test Saturday.
Fremd passed.
Anthony Spagnolo’s goal in the sixth minute was all the Vikings needed to hand sixth-ranked Buffalo Grove a 1-0 loss, the Bison’s first after 12 consecutive victories.
“The reason why we’ve won the last three games is that we’re playing smart,” said senior Greg Epsom, who as sweeper is the last line of defense in front of goalkeeper Ryan Eames. “We’re not doing the stupid passes in the back. We’re playing more direct to our forwards.”
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Buffalo Grove coach John Erfort didn’t find out until Saturday morning that goalkeeper Dan Thalheimer, a senior who has been in the net for almost every minute this season, had an injured thumb and was unable to play.
So in stepped freshman Brian Byrne, who has seen a lot of action on the field as a forward but little in goal.
But neither goalkeeper would have been able to stop Spagnolo’s goal. He drilled a 15-yard shot into the upper left corner of the net.
Still, the visiting Bison had their chances and even outshot the Vikings 13-10. Leading scorer Mike Kurgan (13 goals) and his teammates just couldn’t put the ball by goalkeeper Eames, who had seven saves for the shutout.
“They were just a step ahead of us and just kept winning balls,” said Kurgan, whose team had scored more than 60 goals coming into the game but was blanked for the first time. “A loss is going to have to come sometime. It just seemed to be their day.”
Said Erfort: “It’s hard to have been going like that and not score.”
Fremd has lifted its record to 6-2-5 with recent overtime victories against Rolling Meadows and Barrington. Its only losses have come against No. 1 Lincoln-Way Central and St. Viator.
“We did the right things in the right situations,” said Fremd coach Steve Keller, whose Vikings beat Buffalo Grove 1-0 in the sectional final last season on the way to a fourth-place finish in Class AA. “We have a one-goal lead and we’re not rushing the play. We were patient on defense and played to feet on offense instead of kicking it over the top all the time.”