The OPRF soccer team kicked off the season last week by experiencing all three possibilities at the end of a game. The Huskies won, lost and tied to begin the season.
With a young squad, head coach Paul Wright said he’s pleased with the start.
“Every game we played we have started to grow a little more as a team. We have eight new guys out there trying to develop chemistry and reading off of one another,” he said. “Noe Espinoza has been solid and filling some big shoes very well. He has been making the right runs, but we are just not getting the ball in the right spot or the timing down.”
OPRF opened the season by shutting out Riverside-Brookfield 1-0. Tim Huettel scored for the Huskies with an assist by Eric Arsovski. Andrew Galo earned the shutout in goal.
After playing to a 0-0 tie against Leyden, the Huskies fell to Larkin 2-1. OPRF held a 1-0 lead with 20 minutes to go when Larkin scored twice during a five-minute span. Huettel had scored for the Huskies off an assist by Okker Verhagen.
“Our conditioning needs to improve,” said Wright. “The summer was so hot that it was hard to incorporate it into our camp and attendance at camp/summer league was the worst it has been in the 10 years, which is impacting our chemistry.”
The Huskies have the Labor Day weekend off to regroup before taking on Glenbard West in their West Suburban (Silver) Conference opener. They’ll also host cross-town rival Fenwick on Sept. 7 (7 p.m.) and begin the always competitive Pepsi Showdown on Sept. 8.
There is no cost to attend the OPRF vs. Fenwick game, but both programs are asking that small donations be made to Oak Park/River Forest Walk-in Ministry, a local non-profit that creates a positive impact on the community through charity work.