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Carmel enjoys seniors' moments
Corsairs honor Class of 2020 during/after Nazareth game



By Bill McLean

MUNDELEIN — The halftime talk would have to wait.

With his team down 2-0 to visiting Nazareth Saturday morning after 40 minutes, Carmel boys soccer coach Ray Krawzak had the Corsairs’ seniors on his mind.

“We’ll be fine,” Krawzak said to his entire squad as he began to trot across the pitch at Baker Stadium. “We’ll have the wind in the second half.

“Let’s celebrate our seniors.”

Krawzak took a spot on the other sideline and waited to greet each senior and each senior’s parents as a PA announcer shared tidbits about each veteran, including the name of the athlete each Corsair admired the most.

Many picked international soccer stars.

But Carmel forward Matt Duffy chose Chicago Cubs shortstop Javy Baez.

Unfortunately for the home squad, Nazareth’s Roadrunners proved Senior Day spoilers after they pitched another 40-minute shutout to complete their 2-0 victory.

However Carmel's senior festivities continued inside the school afterward. Krawzak told anecdotes involving the seniors with an audience of many parents in a cafeteria. The juniors’ parents took care of the catering duties.

“I’ll miss them all, yes,” said Krawzak, who started all seniors for the East Suburban Catholic Conference contest on a brisk, gusty day.

“It’s like a big family,” Corsairs senior center back Jack Wojcik said of the Class of 2020 booters.


Complimentary Komperda

It’s impossible to miss Nazareth senior center back Adrian Komperda in soccer matches — and not just because, at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds, he’s Gulliver and almost everybody else compared to him is a Lilliputian. 

Komperda’s combination of aggressiveness and know-how inspires his teammates. But he deflected praise hurled his way Saturday morning.

“It wasn’t just me,” he insisted. “It was our goalkeeper [senior Nicholas Rozmus] and our defenders, all of our defenders. Our whole defense was solid today. Everybody was into it, on the same page.”


Brrrr

Chicagoland’s mild autumn ended abruptly Friday night and continued to incite shivering Saturday morning, when Carmel welcomed Nazareth for an ESCC contest.

“I plan to buy sweatshirts,” Corsairs senior defender Tim Milner, moments before filling his plate at the Senior Day feast, said. “Cold; it was cold out there.”

“I’ll be looking for my winter coat,” Krawzak added.


Stingy when ahead

The 2-0 defeat of host Carmel Saturday morning was Nazareth senior goalkeeper Nicholas Rozmus’ fifth clean-sheet of the season, meaning 83 percent of the Roadrunners’ six victories (after 22 matches) have been shutouts.
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