Even when Hinsdale Central dropped to 1-6-1 on the season, coach Mike Wiggins wasn’t worried that the season might be slipping away. 

As if to reward their coach's belief, the Red Devils have rattled off four-straight wins since the inauspicious start, including a 2-1 upset victory over then sixth-ranked Naperville Central on Sept. 26.

“Nothing changes for us in terms of our approach,” Wiggins said. “We said since the season started it’s a process and everything that we do is in preparation for getting our athletes ready for the playoffs. We’ve done a really good job of persevering through the difficult times. 

“What we’re seeing now over the past four games is they’re finally getting rewarded for the good soccer they’ve been playing all along.”Hinsdale Central will look to keep the streak alive with a stern test against visiting rival Lyons at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in a key West Suburban Conference Silver Division match.

The teams will also battle for the Silver Brick, which is awarded annually to the winner of the rivalry game.

“The Silver Brick is part of what makes this game (against Lyons) special,” Wiggins said. “For us, the boys very sincerely want to keep it and they get really excited about competing for it. It’s been fun to see that develop since 2008 when this started.”

Hinsdale Central (5-6-1, 2-0-x) has won three of the past four matchups in the series.

The Red Devils are led on offense by Austen Szurgot, who has six goals and two assists for 14 points. Matthew Gantar, Enzo Cinque and Michael DiTomasso each have two goals. Gantar has five assists, while Cinque has chipped in with four.

Lyons (8-4-1, 1-0-x), ranked no. 18 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, also enters the match on a win streak. Lyons beat Lane and Benet on Sept. 20 and 21 in the Morton Premier Invitational and then knocked off Riverside-Brookfield on Sept. 27. 

The Lions have won four of their past five matches, with the only setback coming on penalty kicks to Lincoln-Way East on Sept. 16 in the BodyArmor event.

While it’s still early in divisional play, both the Red Devils and Lions enter the match as the only unbeatens on the league table. Hinsdale Central has conference wins over Proviso West and Oak Park and River Forest. Lyons opened its conference slate with a win over Glenbard West on Sept. 10.

Click here to see the West Suburban Conference Silver Division