On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Kaneland Knights boys varsity soccer team struggled against Yorkville High School in the Knights’ first home game of the season, falling 4-0 to the Foxes.
Yorkville traveled 30 minutes to meet the Knights in a non-conference match. Their bus broke down on the way to Maple Park, causing the team to show up late and throwing the Knights off track.
“We didn’t come to play today. We were a little lethargic and maybe off our game,” head coach Scott Parillo said. ” I don’t know if [Yorkville] showing up late was part of that, but it certainly didn’t help.”
Parillo’s coaching career is coming to a close with only four seasons left before he retires. He is looking to make his last few seasons enjoyable and fun. He also wants the players to build healthy relationships with each other. Kaneland senior forward and captain Cameron Guernon is looking for more passion from his teammates as well.
“We come out flat a lot and we’ve been lazy,” Guernon said. “[No game] has been energetic yet.”
From the opening whistle, the Knights were not on their toes and they continued to look a step behind their opponents. With 35 minutes left in the first half, the Foxes got their first goal of the night with a shot from outside of the 18-yard box.
At halftime, the Knights were down 2-0 and Parillo pulled the team together for a pep talk. He was looking for Kaneland to distribute the ball faster and more accurately. He was also looking for more shots on frame and for his players to crash the goal.
Despite the pep talk, Kaneland fell further behind in the second half and lost 4-0. The senior captains, Riley Adams, Cameron Guernon and Matthew Mitchinson, described the game as a lack of passion and effort.
“[We could’ve worked on] playing together more,” Adams said. “”I feel like we were all playing individually. We were just super slow. It’s just a matter of wanting to play and win games.”
Despite having a rough game as a team, Parillo still was able to choose someone to win the game ball for the match. When a substitute came in for Mitchinson later in the game, Mitchinson asked to stay in the game to work on his conditioning.
“[My highlight of the game] was handing Matt Mitchinson two game balls (one from the previous game),” Parillo said. “He is a hard worker, so it was definitely deserved for him.”
Mitchinson has played soccer his whole life but doesn’t intend to play in college. He is a hard worker and an ideal captain because of his leadership skills.
“I appreciate the recognition,” Mitchinson said. “I just wanted to stay on [the field] to get better and work on my conditioning and help my other teammates that were in the game, even though we were losing.”
Next, the Knights are tangling with the Johnsburg Skyhawks at Johnsburg High School on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Skyhawks are 1-3 to start the season, while the Knights are 2-3.
