Norwalk tops Perkins for first place

NORWALK — Head coach Jon Kijowski said his team had been looking forward to this week on their schedule all season. The Norwalk boys soccer team knew that Vermilion and Perkins were its top competition in the SBC Lake Division, and the Truckers played both of them in the same three-day window. Norwalk took care of Vermilion, 4-0, on Monday. And with Wednesday's 4-2 win at Contractors Stadium at the Warren Whitney Complex, the Truckers (7-1, 5-0) claimed sole possession of first place in the Lake. "It feels good," Kijowski said. "This is a very coachable, fun team. They listen; they respond." On Wednesday, the Truckers responded with four second-half goals after trailing 1-0 at halftime. Kijowski was displeased with the halftime deficit, but he sensed his team needed more of a soothing hand then a stern one. So instead of yelling, he gave them a simple piece of advice. "Let's just keep a level head," Kijowski said. "Level heads win games. That's what got us to where we needed to be in the second half." Will Gelhausen and Jose Escobedo accounted for all four of the Truckers goals. Escobedo scored a hat trick and assisted on Gelhausen's goal, while Gelhausen played a part in two of Escobedo's goals. Perkins coach Paul Lea had high praise for both players. "(Escobedo ) has great footwork; he's very quick," Lea said. "We pride ourselves on having fantastic athletes, and he matched us with the ball. "(Gelhausen) might just be the best player in the conference," Lea continued. "His vision of the field, the way he attacks the space — they can play him everywhere." Escobedo and Gelhausen opened their scoring partnership when Gelhausen tied the game off a rolling cross from Escobedo with 34:35 remaining in the second half. Three minutes later, Escobedo volleyed a goal off a deflection that Gelhausen caused in front of the Perkins goal box. Perkins (5-3, 3-1) tied it again when Ben Schaefer scored off a Dylan Swander through ball with 25:40 remaining, but Escobedo and Gelhausen weren't finished yet. Escobedo broke the tie when he scored off a long pass from Gavin Shutt with 21:00 remaining. And with three minutes to go, Escobedo and Gelhausen worked a give-and-go to give Escobedo his third goal and the Truckers a 4-2 lead. "They're two differing styles that end up meshing really well," Kijowski said of his top attackers. "(Gelhausen) attracts a lot of people; He is learning very well to check to the ball and get rid of it. "Jose has the foot skills. So when we play that 1-2 touch, we feel pretty confident out there that he's gonna at least get a ball across." The Truckers' footwork helped them control possession against Perkins, something that Lea said the Pirates are not used to. They've found most of their success this season with the ball at their feet. When the Truckers flipped that reality, Lea changed his strategy. He noticed Norwalk's defenders were not moving up the field when Norwalk had the ball in Perkins' half, so he instructed his players to send deep passes to speedsters Schafer and Jonathan Normington-Slay when the opportunities arose. "Sometimes, when the game is on the line, you just have to play ugly," Lea said. "Kick it long and just try to do what works." That strategy worked well enough to push the Truckers harder than any team in the Lake has managed so far. Norwalk will play at Sandusky, which it beat 10-0 in their first meeting, on Monday. The Truckers ave beaten most of their Lake foes comfortably. Not Perkins. For that reason, the Truckers will prepare for their Oct. 5 meeting at Perkins with the same zeal with which they prepared for this one. They'll need to be at their best to remain atop the Lake. "We can be happy with what we've done, but job's not over," Kijowski said. "Complacency is our enemy right now."