Kankakee Valley High School

The KV boys varsity soccer team traveled to Dyer and took on a very talented Illiana Christian side on Monday afternoon. In a game that was unfortunately one-sided, the host Vikings were able to come away with a comfortable 6-0 victory over the Kougars. Prior to the start of the game, the Kougars were shorthanded due to a variety of player injuries. Six rostered players were unable to play, including five starters. KV only managed two subs for the entire match. In the first half, the hosts would dominate scoring chances, including over ten corner kick opportunities. Two of them would find the back of the net. Fortunately for the Kougars, those were the only two allowed goals in the half. Freshman Eli Hildebrandt was the only Kougar to register a shot on the Viking net towards the end of the half. The second half was more of the same. The very skilled and experienced Illiana Christian side took advantage of their experience and were able to add four more goals in the final 40 minutes. KV had a few chances in their attack, but found themselves defending for a majority of the half. The bright spot for KV was sophomore goalkeeper Damien Vargas. He played out of his mind at times to keep Illiana Christian from adding to its scoring total. He finished with 12 saves on the night and should be commended for his excellent save making abilities and effort put forth in the KV net. "Not having a full roster hurt us tonight." said head KV coach Jovan Jeftich. "At one point, we had six freshman on the field against a very strong and experienced Illiana team. Credit to our opponent as they were the far superior team. Hopefully we can get some of our guys back healthy in our upcoming matches." The Kougars will have one day to practice and recover as they gear up for their next battle on Wednesday night. KV will host Hanover Central starting at 6:30 p.m. from Fred Jones Field. This will also be Youth Soccer Night and will honor all River Valley Soccer Club players who attend. Game Statistics Saves Damien Vargas 12 Record 3-7