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First-half goals by Lloyd Chatfield III (24th minute), Ryan McKenzie (32nd) and Austin Bitta (34th) were just enough for Libertyville on Thursday, as the Wildcats held off visiting Warren 3-2 in a battle of North Suburban Conference Lake Division powers. The Wildcats (12-2-1, 4-0-1) can win the North Suburban Lake title by beating/tying Lake Zurich next Tuesday. If that happens, the Cats … ]]> Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:27:42 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15570805-393/boys-soccer-libertyvilles-big-first-half-keys-win.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15570805-393/boys-soccer-libertyvilles-big-first-half-keys-win.html
Austin Bitta and Lloyd Chatfield III each scored twice, and Cameron Fregassi added a late goal as host Libertyville handled Lake Forest 5-3 on Tuesday in a North Suburban Conference Lake Division match. The Wildcats, who are 3-0-1 in the division, 11-2-1 overall, welcome in Warren (13-3-3 overall, 4-1-0 in the division) on Thursday night. Libertyville coach Andy Bitta knows his team … ]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:35:19 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15529083-393/boys-soccer-high-scoring-libertyville-takes-out-lake-forest.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15529083-393/boys-soccer-high-scoring-libertyville-takes-out-lake-forest.html
Austin Bitta headed home the equalizer in the 65th minute, and host Libertyville had an apparent game-winner waved off by an offsides call 10 minutes later, as the Wildcats battled powerful Stevenson to a 1-1 tie Tuesday in a key North Suburban Lake soccer match. The Wildcats are 5-2-1 overall and 0-0-1 in the division, while Stevenson is 8-2-1 and 2-0-1. Bitta … ]]> Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:11:04 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15237647-393/boys-soccer-stevenson-libertyville-battle-to-draw.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/15237647-393/boys-soccer-stevenson-libertyville-battle-to-draw.html
LIBERTYVILLE — For the past quarter century, Libertyville boys soccer coach Andy Bitta has been chasing an elusive dream. Now in his 26th season, Bitta has been to a state title game twice while in charge of the Wildcats — once in 1986 and again in 2010. Both times, however, his team lost. “It’s not easy to win a state title, by … ]]> Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:35:02 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/14921232-393/boys-soccer-bitta-still-pursuing-soccer-state-title.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/14921232-393/boys-soccer-bitta-still-pursuing-soccer-state-title.html
Choosing the best in any sport invites a certain controversy. Deserving players are inevitably left off, especially in a high skill level sport where only 11 are named to the first team. In a stellar year underlining the high quality of team and individual play, the possibilities proved endless. The process is naturally subjective, but the first-team selections had hard numbers and … ]]> Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:19:19 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8576548-393/sun-times-all-area-boys-soccer-team.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8576548-393/sun-times-all-area-boys-soccer-team.html
A simple plan guided Fremd to victory on Tuesday night: play staunch defense and capitalize on chances. The Vikings executed both to near-perfection to beat No. 1-seed Libertyville 2-1 in an IHSA Class 3A sectional semifinal at Palatine. “In the midfield, we kept all three of our midfielders back,” noted Viking midfielder Brian Hindle. “Our coach (Steve Keller) had it right from … ]]> Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:18:40 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8420231-393/fremd-stuns-libertyville-prospect-prevails.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8420231-393/fremd-stuns-libertyville-prospect-prevails.html Hinsdale Central’s season didn’t end with the final horn, but rather by an announcement made to the team in the locker room. Oak Park-River Forest scored two goals in the first half Tuesday night and that was all the Huskies would need to advance to the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional final Saturday. The top-seeded Huskies won 2-0 over the fifth-seeded Devils … ]]> Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:59:43 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8420230-393/oak-park-advances-in-lightning-shortened-game. http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8420230-393/oak-park-advances-in-lightning-shortened-game. A back issue prevented Adam Witucki from delivering any long throw-ins for the past month. The Libertyville midfielder made up for lost time on Saturday, collecting a goal and assist to spark the Wildcats to a 3-0 victory over Palatine in an Class 3A Libertyville Regional final. Libertyville (17-3-1) led 1-0 midway through the second half when Witucki launched a long throw … ]]> Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:05:31 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8367687-393/wituckis-goal-on-throw-in-keys-libertyville-victory.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/8367687-393/wituckis-goal-on-throw-in-keys-libertyville-victory.html
Edgar Rodriguez and Balam Mena scored four minutes apart in the second half to give visiting Round Lake a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Libertyville on Thursday in a nonconference match. The Panthers (8-2-2) tied the game 1-1 on Jordi Rubio’s goal in the 30th minute and won it when Rodriguez (60th) and Mena (64th) found the back of the net after … ]]> Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:04:00 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7818443-393/round-lake-pulls-upset-on-libertyville.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7818443-393/round-lake-pulls-upset-on-libertyville.html
Any worries that Libertyville’s boys soccer team might have a letdown after winning the prestigious Pepsi Showdown last weekend vanished in the first 12 minutes of Tuesday afternoon’s game. That’s how long it took the Wildcats to put a pair of shots on frame and hit the twine with both of them en route to a 2-0 win over host Stevenson in … ]]> Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:50:39 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7777174-393/fast-start-propels-libertyville-to-win.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7777174-393/fast-start-propels-libertyville-to-win.html
Adam Witucki knows how crucial it is to take advantage of any scoring opportunity that comes his way. A second chance is rarely guaranteed. The Libertyville senior defender scored his first goal of the year with 1:05 left in overtime to power the No. 2 Wildcats past No. 4 Lyons 2-1 in the championship game of the Pepsi Showdown on Sunday afternoon … ]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:05:11 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7748514-393/libertyvilles-ot-goal-nets-title.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7748514-393/libertyvilles-ot-goal-nets-title.html Some sweet revenge on the path to a title game, that’s what Libertyville wanted and that’s what the Wildcats got on Saturday. No. 2 Libertyville’s 3-1 win over No. 3 Morton in a Pepsi Showdown semifinal sends the Wildcats back to Toyota Park for their second consecutive trip to the tournament’s title game. “We lost to Morton last year in the (Pepsi) … ]]> Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:18:05 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7716589-393/libertyville-takes-down-morton.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7716589-393/libertyville-takes-down-morton.html Libertyville coach Andy Bitta wasn’t very excited about the conditions at Lyons for Saturday’s action in the Pepsi Showdown. But the veteran Wildcat s coach certainly liked how his team adjusted to the playing surface in their quarterfinal match with Lake Zurich. The second-ranked Wildcats set the tone with an early score and added a penalty kick late in the first half … ]]> Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:11:11 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7591797-393/libertyville-rolling-right-along.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7591797-393/libertyville-rolling-right-along.html
Libertyville boys soccer coach Andy Bitta was sweating all day Thursday, and not because he feared his Wildcats weren’t prepared to face St. Joseph of Westchester in the Round of 16 of the prestigious Pepsi Showdown tournament. “I’ve had a lot upsetting birthdays over the years,” said the longtime coach. “We used to be in the Evanston tournament, and I think we … ]]> Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:22:27 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7550509-393/libertyville-blanks-chargers.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7550509-393/libertyville-blanks-chargers.html Record (in parenthesis), previous rank 1. Naperville North (5-0-1) 1 Capture loaded Best of the West 2. Libertyville (4-1) 2 Finding answers behind net 3. Oak Park-River Forest (5-0) 9 Huskies have already posted four shutouts 4. Neuqua Valley (2-2-1) 4 Wildcats lose 1-0 to Naperville North 5. St. Charles North (4-2) 8 Tyler Davis welcomed back in style 6. East Aurora … ]]> Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:50:01 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7547315-401/boys-soccer-rankings.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/libertyville/boys_soccer/7547315-401/boys-soccer-rankings.html