Naperville Central rolls past Hinsdale Central

Updated: September 24, 2011 8:30PM

Naperville Central hasn’t looked past any teams with its anticipated showdown at Naperville North 11 days away.

The Redhawks shut out their eighth opponent this season with a 2-0 victory Saturday at Hinsdale Central in a homecoming game. Naperville Central dominated the nonconference game by allowing only two shots in the first half and only three more in the second half.

Hinsdale (6-5-2) had only one threat in the second half when sophomore defender Christian Meyer pushed the ball down field and then passed the ball to a wide open Gareth Parsons, whose dead-on shot was saved by Mike Pavliga to preserve the shutout. That play came with 21:27 remaining in the game, just more than seven minutes after Greg Burdett scored the game’s second goal off a miscue by goalkeeper Will Meyer.

Both the Redhawks (10-1) goals came off giveaways by the Devils. Meyer’s clearing kick went right to Burdett, who lofted the ball over Meyer’s head for an easy goal.

Naperville’s first goal was scored with 11:33 to go in the first half when reserve Mike West booted a sharp line drive with his right foot past Meyer. The defense was unable to clear the ball, which ended up in West’s direction.

West scored his fourth goal of the season.

“The best is yet to come,” West said. “We have a good team and we’ll get better as the season goes on.”

Naperville Central will play at top-ranked Naperville North at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4. The Redhawks won for the seventh consecutive time by beating Hinsdale. The Devils have lost three of their last five games.

Hinsdale Central played without Richmond-bound midfielder Mitch Reavis, who was held out of the game after accumulating at least five yellow cards this season. Reavis missed his second game this season due to excessive yellows. He earned two yellows, equaling a red-card ejection, in the season opener Aug. 22 at Metea Valley and was ineligible for the second game of the season against Downers Grove South in the Red Devil Cup at Hinsdale.

“We didn’t have an answer today. I can’t explain it,” Devils coach Mike Wiggins said. “We were a different team today for whatever reason.”

The Devils were scoreless for the third time this season, but for the first time since the third game of the season on Aug. 27.

The only team to defeat Naperville this season was Sandburg 1-0 on Sept. 1. Hinsdale plays the Eagles at home at 5 p.m. Sept. 30.

“We had a lot of turnovers,” Wiggins said. “We turned the ball over repeatedly.”

Naperville nearly scored earlier in the game when Pat Flynn’s header went off the left post with 17:45 to go in the first half.

“Most of our goals were scored by defensive, not offensives, mistakes,” Redhawks coach Troy Adams said. “You’ve got to capitalize on it.”

One of Hinsdale’s starters, Leandro Perez, came off the bench and entered the game with 12:02 in the first half.

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