Coming off the heels of a limited varsity debut due to injury earlier in the season, junior forward Johnny Hunwick put on a clinic in the first half of Tuesday night’s game over Jones College Prep.
Hunwick’s two first-half goals were just the start of a 4-0 victory for the Kits over Jones which featured dominant performances on both sides of the pitch.
As the first half developed, Hunwick had multiple shots on goal, with one barely being saved at the 24:11 mark in the first. Just 10 minutes later, Hunwick converted his first goal, as he delivered a commanding strike into the back of the net off a quick pass from junior defender George Lewis. Hunwick emphasized how it felt to finally convert after having several close shots get saved.
“All the hard work just comes together. Scoring in the home opener feels great,” said Hunwick.
But Hunwick wasn’t done. With 5:27 remaining in the first half, he scored yet again off an assist by junior midfielder Zach O’Donovan, giving Evanston a 2-0 lead as the first half winded down.
Having started off their season with three straight wins, including a 2-1 win over Detroit Catholic most recently, the Kits (4-0) set the tone early in what was the first game of the Evanston Invitational tournament against Jones (0-1). Right off the bat, Evanston found itself in a battle, with both sides getting multiple strong looks at the goal. On an offensive run by Jones, senior defender Oliver Hassard saved the day by covering for senior keeper Milo Slevin after a shot attempt nearly crossed the goal line. Tuesday night marked the senior goalie’s debut, and although the stingy Kit defense made his night a little bit easier, Slevin made his presence known with a few key saves early on to keep the game scoreless.
The second half proved even more dominant than the first. After Jones committed a penalty, senior midfielder Bryan Maldonado blasted the free kick into the back of the net with 27:12 remaining in the second half, increasing the Kits lead to 3-0. And just seven minutes later, junior Christiano Hamer made use of a flawless delivery from senior Pascal Calonges to score the last goal of the game and seal the 4-0 win for the Kits.
Head coach Franz Calixte gave his insights on the team’s performance.
“A few goals. No goals against. It was a good home opener,” Calixte stated. “I think we’ll see a lot of the same [in the future], hopefully.”
The Kits will be back at Lazier Thursday night at 7:00 to take on Lake Forest Academy in game two of the invitational.
