Hononegah Boys Soccer Lets 2–0 Lead Slip, Settles for 2–2 Draw With Harvard
"We had an excellent practice yesterday. Guys seemed ready to play today. We came out strong", Coach Mike Fasula said
Hononegah looked poised for its second win of the season Wednesday night. Instead, the Indians walked off their home field with another frustrating result — a 2–2 non‑conference tie against the Harvard Hornets, who erased a 2–0 deficit with two late goals.
The Indians controlled the match early, moving the ball with confidence and capitalizing on their chances to build a two‑goal cushion. But momentum flipped sharply in the second half. A misplay in net opened the door for Harvard’s first goal, and a defensive giveaway minutes later gifted the Hornets the equalizer.
From there, Hononegah spent the final stretch scrambling to protect the draw rather than finishing off a game they had firmly in hand.
Head coach Mike Fasula didn’t sugarcoat the pattern.
“This is, unfortunately, the story of how things have started for us right now four ties, a loss, and a win,” Fasula said. “We’ve got to figure out how to grind some of these games out.
Set pieces were another sore spot.
“Corner kicks… we struggled with marking,” he said. “Wide‑open header, nobody there. The game changes. It’s a game of inches and seconds. If we could get a couple of those seconds back, a couple inches back, that game is a win, not a tie.”
Injuries, Weather, and a Strange Start to Fall
Hononegah’s roster has been battered early in the season. Fasula confirmed that Jacob Wright a key piece of the midfield — is only “about 50%” after missing time.
“I hope to have him back 100% soon,” he said.
Add in the bizarre early‑fall weather, which has limited outdoor practice time, and the rhythm of the season has been difficult to establish.
“It’s been a weird fall with the weather and everything, not being able to practice outside,” Fasula said. “It’s obviously been a challenging season with injuries, and the weather. It feels like the cards have been dealt against us, and we’ve got to figure out how to get the deck back in our favor.”
Building a Program Through Tough Competition
Coach Fasula, now a couple years into leading the program, intentionally built a demanding non‑conference schedule St. Charles, Moline, Huntley, Bartlett, Elgin to harden his team for NIC‑10 play.
“A lot of non‑conference games that are going to be tough for us to win, but it’s going to make us that much better for conference games,” he said. “I’m still hoping to finish top two, top three in the conference. We’ve got work to do, but I think we can do it.”
Communication, Leadership, and the Mental Battle
Fasula said communication was a major focus in Tuesday’s practice, and he felt the team responded well — at least early.
“We had an excellent practice yesterday. Guys seemed ready to play today. We came out strong,” he said. “But as soon as mistakes happened, all the heads went down. We were scratching and clawing to stay in it.”
He praised his seniors and captains for trying to keep the group steady, especially as younger players begin to feel the weight of the slow start.
“Some of these younger guys feel like our season’s over already, and it’s very early,” he said. “The leaders have done a very good job of trying to keep these guys motivated.”
Hononegah returns to NIC‑10 play next week still searching for consistency — and for the win that might finally push the season forward.
