North fell in a tough 2-1 defeat by Conestoga after leading, 1-0, at halftime in the district title game. It was the team's only loss since Oct. 3.
The Indians' shot at revenge comes on the same field as that failure with a chance to advance to their first state title game since 2006, when they were champions.
"Any time you're playing a team that's gotten as much coverage as Conestoga has - the kids read the newspapers, they read the Internet, they see what they're supposed to be," Indians coach Wendell Beres said over the weekend. "The first time they came out to play, maybe they were a little nervous. This time, I think they know exactly what to expect, they know exactly what they need to do."
What they need to do is control the middle of the field, pressure Conestoga when it has the ball, and be extremely efficient on scoring chances.
If North doesn't do those things, getting past the Pioneers, who are ranked No. 6 in the nation by ESPN - will be difficult. Conestoga sports arguably the most formidable defensive corps in the state, led by top-notch defender Andrew Gonzalez and senior goalkeeper Clarke Fox, who has 16 shutouts this season.
What's more, the Pioneers can score from anywhere: four players (Ryan Balfour, T-Ben Donnie, Andrew Connors, and Danny Gonzalez) have nine or more goals this season.
North counters with Alec Neumann (14 goals) and Dalton Andrusko (10).
Still, Zimmerman remains cautious as Conestoga pursues its first state title since 1988.
"I'm very concerned. Kind of a trap game, potentially. You look ahead beyond this game to the finals, maybe," the coach said. ". . . Make sure we take them seriously and respect them."
