Crystal Lake South hosts
Prospect in streaky match-up
Gators on a roll, visitors hold edge in recent series
By Dave Surico
Crystal Lake South and Prospect know all about streaks this season.
For the Gators, who host the Knights at 10 a.m. Saturday in Crystal Lake, two five-game wins streaks -- the latter of which they hope to extend to six -- have led to a 12-4-1 overall record with a 4-0 mark in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division.
Coach Brian Allen thinks the even keel his squad has kept this season is a key factor in their success.
"Confidence is high, but what’s great about this team is they haven’t gotten too high after any particular win or too low after any particular loss," he said. "They are very focused and know they have yet to play their best soccer.
"So at this point in the year, it is still all about fine-tuning things on our side and making sure we continue to improve each game and each week, and for the most part we have been able to do that.
"It will be nice to get a break from conference play after a tough, but successful 2-week stretch that has us in great position to close things out in the conference next week versus Huntley."
Allen will make sure his squad doesn't overlook Prospect, which has struggled this season. The Knights are 3-0-1 against Crystal Lake South in their last four meetings; last season Prospect won its first game of the season against the Gators in October.
"The next task at hand is Prospect, and we know it will be no easy game," Allen said. "They come from a great soccer conference in the Mid-Suburban League, and have had success against us in the past.
"So for me, it is another way our seniors can help leave their mark on the program by helping us in getting their first win against the Knights. It is also an important game from the standpoint that we want to keep playing at a high level and maintain our standard of play so we can be sharp for our final conference game against Huntley next week."
Seniors Orlando Tapia and Charlie Ruff have controlled the Gators midfield this season. Super soph forward Andrew Grabowski knows how to find the net and senior goalkeeper Dalton Kause has been strong and posted six shutouts this season.
Prospect is mired in a 12-game winless streak broken only by a 0-0 tie against Warren on Sept. 20.
But there are bright spots for the Knights, who have been hurt by chunks of lost injury time from its core of Alex Whiteman, Ian Lenke, Danny Marshall and Dominick Taldone.
Prospect, whose only win this season came against Crystal Lake South conference-mate Jacobs, also has a string of postseasons with at least one win, including regional titles in 2011 and 2012. A 3-2 loss to Mid-Suburban League leader Fremd on Tuesday may be an indicator that things are beginning to turn for the Knights (1-12-1).
"Saturday is going to be a big challenge against a strong, well-coached Crystal Lake South team," said coach Jason Cohen, who returned to the varsity helm this year. "We are slowly starting to get some players back, and the challenge is to bring everyone together and get cohesion through the group.
"Having a relatively inexperienced squad and with the adversity that goes along with injuries, it is vital that we continue to work to get more consistent in our play and eliminate the mistakes that opponents can take advantage of.
"We are not looking ahead, but rather our focus is on short term individual and team goals in practices and games, focusing on progressing our play every time we take the field."
Prospect in streaky match-up
Gators on a roll, visitors hold edge in recent series
By Dave Surico
Crystal Lake South and Prospect know all about streaks this season.
For the Gators, who host the Knights at 10 a.m. Saturday in Crystal Lake, two five-game wins streaks -- the latter of which they hope to extend to six -- have led to a 12-4-1 overall record with a 4-0 mark in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division.
Coach Brian Allen thinks the even keel his squad has kept this season is a key factor in their success.
"Confidence is high, but what’s great about this team is they haven’t gotten too high after any particular win or too low after any particular loss," he said. "They are very focused and know they have yet to play their best soccer.
"So at this point in the year, it is still all about fine-tuning things on our side and making sure we continue to improve each game and each week, and for the most part we have been able to do that.
"It will be nice to get a break from conference play after a tough, but successful 2-week stretch that has us in great position to close things out in the conference next week versus Huntley."
Allen will make sure his squad doesn't overlook Prospect, which has struggled this season. The Knights are 3-0-1 against Crystal Lake South in their last four meetings; last season Prospect won its first game of the season against the Gators in October.
"The next task at hand is Prospect, and we know it will be no easy game," Allen said. "They come from a great soccer conference in the Mid-Suburban League, and have had success against us in the past.
"So for me, it is another way our seniors can help leave their mark on the program by helping us in getting their first win against the Knights. It is also an important game from the standpoint that we want to keep playing at a high level and maintain our standard of play so we can be sharp for our final conference game against Huntley next week."
Seniors Orlando Tapia and Charlie Ruff have controlled the Gators midfield this season. Super soph forward Andrew Grabowski knows how to find the net and senior goalkeeper Dalton Kause has been strong and posted six shutouts this season.
Prospect is mired in a 12-game winless streak broken only by a 0-0 tie against Warren on Sept. 20.
But there are bright spots for the Knights, who have been hurt by chunks of lost injury time from its core of Alex Whiteman, Ian Lenke, Danny Marshall and Dominick Taldone.
Prospect, whose only win this season came against Crystal Lake South conference-mate Jacobs, also has a string of postseasons with at least one win, including regional titles in 2011 and 2012. A 3-2 loss to Mid-Suburban League leader Fremd on Tuesday may be an indicator that things are beginning to turn for the Knights (1-12-1).
"Saturday is going to be a big challenge against a strong, well-coached Crystal Lake South team," said coach Jason Cohen, who returned to the varsity helm this year. "We are slowly starting to get some players back, and the challenge is to bring everyone together and get cohesion through the group.
"Having a relatively inexperienced squad and with the adversity that goes along with injuries, it is vital that we continue to work to get more consistent in our play and eliminate the mistakes that opponents can take advantage of.
"We are not looking ahead, but rather our focus is on short term individual and team goals in practices and games, focusing on progressing our play every time we take the field."