CLS seniors go out on top in Fox Valley
Gators’ Class of 2019 take charge, delivers 1st title since 2015
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE -- A sunset can be interpreted in different ways.
Some interpret it simply as a last chance for sunlight before night falls. Others consider it a beautiful sight and plan a portion of their day around it.
The Thursday evening sunset seen from the Crystal Lake South’s Soccer Complex had similar multiple meanings. In one way, it was the last bit of light on the Gators’ senior players time on their home turf.
However, appropriately, it was the perfect cap to a memorable afternoon for Crystal Lake South, ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Not only did the Gators defeat Hampshire 3-0 on Senior Day, the victory secured an undefeated Fox Valley Conference record at 7-0-1 and delivered the outright league title to Crystal Lake South (15-2-3). It was the team's first FVC crown since a shared honor in 2015.
“100 percent perfect ending here at home,” said senior defender Nick Langdon. “My first game here three years ago, I was five inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter. To be here four years later and to be part of the first team to win the conference title outright in a while, it is pretty special.”
“It is definitely something I will never forget.”
Langdon was a difference maker all-game long for the Gators. In the 30th minute with the match scoreless, fellow captain and defender Andrew Edge was standing over a free kick 40 yards out on the right side. Langdon got in position in the left side of the six. Edge’s free kick, against a gusty wind, was spot on and found Langdon, who headed the ball low and past Hampshire keeper Dustin Segura to put the Gators ahead.
“I saw Nick (Langdon) raise his hand,” Edge added. “I was just trying to aim for him as he got a little bit of a run-up. He got to it and put it in the corner.”
“They put two of their shorter players on me,” Langdon added. “I told him (Andrew) that if you can get it to me, go for it. Honestly, when Andrew kicked it, it seemed like the ball was never coming down.”
“I felt two or three players around me, and I just made sure that I kept my balance. Once I got my head to the ball, I felt like I got enough of it.”
Langdon, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, showcased even more offensive exploits in the 51st minute. After a successful press and winning the ball deep in Hampshire territory, Langdon worked up the left side of the end line, crossed into the six-yard box where junior forward Alex Canfield poked it into the net to finish the scoring.
“I knew he (Langdon) had it in him,” Canfield said. “He has got the strength. He outmuscled the defender and had the accuracy on the service where it was there for me to put it home.”
“That’s Nick being Nick,” said Crystal Lake South head coach Brian Allen. “He’s one of those complete players that can play anywhere on the pitch. He’s the quarterback of our backline. He is what makes us go, but any chance we have to send Nick forward we will do that.”
Canfield played a big role in setting up the second Gators goal three minutes earlier. After receiving the ball on the right from senior forward Ryan Coughlin, Canfield continued forward toward goal. Along the way, both Coughlin brothers (Ryan and freshman midfielder Tom) and senior forward Brad Grabowski sprinted toward the net and became open targets. Canfield had his choice and crossed into the six to Grabowski who placed his shot past Segura.
“I saw him (Canfield) get the ball,” said Grabowski. “I saw him look up, and he made his run between the center back and the outside back. He played the ball right to me, and I was able to finish.”
Hampshire (10-5-4, 3-3-2 Fox Valley) did not make life easy for the Gators for the first 30 minutes of the contest.
“First half was pretty even,” said Hampshire coach Rick Schuster. “We actually had more control. They (Crystal Lake South) then got a goal off of the free kick. The game changed when the referee gave a foul that wasn’t a foul, and they scored off of that play.”
Hampshire, the fifth-seed in their own Class 3A sectional, will face 12th-seed Crystal Lake Central in the DeKalb Regional on Tuesday evening.
The Whip-Purs didn’t have many chances that troubled Gators senior goalie Matt McCaleb, who was able to orchestrate his backline to clear any opportunities that did enter the 18. After two early corners that were cleared away, their best chance was in the 47th minute when Diego Alva hit a hard drive from 25 yards that sailed over.
The visitors had very vocal traveling support. The support was bolstered by supporters of other Fox Valley Conference teams that were interested in the outcome of the game and the effect it would have on who would be conference champion.
The noise could have caused confusion for any team, but the Gators never wavered from their game plan and eventually muted the noise.
“You count on your teammates to keep talking through the whole thing,” Ryan Coughlin said. “Make sure your noise is louder than their noise and when you focus on the game, it comes easy.”
Per coach Allen, this was the first time that he had 11 senior starters. Forward Justin Washington, midfielder Mariano Caballero and defender Brandon Wilson started and played for the first 10 minutes before regulars Tom Coughlin, Evan Carlson and Canfield came on.
Due to their impact, Washington, Caballero and Wilson, along with fellow senior defender Tommy McSweeney, re-entered the game in the second half and played even more effective minutes.
“The starters were an all-senior lineup,” Allen said. “At the end of the game, we made sure all the seniors were on the field at the end of the game. Oscar (Estrada, senior backup goalkeeper who replaced McCaleb in the 73rd minute) has been huge for us in training, it was important for us to get him some minutes.
“J-Wash (Washington) was out there having fun, getting some looks. This has been a team through and through. Every single player, even the underclassmen when they were playing, made it known that they are out there playing for their senior teammates, and it was really cool.”
Fellow senior midfielder and captain Jack Wruck was excited to see everyone get extended minutes.
“It’s awesome to see this because it shows how deep our team really is,” Wruck added. “They put in so much work in practice and off-the-field training. It shows how much we can compete with anyone, not just our starting 11.”
The excitement continued post-match as players took countless group pictures, both in front of the east goal and in front the green scoreboard on the east end.
However, amongst all the enthusiasm, one message was extremely clear -- this team isn’t done. The Gators, who will comepete in Class AA playoffs this season, are the top seed in the Harvard Sectional and open play next Wednesday afternoon in the Antioch Regional. They will face the winner of this Saturday’s matchup between eight-seed Antioch and nine-seed Grayslake Central.
“We’re going to take a day here to recover,” Allen said. “The Fox Valley is a grueling test, and we are going to make sure we get our legs back and reset ourselves for the postseason. We still have to get better.”
“Antioch and Grayslake Central provide unique challenges for us. Grayslake Central is a solid, dangerous team. They have played a loaded schedule. Antioch traditionally has good players in various spots. We’ll look at that, but it is still about us improving. If we can stick to our style of play and improve on that, then I think it will put us in good spots moving forward.”
Starting Lineups
Crystal Lake South
GK: Matt McCaleb
D: Tommy McSweeney
D: Nick Langdon
D: Andrew Edge
D: Brandon Wilson
MF: Mariano Caballero
MF: Ricky Cristante
MF: Jack Wruck
F: Brad Grabowski
F: Ryan Coughlin
F: Justin Washington
Hampshire
GK: Dustin Segura
D: Vincent Williams
D: Ryan Heileman
D: Alexis Ortiz
D: Diego Alva
MF: Vincent Gonzalez
MF: Hugo Sztuk Vel Sztukowski
MF: Jack Fairwood
MF: Nathan Ludwig
F: Kobe Frenette
F: Christopher Arroyo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Langdon, Sr., D, Crystal Lake South
Referees: Dave Ganshaw (center), Peggy Crutchfield, Jerry Waters
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Langdon (Edge) – 29:48
Second half
CLS – Grabowski (Canfield) – 47:50
CLS - Canfield (Langdon) – 50:16
Gators’ Class of 2019 take charge, delivers 1st title since 2015
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE -- A sunset can be interpreted in different ways.
Some interpret it simply as a last chance for sunlight before night falls. Others consider it a beautiful sight and plan a portion of their day around it.
The Thursday evening sunset seen from the Crystal Lake South’s Soccer Complex had similar multiple meanings. In one way, it was the last bit of light on the Gators’ senior players time on their home turf.
However, appropriately, it was the perfect cap to a memorable afternoon for Crystal Lake South, ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
Not only did the Gators defeat Hampshire 3-0 on Senior Day, the victory secured an undefeated Fox Valley Conference record at 7-0-1 and delivered the outright league title to Crystal Lake South (15-2-3). It was the team's first FVC crown since a shared honor in 2015.
“100 percent perfect ending here at home,” said senior defender Nick Langdon. “My first game here three years ago, I was five inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter. To be here four years later and to be part of the first team to win the conference title outright in a while, it is pretty special.”
“It is definitely something I will never forget.”
Langdon was a difference maker all-game long for the Gators. In the 30th minute with the match scoreless, fellow captain and defender Andrew Edge was standing over a free kick 40 yards out on the right side. Langdon got in position in the left side of the six. Edge’s free kick, against a gusty wind, was spot on and found Langdon, who headed the ball low and past Hampshire keeper Dustin Segura to put the Gators ahead.
“I saw Nick (Langdon) raise his hand,” Edge added. “I was just trying to aim for him as he got a little bit of a run-up. He got to it and put it in the corner.”
“They put two of their shorter players on me,” Langdon added. “I told him (Andrew) that if you can get it to me, go for it. Honestly, when Andrew kicked it, it seemed like the ball was never coming down.”
“I felt two or three players around me, and I just made sure that I kept my balance. Once I got my head to the ball, I felt like I got enough of it.”
Langdon, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, showcased even more offensive exploits in the 51st minute. After a successful press and winning the ball deep in Hampshire territory, Langdon worked up the left side of the end line, crossed into the six-yard box where junior forward Alex Canfield poked it into the net to finish the scoring.
“I knew he (Langdon) had it in him,” Canfield said. “He has got the strength. He outmuscled the defender and had the accuracy on the service where it was there for me to put it home.”
“That’s Nick being Nick,” said Crystal Lake South head coach Brian Allen. “He’s one of those complete players that can play anywhere on the pitch. He’s the quarterback of our backline. He is what makes us go, but any chance we have to send Nick forward we will do that.”
Canfield played a big role in setting up the second Gators goal three minutes earlier. After receiving the ball on the right from senior forward Ryan Coughlin, Canfield continued forward toward goal. Along the way, both Coughlin brothers (Ryan and freshman midfielder Tom) and senior forward Brad Grabowski sprinted toward the net and became open targets. Canfield had his choice and crossed into the six to Grabowski who placed his shot past Segura.
“I saw him (Canfield) get the ball,” said Grabowski. “I saw him look up, and he made his run between the center back and the outside back. He played the ball right to me, and I was able to finish.”
Hampshire (10-5-4, 3-3-2 Fox Valley) did not make life easy for the Gators for the first 30 minutes of the contest.
“First half was pretty even,” said Hampshire coach Rick Schuster. “We actually had more control. They (Crystal Lake South) then got a goal off of the free kick. The game changed when the referee gave a foul that wasn’t a foul, and they scored off of that play.”
Hampshire, the fifth-seed in their own Class 3A sectional, will face 12th-seed Crystal Lake Central in the DeKalb Regional on Tuesday evening.
The Whip-Purs didn’t have many chances that troubled Gators senior goalie Matt McCaleb, who was able to orchestrate his backline to clear any opportunities that did enter the 18. After two early corners that were cleared away, their best chance was in the 47th minute when Diego Alva hit a hard drive from 25 yards that sailed over.
The visitors had very vocal traveling support. The support was bolstered by supporters of other Fox Valley Conference teams that were interested in the outcome of the game and the effect it would have on who would be conference champion.
The noise could have caused confusion for any team, but the Gators never wavered from their game plan and eventually muted the noise.
“You count on your teammates to keep talking through the whole thing,” Ryan Coughlin said. “Make sure your noise is louder than their noise and when you focus on the game, it comes easy.”
Per coach Allen, this was the first time that he had 11 senior starters. Forward Justin Washington, midfielder Mariano Caballero and defender Brandon Wilson started and played for the first 10 minutes before regulars Tom Coughlin, Evan Carlson and Canfield came on.
Due to their impact, Washington, Caballero and Wilson, along with fellow senior defender Tommy McSweeney, re-entered the game in the second half and played even more effective minutes.
“The starters were an all-senior lineup,” Allen said. “At the end of the game, we made sure all the seniors were on the field at the end of the game. Oscar (Estrada, senior backup goalkeeper who replaced McCaleb in the 73rd minute) has been huge for us in training, it was important for us to get him some minutes.
“J-Wash (Washington) was out there having fun, getting some looks. This has been a team through and through. Every single player, even the underclassmen when they were playing, made it known that they are out there playing for their senior teammates, and it was really cool.”
Fellow senior midfielder and captain Jack Wruck was excited to see everyone get extended minutes.
“It’s awesome to see this because it shows how deep our team really is,” Wruck added. “They put in so much work in practice and off-the-field training. It shows how much we can compete with anyone, not just our starting 11.”
The excitement continued post-match as players took countless group pictures, both in front of the east goal and in front the green scoreboard on the east end.
However, amongst all the enthusiasm, one message was extremely clear -- this team isn’t done. The Gators, who will comepete in Class AA playoffs this season, are the top seed in the Harvard Sectional and open play next Wednesday afternoon in the Antioch Regional. They will face the winner of this Saturday’s matchup between eight-seed Antioch and nine-seed Grayslake Central.
“We’re going to take a day here to recover,” Allen said. “The Fox Valley is a grueling test, and we are going to make sure we get our legs back and reset ourselves for the postseason. We still have to get better.”
“Antioch and Grayslake Central provide unique challenges for us. Grayslake Central is a solid, dangerous team. They have played a loaded schedule. Antioch traditionally has good players in various spots. We’ll look at that, but it is still about us improving. If we can stick to our style of play and improve on that, then I think it will put us in good spots moving forward.”
Starting Lineups
Crystal Lake South
GK: Matt McCaleb
D: Tommy McSweeney
D: Nick Langdon
D: Andrew Edge
D: Brandon Wilson
MF: Mariano Caballero
MF: Ricky Cristante
MF: Jack Wruck
F: Brad Grabowski
F: Ryan Coughlin
F: Justin Washington
Hampshire
GK: Dustin Segura
D: Vincent Williams
D: Ryan Heileman
D: Alexis Ortiz
D: Diego Alva
MF: Vincent Gonzalez
MF: Hugo Sztuk Vel Sztukowski
MF: Jack Fairwood
MF: Nathan Ludwig
F: Kobe Frenette
F: Christopher Arroyo
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Langdon, Sr., D, Crystal Lake South
Referees: Dave Ganshaw (center), Peggy Crutchfield, Jerry Waters
Scoring summary
First half
CLS – Langdon (Edge) – 29:48
Second half
CLS – Grabowski (Canfield) – 47:50
CLS - Canfield (Langdon) – 50:16