Solid Golden (Eagles) Goal tops CLS in OT
1-0 win nets Jacobs first Fox Valley Conference title since 2016
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE – In life, there are often times where anticipated events do not meet expectations.
This was not the case of Tuesday afternoon’s Fox Valley Conference showdown between Crystal Lake South and Jacobs.
Both teams were ready. It was very clear early on that one goal would be the difference and that 80 minutes would not be enough to settle matters.
“It was a very conference championship-worthy, playoff-worthy atmosphere,” said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. “It turned into a slugfest and became about who was going to get the moment.”
Jacobs ended up getting the defining point of time, three minutes into the first overtime. Senior midfielder Johnny O’Connor broke free on the left side 30 yards out and hit a great cross into the 18 where fellow senior midfielder Alex Nicastro volleyed the ball past Gators keeper Carson Hill. The goal earned a 1-0 victory for the Golden Eagles and the Fox Valley Conference title and set off a big celebration for the visitors.
“There was no way to miss that ball,” Nicastro, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, added. “It was a great ball from Johnny O’Connor. I saw their defense was pushed up. I made that run, and the ball was right there.”
“Losing to Crystal Lake South last year and winning this year. It’s a great feeling.”
O’Connor shared his viewpoint on the defining moment.
“I looked up, and I saw Alex,” he said. “We have been playing together for a long time. I knew where he was going to make the run. I knew where to put the ball. Alex put a great volley on it.”
“It was a total team win,” said Jacobs coach Colin Brice. “A lot of work was put in over the summer by the entire coaching staff and everyone in the program. Crystal Lake South is the defending state champs. They are a phenomenal team, well coached. It’s always fun playing them.”
Jacobs (12-3-3, 8-0-0) will play Prairie Ridge on Wednesday to wrap up regular season play before starting regional play as the top seed in the Harlem regional a week later.
The Golden Eagles almost concluded matters in regulation on three separate opportunities. However, Hill (7 saves in total) made highlight reel saves each time.
Nicastro had a drive in the 63rd minute from above the 18 ticketed toward the top left corner, but the Gators’ senior keeper leapt and punched the ball over the bar.
Eleven minutes later, Hill stared down a Golden Eagles’ free kick opportunity from 25 yards. Junior midfielder Liam Armstrong drove it to the bottom left corner, but Hill used all of his six-foot frame to tip the ball away with a dive to his right.
“On the free kick,” Hill said. “I really wanted to put my body out there to ensure I was able to get my hand to the shot, and I did.”
In the final minute of regulation, Hill denied Armstrong again from the top of the 18 with a sprawling save to his right, clutching the ball and not giving up a rebound.
“The first half was a little bit shaky for us, coming out against a good Jacobs team,” Hill added. “The second half though, we started getting into their half of the field and holding our heads up a bit higher.”
Coach Allen commented on that stretch of play for Hill and what it means going forward.
“Big confidence boost,” Allen said. “He made the saves that he was supposed to make. In addition, he had one or two big-time saves to give us a chance. That’s the growth side of it, he did those things in which we need to be better.”
Crystal Lake South (13-4-4, 6-1-1), ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, only was able to register one shot on goal the entire contest.
“Congratulations to Jacobs on becoming conference champions. They did a really decent job of neutralizing Alex (Canfield),” Allen added. “Other people are going to have to step up and find some moments as we go forward.”
Forward for the Gators means wrapping up Fox Valley Conference play at Hampshire at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The following week sees the defending Class AA state champions host a regional. They will open play Oct. 22 against the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between Harvard and Woodstock North. Hosting regionals gives seniors, especially defender Evan Carlson, additional time at “The Swamp.”
“It’s definitely exciting to have an opportunity to win a trophy here, especially since it’s my senior year.”
Carlson also noted that with last year’s success, more teams will be eager to challenge them.
“I think we’re going to get every team’s best shot,” Carlson noted. “We have to be ready to match that. This game is going to be a great learning point for us to be able to bounce back from a game like this.”
Carlson’s point is exactly what coach Allen hopes to get across to his squad in the coming days.
“It is going to be about how we are going to learn from this game,” Allen said. “This is the hallmark of this team -- to bounce back from disappointments. The Morton game (2-1 loss on September 14) we were so close, the Solorio game (0-0 on September 21st, losing 4-2 in PKs) we were so close.”
“That’s what I am looking for on Thursday as we get ready for the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Jacobs
GK Preston Krahl
D Chris Loizzi
D PJ Hopkins
D Sam Colucci
D Sam Rainer
MF Tarek Shah
MF Liam Armstrong
MF Alex Nicastro
MF Johnny O’Connor
F Bryan Ramos
F Ruben Zarate
Crystal Lake South
GK Carson Hill
D Brandon Osterberg
D Evan Carlson
D Tomasz Slawek
D Danny Ciezadlo
MF Michel Dejworek
MF Tyler Getzinger
MF Sabien Raymond
MF Colton Weidner
MF Garett Schneider
F Alex Canfield
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Nicastro, sr., MF, Jacobs
Referees: Joe Skaja (center); Raul Farfan; Jim McKinnon
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
Overtime
Jacobs – Alex Nicastro (Johnny O’Connor) – 82:28
1-0 win nets Jacobs first Fox Valley Conference title since 2016
By Matt Misiek
CRYSTAL LAKE – In life, there are often times where anticipated events do not meet expectations.
This was not the case of Tuesday afternoon’s Fox Valley Conference showdown between Crystal Lake South and Jacobs.
Both teams were ready. It was very clear early on that one goal would be the difference and that 80 minutes would not be enough to settle matters.
“It was a very conference championship-worthy, playoff-worthy atmosphere,” said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. “It turned into a slugfest and became about who was going to get the moment.”
Jacobs ended up getting the defining point of time, three minutes into the first overtime. Senior midfielder Johnny O’Connor broke free on the left side 30 yards out and hit a great cross into the 18 where fellow senior midfielder Alex Nicastro volleyed the ball past Gators keeper Carson Hill. The goal earned a 1-0 victory for the Golden Eagles and the Fox Valley Conference title and set off a big celebration for the visitors.
“There was no way to miss that ball,” Nicastro, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, added. “It was a great ball from Johnny O’Connor. I saw their defense was pushed up. I made that run, and the ball was right there.”
“Losing to Crystal Lake South last year and winning this year. It’s a great feeling.”
O’Connor shared his viewpoint on the defining moment.
“I looked up, and I saw Alex,” he said. “We have been playing together for a long time. I knew where he was going to make the run. I knew where to put the ball. Alex put a great volley on it.”
“It was a total team win,” said Jacobs coach Colin Brice. “A lot of work was put in over the summer by the entire coaching staff and everyone in the program. Crystal Lake South is the defending state champs. They are a phenomenal team, well coached. It’s always fun playing them.”
Jacobs (12-3-3, 8-0-0) will play Prairie Ridge on Wednesday to wrap up regular season play before starting regional play as the top seed in the Harlem regional a week later.
The Golden Eagles almost concluded matters in regulation on three separate opportunities. However, Hill (7 saves in total) made highlight reel saves each time.
Nicastro had a drive in the 63rd minute from above the 18 ticketed toward the top left corner, but the Gators’ senior keeper leapt and punched the ball over the bar.
Eleven minutes later, Hill stared down a Golden Eagles’ free kick opportunity from 25 yards. Junior midfielder Liam Armstrong drove it to the bottom left corner, but Hill used all of his six-foot frame to tip the ball away with a dive to his right.
“On the free kick,” Hill said. “I really wanted to put my body out there to ensure I was able to get my hand to the shot, and I did.”
In the final minute of regulation, Hill denied Armstrong again from the top of the 18 with a sprawling save to his right, clutching the ball and not giving up a rebound.
“The first half was a little bit shaky for us, coming out against a good Jacobs team,” Hill added. “The second half though, we started getting into their half of the field and holding our heads up a bit higher.”
Coach Allen commented on that stretch of play for Hill and what it means going forward.
“Big confidence boost,” Allen said. “He made the saves that he was supposed to make. In addition, he had one or two big-time saves to give us a chance. That’s the growth side of it, he did those things in which we need to be better.”
Crystal Lake South (13-4-4, 6-1-1), ranked 11th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, only was able to register one shot on goal the entire contest.
“Congratulations to Jacobs on becoming conference champions. They did a really decent job of neutralizing Alex (Canfield),” Allen added. “Other people are going to have to step up and find some moments as we go forward.”
Forward for the Gators means wrapping up Fox Valley Conference play at Hampshire at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The following week sees the defending Class AA state champions host a regional. They will open play Oct. 22 against the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal matchup between Harvard and Woodstock North. Hosting regionals gives seniors, especially defender Evan Carlson, additional time at “The Swamp.”
“It’s definitely exciting to have an opportunity to win a trophy here, especially since it’s my senior year.”
Carlson also noted that with last year’s success, more teams will be eager to challenge them.
“I think we’re going to get every team’s best shot,” Carlson noted. “We have to be ready to match that. This game is going to be a great learning point for us to be able to bounce back from a game like this.”
Carlson’s point is exactly what coach Allen hopes to get across to his squad in the coming days.
“It is going to be about how we are going to learn from this game,” Allen said. “This is the hallmark of this team -- to bounce back from disappointments. The Morton game (2-1 loss on September 14) we were so close, the Solorio game (0-0 on September 21st, losing 4-2 in PKs) we were so close.”
“That’s what I am looking for on Thursday as we get ready for the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Jacobs
GK Preston Krahl
D Chris Loizzi
D PJ Hopkins
D Sam Colucci
D Sam Rainer
MF Tarek Shah
MF Liam Armstrong
MF Alex Nicastro
MF Johnny O’Connor
F Bryan Ramos
F Ruben Zarate
Crystal Lake South
GK Carson Hill
D Brandon Osterberg
D Evan Carlson
D Tomasz Slawek
D Danny Ciezadlo
MF Michel Dejworek
MF Tyler Getzinger
MF Sabien Raymond
MF Colton Weidner
MF Garett Schneider
F Alex Canfield
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Alex Nicastro, sr., MF, Jacobs
Referees: Joe Skaja (center); Raul Farfan; Jim McKinnon
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
No scoring
Overtime
Jacobs – Alex Nicastro (Johnny O’Connor) – 82:28