Crystal Lake South overcomes
own-goal, downs Jacobs late
Gators get conference start they want with 2-1 home win
By Bobby Narang
CRYSTAL LAKE — Nobody wanted the game to be decided by an own-goal.
At a sun-splashed late afternoon game played before a large and widely spaced crowd, Crystal Lake South met Jacobs for a memorable start to Fox Valley Conference play Tuesday.
Throughout the game, both teams were balls of energy on the pitch and the sidelines. With coaches and players from both teams constantly yelling out words of encouragement or providing advice, the heated match had one small problem — scoring, or rather the lack of it.
The first came in 51st minute, when Crystal Lake South allowed an own-goal.
Before the game, Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen admitted he was curious to see how his diverse team would respond in their conference opener after winning four of their first seven games.
He got his answer in the final 20 minutes of Monday’s game.
The Gators bounced back with two goals in the final 16-plus minutes to pull out a 2-1 victory over the Golden Eagles. Junior midfielder Nolan Getzinger scored both times to give the Gators (5-2-1, 1-0-0) three conference points.
Allen said he was pleased with the final outcome.
“When we fall behind that way, it was like ‘Oh geez, is that going to be the deciding factor?’ But you have to give a huge credit to the growth of these guys to bounce back from a fluky goal,” he said. “A lot of teams would put their heads down, especially younger teams. I thought we played our best in the last 20 minutes. We had to earn our goals. We created chances and had to finish … as a result of that.”
Maybe it was the sight of a small-engine airplane that flew over the immaculate field with 21 minutes left in regulation, but regardless the Gators suddenly started getting some luck their way.
With 16:34 remaining, Andrew Smart set up the Gators' first goal with a strong corner kick. Getzinger was able to get a foot on the loose ball and hit a slow shot that rolled past numerous players into the back of the net for the equalizer.
Thirteen minutes later, Getzinger got the call on a penalty kick and drilled in the eventual game-winner inside the left post for his ninth goal of the season.
“I just wanted to put it away and win it for the boys,” Getzinger said. “There wasn’t a lot of time left, but we got the result. It’s huge win. We’ve been able to grow and get both goals and secure the win.”
Allen said Getzinger’s development bodes well for the long-range prospects of the Gators.
“Nolan is the constant worker, a three-year guy,” he said. “We moved him around a lot today. That caused some problems for them with his ability to disrupt the attack either up-high, out-wide or inside. His and Ali Ahmed’s work-rate was terrific, and the guys feed off that.
“We’ve had a hard time scoring goals, even though we’ve had some blowouts, but in our non-blowouts we struggle to get goals. To fall behind 1-0 and their response to get one, then with little time left they showed they weren’t satisfied.
“We could’ve just packed it in and gone for it in overtime. They were really on the front foot. We were dangerous on set pieces, and able to bury them. Nolan stepped up big.”
The Gators had to work for their two goals. Jacobs keeper Adan Farias recorded nine saves. He made a diving save off a shot from a header from Nick Prus in the 36th minute and stopped Prus again in the 39th minute.
The senior notched three saves after the penalty kick.
The Golden Eagles (2-5-2, 0-1) were inaccurate in their few shot attempts, especially in the final minutes. Kelvin Medina went over with a shot attempt from 30 yards with under three minutes left. Peter Wolf’s header in the final seconds just missed the mark.
“For me, if we finish a couple of those close calls, it would’ve been a very different game,” Jacobs coach Colin Brice said. “Crystal Lake South plays a very direct style of play. They’re very physical and are a solid program. It’s always fun to play against Brian Allen because of the good rivalry and friendship that we have.
“We high-pressed them and made them feel uncomfortable. There are some positives we can learn from this. Adan has been phenomenal in the net for us. He’s does very well with balls in the air and shots low. He’s been a silent leader in the back.”
Smart, a senior defender, said Crystal Lake South was motivated to avoid a home loss in their first conference game.
“This is a major win, the first conference game of the season,” Smart said. “We wanted to get off the right foot. We’re looking forward to our next game. It means a lot to us.
“I think we have so much room to grow. From where we started the season, we have shown so much growth but still so much is available. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this team.”
Prus, a sophomore, failed to score a goal despite numerous shots in the 80-minute match. Farias secured a leaping save off a Prus shot with 11:01 left in the game.
“It was a hard game, but I had to battle through it,” he said. “If I took a bit more time on my shots, I think I could’ve put one in. We’re all starting to feel way more comfortable and playing better.”
Junior Ari Chingakham said the Gators’ determination was evident following the own-goal.
“This wins means a lot, because we’ve had some ups and downs this season; so I’m really proud of where we’ve came from,” he said. “We knew coming into the Fox Valley Conference game that there would be a lot of pressure, but we rose to that pressure.
“It wasn’t just the kids who were on the field, but also the ones on the bench cheering. They were able to lift everybody up, especially when we had that own-goal. There were people on the bench who were lifting and cheering others up.”
Starting lineups
Jacobs
GK: Adan Farias
D: Owen Armstrong
D: Carter Roper
D: John Kraft
D: Brandon Tjiong
MF: Kai Seto
MF: Nevin Volarath
MF: L.Z. McIntosh
MF: Esteban Varela
F: Peter Wolf
F: Andrew Deegan
Crystal Lake South
GK: Logan Vargas
D: Andrew Smart
D: Blake Marunde
D: Pierce Johnson
D: Josh Washington
MF: Nick Prus
MF: Kevin Cardoso
MF: Nico Velasco
MF: Nolan Getzinger
F: Ali Ahmed
F: Brendan Lewis
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Nolan Getzinger, jr., MF, Crystal Lake South
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Jacobs: own-goal, 51’
Crystal Lake South: Getzinger (Smart), 64’
Crystal Lake South: Getzinger (penalty kick), 77’
own-goal, downs Jacobs late
Gators get conference start they want with 2-1 home win
By Bobby Narang
CRYSTAL LAKE — Nobody wanted the game to be decided by an own-goal.
At a sun-splashed late afternoon game played before a large and widely spaced crowd, Crystal Lake South met Jacobs for a memorable start to Fox Valley Conference play Tuesday.
Throughout the game, both teams were balls of energy on the pitch and the sidelines. With coaches and players from both teams constantly yelling out words of encouragement or providing advice, the heated match had one small problem — scoring, or rather the lack of it.
The first came in 51st minute, when Crystal Lake South allowed an own-goal.
Before the game, Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen admitted he was curious to see how his diverse team would respond in their conference opener after winning four of their first seven games.
He got his answer in the final 20 minutes of Monday’s game.
The Gators bounced back with two goals in the final 16-plus minutes to pull out a 2-1 victory over the Golden Eagles. Junior midfielder Nolan Getzinger scored both times to give the Gators (5-2-1, 1-0-0) three conference points.
Allen said he was pleased with the final outcome.
“When we fall behind that way, it was like ‘Oh geez, is that going to be the deciding factor?’ But you have to give a huge credit to the growth of these guys to bounce back from a fluky goal,” he said. “A lot of teams would put their heads down, especially younger teams. I thought we played our best in the last 20 minutes. We had to earn our goals. We created chances and had to finish … as a result of that.”
Maybe it was the sight of a small-engine airplane that flew over the immaculate field with 21 minutes left in regulation, but regardless the Gators suddenly started getting some luck their way.
With 16:34 remaining, Andrew Smart set up the Gators' first goal with a strong corner kick. Getzinger was able to get a foot on the loose ball and hit a slow shot that rolled past numerous players into the back of the net for the equalizer.
Thirteen minutes later, Getzinger got the call on a penalty kick and drilled in the eventual game-winner inside the left post for his ninth goal of the season.
“I just wanted to put it away and win it for the boys,” Getzinger said. “There wasn’t a lot of time left, but we got the result. It’s huge win. We’ve been able to grow and get both goals and secure the win.”
Allen said Getzinger’s development bodes well for the long-range prospects of the Gators.
“Nolan is the constant worker, a three-year guy,” he said. “We moved him around a lot today. That caused some problems for them with his ability to disrupt the attack either up-high, out-wide or inside. His and Ali Ahmed’s work-rate was terrific, and the guys feed off that.
“We’ve had a hard time scoring goals, even though we’ve had some blowouts, but in our non-blowouts we struggle to get goals. To fall behind 1-0 and their response to get one, then with little time left they showed they weren’t satisfied.
“We could’ve just packed it in and gone for it in overtime. They were really on the front foot. We were dangerous on set pieces, and able to bury them. Nolan stepped up big.”
The Gators had to work for their two goals. Jacobs keeper Adan Farias recorded nine saves. He made a diving save off a shot from a header from Nick Prus in the 36th minute and stopped Prus again in the 39th minute.
The senior notched three saves after the penalty kick.
The Golden Eagles (2-5-2, 0-1) were inaccurate in their few shot attempts, especially in the final minutes. Kelvin Medina went over with a shot attempt from 30 yards with under three minutes left. Peter Wolf’s header in the final seconds just missed the mark.
“For me, if we finish a couple of those close calls, it would’ve been a very different game,” Jacobs coach Colin Brice said. “Crystal Lake South plays a very direct style of play. They’re very physical and are a solid program. It’s always fun to play against Brian Allen because of the good rivalry and friendship that we have.
“We high-pressed them and made them feel uncomfortable. There are some positives we can learn from this. Adan has been phenomenal in the net for us. He’s does very well with balls in the air and shots low. He’s been a silent leader in the back.”
Smart, a senior defender, said Crystal Lake South was motivated to avoid a home loss in their first conference game.
“This is a major win, the first conference game of the season,” Smart said. “We wanted to get off the right foot. We’re looking forward to our next game. It means a lot to us.
“I think we have so much room to grow. From where we started the season, we have shown so much growth but still so much is available. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this team.”
Prus, a sophomore, failed to score a goal despite numerous shots in the 80-minute match. Farias secured a leaping save off a Prus shot with 11:01 left in the game.
“It was a hard game, but I had to battle through it,” he said. “If I took a bit more time on my shots, I think I could’ve put one in. We’re all starting to feel way more comfortable and playing better.”
Junior Ari Chingakham said the Gators’ determination was evident following the own-goal.
“This wins means a lot, because we’ve had some ups and downs this season; so I’m really proud of where we’ve came from,” he said. “We knew coming into the Fox Valley Conference game that there would be a lot of pressure, but we rose to that pressure.
“It wasn’t just the kids who were on the field, but also the ones on the bench cheering. They were able to lift everybody up, especially when we had that own-goal. There were people on the bench who were lifting and cheering others up.”
Starting lineups
Jacobs
GK: Adan Farias
D: Owen Armstrong
D: Carter Roper
D: John Kraft
D: Brandon Tjiong
MF: Kai Seto
MF: Nevin Volarath
MF: L.Z. McIntosh
MF: Esteban Varela
F: Peter Wolf
F: Andrew Deegan
Crystal Lake South
GK: Logan Vargas
D: Andrew Smart
D: Blake Marunde
D: Pierce Johnson
D: Josh Washington
MF: Nick Prus
MF: Kevin Cardoso
MF: Nico Velasco
MF: Nolan Getzinger
F: Ali Ahmed
F: Brendan Lewis
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match:
Nolan Getzinger, jr., MF, Crystal Lake South
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Jacobs: own-goal, 51’
Crystal Lake South: Getzinger (Smart), 64’
Crystal Lake South: Getzinger (penalty kick), 77’