Pieces starting to fit as Crystal Lake South meets Jacobs in league opener
By Bobby Narang
After winning a fourth-straight Class AA regional title last season, Crystal Lake South is riding a revamped roster to success this fall.
The Gators (4-2-1) begin Fox Valley Conference play at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday when they welcome Jacobs (2-4-2, 0-0-1).
Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen said his team is slowly blending into a nice unit after the first three weeks of play.
“We've had a lot of players stepping into new roles with the graduation of seven seniors and five core players from the last three or four years of our success,” Allen said. “With only five seniors on this squad, a lot of our juniors and sophomores, and our one freshman, have had to grow up fast in these first seven games. That’s why we put together the schedule we did, to try and get them battle-tested and ready for Fox Valley Conference play starting this week.
“The work-rate by the group has been tremendous both in training and in our games. We’re looking to string together more consistent durations of that energy to try and put together some complete games where we are sustaining and playing our brand of soccer for longer than just 10- or 20-minute spells.”
Jacobs coach Colin Brice said his team is headed in the right direction following a rough start. Last week, the Golden Eagles earned a 3-3 double overtime tie against Crystal Lake Central in their league debut and beat nonconference foe South Elgin 2-1. Brice expects his team to start playing with more consistency after injuries took a toll on his rotation in the first weeks of the season.
“We’ve come out with a high work-rate mentality, and we can play with just about anyone,” Brice said. “We’ve been playing some good soccer the past couple games and hopefully continue that going into the Crystal Lake South match.
“We will get some guys back from injuries this week and are excited to add some depth to our roster. Crystal Lake South is always a tough matchup with their style of play, but our guys are looking forward to the challenge and know it should be an exciting game.”
Scoring goals has been a difficult chore for Crystal Lake South's opponents this season, an aspect Jacobs must solve to pull off the victory. The Gators have dominated its foes with a 14-0 goal advantage during its three-game winning streak. Overall, the Gators have a whopping 20-3 scoring differential. Allen, a former keeper, is pleased with his defense.
“Our backline is anchored by three of our senior captains — Josh Washington, Andrew Smart, and goalie Logan Vargas,” he said. “They’ve meshed with junior Blake Marunde and freshman Pierce Johnson to provide a foundation that gives us a very solid chance of winning each and every time out on the pitch due to their experience and mentality as a group.
“Junior captain Nolan Getzinger also has stepped up as a leader in the midfield for us, playing a few different spots depending on our needs each game. He is currently leading the team's attack with seven goals and three assists.”
The Golden Eagles hope for another big game from Nevin Volarath. The junior midfielder has scored goals the past two games. In addition, Brice lauded the play of junior midfielder Elsworth McIntosh, junior defender Owen Armstrong and senior goalie Adan Farias.
“McIntosh has done tremendous on the wing for us with his pace and ability to attack players 1-v-1,” he said. “Owen Armstrong has done a phenomenal job being a consistent leader in the back, and Adan Farias has stepped up the past couple games in net and has provided us some confidence on the defensive end.”
Allen said the promise of the second season brings renewed excitement to his program. The Gators, who lost to eventual Class AA fourth place finisher Grayslake Central in a sectional final last season, plan to be at their best in October and beyond.
“The energy, work-rate and discipline have been some keys early on because we pride ourselves in being one of the hardest working teams in our conference and the area,” Allen said. “With us being relatively young in terms of varsity experience, this has allowed the guys to overcome some early season mistakes and learn from them quickly.
“They continue to get better each training, each game and each week in hopes that we start playing some of our best soccer now that conference play is beginning.”
By Bobby Narang
After winning a fourth-straight Class AA regional title last season, Crystal Lake South is riding a revamped roster to success this fall.
The Gators (4-2-1) begin Fox Valley Conference play at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday when they welcome Jacobs (2-4-2, 0-0-1).
Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen said his team is slowly blending into a nice unit after the first three weeks of play.
“We've had a lot of players stepping into new roles with the graduation of seven seniors and five core players from the last three or four years of our success,” Allen said. “With only five seniors on this squad, a lot of our juniors and sophomores, and our one freshman, have had to grow up fast in these first seven games. That’s why we put together the schedule we did, to try and get them battle-tested and ready for Fox Valley Conference play starting this week.
“The work-rate by the group has been tremendous both in training and in our games. We’re looking to string together more consistent durations of that energy to try and put together some complete games where we are sustaining and playing our brand of soccer for longer than just 10- or 20-minute spells.”
Jacobs coach Colin Brice said his team is headed in the right direction following a rough start. Last week, the Golden Eagles earned a 3-3 double overtime tie against Crystal Lake Central in their league debut and beat nonconference foe South Elgin 2-1. Brice expects his team to start playing with more consistency after injuries took a toll on his rotation in the first weeks of the season.
“We’ve come out with a high work-rate mentality, and we can play with just about anyone,” Brice said. “We’ve been playing some good soccer the past couple games and hopefully continue that going into the Crystal Lake South match.
“We will get some guys back from injuries this week and are excited to add some depth to our roster. Crystal Lake South is always a tough matchup with their style of play, but our guys are looking forward to the challenge and know it should be an exciting game.”
Scoring goals has been a difficult chore for Crystal Lake South's opponents this season, an aspect Jacobs must solve to pull off the victory. The Gators have dominated its foes with a 14-0 goal advantage during its three-game winning streak. Overall, the Gators have a whopping 20-3 scoring differential. Allen, a former keeper, is pleased with his defense.
“Our backline is anchored by three of our senior captains — Josh Washington, Andrew Smart, and goalie Logan Vargas,” he said. “They’ve meshed with junior Blake Marunde and freshman Pierce Johnson to provide a foundation that gives us a very solid chance of winning each and every time out on the pitch due to their experience and mentality as a group.
“Junior captain Nolan Getzinger also has stepped up as a leader in the midfield for us, playing a few different spots depending on our needs each game. He is currently leading the team's attack with seven goals and three assists.”
The Golden Eagles hope for another big game from Nevin Volarath. The junior midfielder has scored goals the past two games. In addition, Brice lauded the play of junior midfielder Elsworth McIntosh, junior defender Owen Armstrong and senior goalie Adan Farias.
“McIntosh has done tremendous on the wing for us with his pace and ability to attack players 1-v-1,” he said. “Owen Armstrong has done a phenomenal job being a consistent leader in the back, and Adan Farias has stepped up the past couple games in net and has provided us some confidence on the defensive end.”
Allen said the promise of the second season brings renewed excitement to his program. The Gators, who lost to eventual Class AA fourth place finisher Grayslake Central in a sectional final last season, plan to be at their best in October and beyond.
“The energy, work-rate and discipline have been some keys early on because we pride ourselves in being one of the hardest working teams in our conference and the area,” Allen said. “With us being relatively young in terms of varsity experience, this has allowed the guys to overcome some early season mistakes and learn from them quickly.
“They continue to get better each training, each game and each week in hopes that we start playing some of our best soccer now that conference play is beginning.”