Boys soccer: Senior-laden team ready to lead Gators

CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South boys soccer coach Brian Allen cued up the tape. During one of the first days of practice, the Gators watched clips from the agonizing 1-0 loss to Jacobs that ended their 2017 season.

Jacobs scored in the final minutes of an IHSA Class 3A sectional semifinal. The Golden Eagles went on to win the sectional and nearly went to state.

The Gators, who had beaten Jacobs earlier in the season, were left wondering what could have been.

“We felt like we could have won that game, and we felt like we should have won that game,” senior midfielder Brad Grabowski said. “It’s awful. It just sticks in your mind.”

Allen didn’t want his team to forget that feeling, which is why he brought out the film.

“I don’t know that I would do that with every team,” Allen said. “But because of the amount of returning players that lived that, they were there – and it drove me crazy, as well – I shared that very honest and open with them.”

That match has motivated a 2018 Gators team that features 12 seniors, four of whom are four-year varsity players. It’s a rare collection of experience returning for a team that won a regional title in 2017.

Grabowski, midfielder Ryan Coughlin, midfielder Jack Wruck and defender Nick Langdon are entering their fourth year of varsity soccer in green and gold.

“I’ve been playing with pretty much all of them since I was 9 or 10 years old,” Wruck said. “We know everyone’s playing style by now. We have really good chemistry.”

The four seniors haven’t always played on the same team growing up, but each played with the others at some point. Now, as they enter their final year together, they feel like they have the chance to do something special.

“Other years, we felt like we had the potential to do things, but only to a certain extent,” Grabowski said. “This year, we really feel like the sky is the limit for us.”

When they were freshmen, Langdon and Coughlin played quite a bit. Wruck and Grabowski had to battle for playing time.

Langdon recalled the season-ending loss that year, a 3-2 regional championship loss to Cary-Grove that left a similar feeling to last year’s loss to Jacobs. Then, as it does now, it came down to the details.

“That’s what, as a team, we’re looking to focus on,” Langdon said. “Making sure details are taken care of, making sure communication is top priority.”

The Gators had their ups and downs in 2017. They finished 12-11-2 and 3-5 in the Fox Valley Conference. They clicked at the right time and knocked off previously unbeaten Dundee-Crown in the regional championship.

Allen expects a competitive FVC again this year. D-C returns with a similarly hungry team. Coming off back-to-back sectional titles, Jacobs always is tough to beat. Hampshire also won a regional title in 2017.

“If you have an off day and you don’t bring it, any team in our conference can beat anybody else,” Allen said. “That’s what makes it fun.”

The 12 Gators seniors are trying to impart that on their younger teammates.

“We’re just trying to lead the team as best as possible and show the young kids how long the season’s going to be,” Coughlin said.

Allen has enjoyed watching the four-year varsity players grow on and off the field. He also noted that all 12 seniors, not just the four-year players, have embraced their roles on the team.

“They’re taking that leadership role very seriously, making sure the guys are locked in, laser-focused,” Allen said.