Prairie Ridge scores early, tops Crystal Lake Central to advance to IHSA sectional final

GRAYSLAKE – Chase Santucci was nervous most of Tuesday ahead of Prairie Ridge’s Class 2A Grayslake Central Sectional semifinal against Crystal Lake Central.

A year ago, Santucci and the Wolves lost in the sectional semifinal in overtime on the same field they would play on Tuesday night.

A year later, he and the Wolves had a chance to make things right.

[ Photos: Crystal Lake Central vs. Prairie Ridge IHSA Boys Soccer 2A Grayslake Central Sectional semifinal ]

Santucci and the Wolves made sure not to waste their shot at redemption. PR grabbed an early lead and never looked back, beating Central 3-0.

“We came out knowing that we had the feeling of losing on this field before. They haven’t,” Santucci said. “We have older people, and all around I feel like we have the best chemistry or brotherhood around, and it just, it paid off.”

The Wolves (17-4-1) went into Tuesday’s match knowing they needed to score against the Tigers’ stout defense. PR earned an early corner kick and capitalized when Santucci received the corner cross and kicked it at the goal. Senior Henry Knoll knocked it in to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead with 36:49 left in the first half.

PR kept pushing with its aggressive style and scored again. Santucci got a nice through pass from Knoll and sailed a shot into the goal to give the Wolves a 2-0 lead with 31:37 left in the first half.

“He was so nervous today,” PR coach Joe Schroeder said. “Right before the game, he told the assistants he’s not feeling well. He looked well. He looked well.”

Despite leading 2-0, the Wolves kept up their intensity. They finished the first half with four shots on goal and added three more in the second half. Senior Seth Maston added his second goal of the season when he knocked in a pass off a corner kick with 11:58 left.

While the Wolves moved the ball up and down the pitch, the Tigers struggled to build much momentum because of PR’s strong defense. PR stopped Central from completing passes in the middle of the pitch, and the Wolves stopped any late scoring chances.

“That’s something that really goes overlooked on our team,” Maston said. “We have a very strong backline and midfield, but it really comes from our front three. The whole week, we were focusing on how our front three defended. They don’t get the credit, but they were the real defensive champions tonight.”

Senior John Malina stopped all four shots he saw from Central (15-5-1).

Tuesday was a tough end for the Tigers, who competed with the Wolves near the top of the Fox Valley Conference. After not having high expectations, Central coach Leah Rutkowski was proud of what her young team accomplished.

“It’s just this team was something special, bunch of young guys, and they all played with a lot of heart, like every game, and we did things we weren’t expecting to,” Rutkowski said. “So this is hard to take.”

PR will compete for its first sectional title since 1999 when it takes on Wauconda on Friday. After earning redemption Tuesday and winning the FVC title this season, the Wolves are ready to continue making history.

“We’ve had pressure on us all season with a lot of returning seniors, but I feel like we have a really good chance this Friday,” Santucci said. “We’re strong, we feel strong, we feel that we’re the best team around, and I feel like we’re going to prove it.”

Wauconda 3, Harvard 2

Wauconda went into Tuesday’s sectional semifinal match against Harvard looking to create unique chances. The Bulldogs knew if they got creative deep in Hornets territory, they’d find a way to win.

They executed their plan right from the start. Wauconda grabbed an early lead and then scored two goals within four minutes toward the end of the first half to win 3-2.

[ Photos: Wauconda vs. Harvard IHSA Boys Soccer 2A Grayslake Central Sectional semifinal ]

“We want to play our game, and for us, it involves the final third being a place where we can be creative,” Wauconda coach Tim Miller said. “If we’re predictable, going to goal, if we’re predictable, entering the final third, it’s easy for us to be defended, especially when we only have two strikers up top, so we’ve got to move off each other.”

The Bulldogs (13-6-1) created a strong look right from the start when senior Sam Jurczyk headed in a goal off a corner kick with 36:57 left in the first half.

Harvard (18-5-2) tied the match at 1 when senior Eric Valdez sprinted out on a fast break and scored with 25:44 left in the first half. But the Bulldogs kept attacking and took a 2-1 lead with 13:47 left in the first half when freshman Aiden Werner scored off a nice strike. Junior Erick Ramos made it 3-1, battling off a couple rebounds and knocking in a goal with 10:44 left in the first half.

Sophomore Jonathan Roldan scored for Harvard with 1:58 left to make it a 3-2.

Tuesday was a tough ending, but Harvard coach Victor Gonzalez was proud of his team’s success.

“This is one of the most successful teams that we’ve had,” he said. “Winning the conference four years in a row, these seniors never lost conference, winning the [Kishwaukee River Conference] three years in a row since its inception. So they haven’t lost that either. And then to win back-to-back regionals for a lot of these seniors is special.

“So I think it’s a overall success, even though it doesn’t feel like that right now.”