Boys soccer: Crystal Lake South tops Jacobs 2-0, earns share of Fox Valley title

ALGONQUIN – Crystal Lake South knew it needed to be aggressive Tuesday if it wanted to earn a share of the Fox Valley Conference title and leaned on its top-two scoring options to make sure it happened.

The Gators executed their plan to perfection against Jacobs, with Nolan Getzinger and Ali Ahmed scoring in the first half to secure a 2-0 win and a share of the FVC. South shares the title with Huntley after the Red Raiders’ 4-0 win over Burlington Central on Tuesday and became the first team to repeat as champions in the FVC since at least 2010.

“It’s huge for us, especially going into the postseason,” Getzinger said. “This gives us a lot of confidence. A tie is a tie, but we still won conference. I’m not upset about it at all.”

Although the Gators (15-4-1, 8-1) and Golden Eagles created some offensive chances in the first 10 minutes of the match, South didn’t register the first shot on goal until 11 minutes in. That’s when Getzinger saw his opportunity to make a difference.

Getzinger brought the ball up into the box quickly, was challenged by Jacobs defenders and brought down to the ground, earning a penalty kick. The senior had missed a penalty kick in a match the past week but Getzinger made sure to nail Tuesday’s attempt, scoring with 29:18 left in the first half.

South kept pressuring until Ahmed earned his chance, getting a step ahead of the defender in order to score and give his team a 2-0 lead with 4:59 left in the first half.

“We knew they were going to be a hard team, and we knew they worked really hard,” Getzinger said. “Getting those two first goals early set us up and got us ready for the second half. It was huge.”

The Gators didn’t stop pressuring, knowing if they picked up a third goal that would secure the win. But despite creating numerous chances halfway through the second, South couldn’t score and turned its plan around and prevented Jacobs from scoring.

“It’s huge for us, especially going into the postseason. This gives us a lot of confidence. A tie is a tie, but we still won conference. I’m not upset about it at all.”

—  Nolan Getzinger, Crystal Lake South senior

South ended the match with 12 shots on goal, while goalkeeper Chris Slawek made three saves. Gators coach Brian Allen was proud of how his team kept turning away Jacobs scoring chances and limiting what Slawek faced in net.

“For the guys to bend but not break and keep the zero and killing the game up top was fantastic stuff,” Allen said. “A lot of growth across the board.”

Jacobs (7-10-1, 6-3) kept applying pressure despite falling behind but couldn’t make the final touches in order to score. Maksym Kharchenko made eight saves in net.

Despite the loss, Jacobs coach Colin Brice was proud of the way his team competed Tuesday and during the second half of the season, where the Golden Eagles won six in a row.

“We did a nice job of responding in the second half and having the majority to run a play, but they did a great job of finishing their chances,” Brice said. “I’m proud of my guys for how they came out in the second half, and I think it bodes well for us going into the playoffs.”

Jacobs will start the playoffs in the Class 3A Harlem Regional against Larkin on Tuesday while South will host either Lakes or North Chicago on Tuesday in the Class 2A Crystal Lake South Regional.

Allen said the Gators have approached their past five matches as the playoffs since they couldn’t lose a match if they wanted to win a share of the FVC. He was proud his team achieved its goal during its first postseason push.

“They rose to the challenge,” Allen said. “They’re very deserving of that shared conference title.”