Grayslake N. denied share of title

Grayslake North's boys soccer team has shown a lot of improvement in its second varsity season.

The Knights were a game away, a goal away and a kick away from earning a share of their first Fox Valley Conference Fox Division title Tuesday night.

But visiting Crystal Lake Central captured a 1-0 victory in a game decided on shootout kicks, 5-4. High winds wreaked havoc for both offenses.

Grayslake North (12-7, 6-4) and Crystal Lake Central (8-8-1, 6-4) finished tied for second in the FVC Fox. Prairie Ridge (10-9-1, 7-3) edged Johnsburg 2-1 on Tuesday to win the division.

"We gave it our best and there's nothing more we could have done," said Grayslake North's Marc Nethercote, a senior midfielder/forward. "Playing in the wind is the toughest condition to play in, but we could have finished some shots. You do what your can and hope for some breaks."

The contest wasn't settled through 80 minutes of regulation time and two 10-minute overtimes, sending the game into shootout kicks.

"We should have settled before the kicks," said coach Adam DeCaluwe, whose Knights outshot Crystal Lake Central 22-4. "We dominated them all over the field.

"We've had a fantastic season but let it go on a sour note. We did everything possible to keep things going and deserved every ounce of a victory. It's a tough one but we move on to regionals next week."

In the sixth round of the shootout kicks, Crystal Lake Central keeper Chris Chimielewski (12 saves) made a leg save.

Tigers sophomore Eddie Dunkel followed up by scoring the game-winner into the low left corner of the net.

"For our first time in kicks, we did quite well," Crystal Lake Central coach Jay Schwarzrock said. "We knew we had a job to do when we came in here and we gave a test to the defense. We knew if the defense could stand up, then the offense could do the rest.

"The wind had a lot to do with the offense. It was tough to set up good shots."