Batavia can't hold lead against Waubonsie V.
Waubonsie Valley's Ryan Dotson never imagined his goal in the first half would eventually turn into the game-winner in the Class 3A regional soccer game against Batavia Tuesday, but it did.
Dotson's unassisted goal with 26:44 left in the first half was all the Warriors needed to beat No. 9 seed Batavia, 2-1 in the semifinal hosted by Waubonsie Valley.
"I thought there was going to be a few more goals after that toward the end, so I guess that was it," Dotson said. "I'm pretty happy with it."
With the win, the No. 9 seeded Warriors take on the No. 1 seed Naperville Central Saturday at 11 a.m. for the regional title. The Redhawks advanced after topping No. 15 Plainfield South, 5-0, in the first game of the night.
Batavia ended its season 11-8-3 while Waubonsie Valley improved to 8-10-1. This was the second time these two teams faced each other in a week, as the Warriors beat the Bulldogs by a goal in their own tournament.
All the scoring took place in the first half. Batavia was the first to strike at the 34:33 mark when Robert Forslund assisted Michael Faraone's goal.
"That was a great start," Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. "We were happy to get that start. I wish we would have sustained that... but I think we became nonchalant after the goal because it was early."
Ryan Soloman evened the score with his unassisted goal at 28:03. Less than two minutes later, Dotson scored.
"I think they came out hard and fast," Waubonsie Valley coach Angelo Di Bernardo said of Batavia. "But after we tied the game, we settled down a bit... but I thought we had the better chances, especially after we scored the second goal and took the lead."
"(Dotson) is their big gun," Gianfrancesco added. "We knew we had to control him."
Batavia had several chances in the second half to even the score. Perhaps the closest was on a shot from Mitch Albrecht with less than two minutes remaining.
"It's sad to lose 2-1," Gianfrancesco said.
The Warriors know they have tough challenge ahead with Naperville Central, but were happy to walk away with a win against the Bulldogs.
"We'll have to play the best game we've played all season to get a win, but if we get the win, that will be great," Dotson said. "We'll be flying high if we win that game."