Crystal Lake South wins first regional since 2004

Brandon Dybdal hasn't just accepted his role as the 12th man on the Crystal Lake Soccer team. The senior captain has thrived in it.

So it was only fitting that Dybdal was able to showcase his role in the Gators' marquee game, a 4-0 victory over McHenry (8-12-3) in Saturday's Class 3A regional championship in McHenry.

The regional title, in which Dybdal scored once and had an assist, was the first for the Gators (19-3-2) since 2004 and fourth regional soccer title in program history. The Gators advance to Tuesday's Barrington sectional and face off against Larkin at 5 p.m.

"I come in off the bench and see flaws," Dybdal said of his role. "It's very educational."

Dybdal was able to expose the same spot twice late in the first half of the contest to give the Gators a 3-0 advantage going into the second half. The senior captain crossed a shot from left to right and put South ahead 2-0 with 3:26 left in the first half.

Less than a minute later, Dybdal found himself in the same location with the ball, but this time the Warriors' defense came crashing hard. Dybdal sent the ball to sophomore Charlie Oliver, who sent it past McHenry goalkeeper Carlos Wence (10 saves) to put South ahead 3-0 with 2:17 left before halftime.

"Brandon Dybdal has bought into the 12th man role," South coach Brian Allen said. "This is the tightest knit group I have ever had. From the get-go the players knew we had to get the momentum."

Oliver gave South that momentum early on in Saturday's matchup. The sophomore scored off a pass from Carey Bienert just 1 minute, 31 seconds into play to put South up 1-0. South was able to sustain the early momentum allowing McHenry just 2 shots on goal in the entire game.

"It was really important to get the first goal," Oliver said. "It gave us confidence."

The confidence was carried over into the second half as South finished the game off with a goal from Jon Gutmann off a pass from Oliver. After missing a promising shot in the closing seconds of the first half, Gutmann scored with 15:53 left in the game off a 15-yard bomb.

David Walsh was able to record 2 saves for the Gators, while South attempted 6 shots of goal in the second half.

"These guys wanted to make a name for themselves," Allen said.