Boys soccer: Crystal Lake South upends Hampshire

Andrew Grabowski doesn't care what part of his body he utilizes to score a goal.

Grabowski tallied 2 goals, one a header and one on a strong kick from 15 yards out to lead Crystal Lake South to a 3-1 win over Hampshire in Fox

Valley Conference boys soccer crossover action in Crystal Lake Tuesday afternoon.

Grabowski tallied his first goal off an assist from Ryan Coughlin and his second goal was unassisted.

"I just try to get in the right place to score," said Grabowski. "I want to make sure every time I shoot the ball on net it is a good shot. We are starting to play better as a team."

Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen is impressed with Grabowski's approach to the game.

"He's a beast," said Allen. "He always positions himself well to get a good shot off. He is so consistent and is always mentally ready to play."

Grabowski's header off a perfect assist from Coughlin gave the Gators (3-1-3) a 1-0 lead with 17:13 left in the first half.

The Whip-Purs (2-2) knotted the score when Charles Piazza, off a nice pass from Parker Bishop, blasted a 40-yard shot over the outstretched arms of South goalkeeper Spencer Traub with 34:03 remaining in the contest.

South, which outshot Hampshire 14-8, grabbed the lead for good 2-1 as Grabowski maneuvered his way past the Whip-Pur defense and blasted a 20-yard shot past Hampshire sophomore goalie Jason Polletta with 18:20 remaining in the contest.

The Gators tallied an insurance goal by Marcin Sliwinski off an assist by Ben Kassel with 3:35 left to give the home team a 3-1 advantage.

Polletta kept the game close for Hampshire with 10 saves.

"Jason is only a sophomore and he played an outstanding game in goal," said Hampshire coach John Gosling. "He kept us in the game. I am not displeased at all with the way we played. We played a very skillful game against a very talented South team. We just need to retool and get ready for Huntley."

Traub registered 4 saves in net for the winners.

"I like the way we generated so many shots on goal," said Allen. "We brought the energy and we are working on getting better as a team. We certainly made strides in the right direction today."