Boys soccer: Crystal Lake South comes from behind again, wins sectional
BELVIDERE - It's proving quite difficult to knock out defending state champion Crystal Lake South.
For the second straight time this week at the Class 2A Belvidere sectional, the Gators found themselves trailing in the second half.
After rallying to beat Lakes in the semifinals Tuesday, the Gators did it again in the championship game Friday, scoring twice in the final 27 minutes to knock off Rockford Boylan 2-1 in a game played with snow falling on a muddy and treacherous grass field.
"It's amazing, it's an unbelievable feeling," junior Brandon Osterberg said. "It's hard (being defending champs). We have a lot of pressure on us but like coach (Brian) Allen says, pressure is a good thing. We really take that as a team."
The Gators (18-4-4) will play Niles Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 2A Grayslake Central supersectional, one win away from a return trip to the state tournament.
"It always feels good when you make it this far in the playoffs," sophomore Tom Coughlin said. "It's just a special group of guys and we all know we want to go back there. We've been in situations like this before so we just had to pull it off."
Jack Bonavia scored on a header 10 minutes into the game to put Boylan (14-6-4) up 1-0, a lead it also held at halftime.
Crystal Lake South evened the score with 27 minutes left. Deven Tinajero started the sequence with a throw-in, Alex Canfield flicked the ball and it eventually found Osterberg's foot in a crowded box. He knocked the ball in the goal.
"It was chaotic," Osterberg said. "I just saw the ball come across the box and the ball came to me and it fell in the back of the net."
"They all count the same in the playoffs," Allen said. "Doesn't matter if it's a beautiful upper 90 or if it's a scrum in the box. You will take whatever you can get. It was a great hustle play sealing the back side and getting that goal to get us back in the game."
Both teams had chances in end-to-end action for much of the next 20 minutes before the Gators played a long ball down the left side.
It appeared the ball might go out but Sam Bahnfleth didn't give up on the play, hustling to get to it just before the ball crossed the end line. He crossed to the middle where Coughlin got to the ball, gathered, spun, and beat the keeper to the right corner for a 2-1 lead with just under five minutes left.
"We knew the field was going to be a factor especially with the snow and stuff slowing the ball down," Coughlin said. "So when I saw the ball slow down I knew Sam was going to get to it. I just knew I needed to finish my run and when I finished my run I saw him play a beautiful ball across. I just realized all the drills we do every day, it was just one of those things I had to put it in."
Boylan didn't come that close to getting the tying goal over the final five minutes.
After shaking hands with Boylan, the Gators raced over to celebrate with their fans who cheered them on through the miserable conditions. They then hoisted and posed for photos with just the second sectional plaque in school history.
"This team constantly continues to focus on what they need to do," Allen said. "In these conditions they truly believed it was just a matter of time before we got one and then I think you felt the momentum turn."