Boys soccer: Crystal Lake South punches return ticket to state
After holding the upper hand against Notre Dame during a scoreless first half, it was just a matter of time before the Crystal Lake South boys soccer team was going to break through offensively Tuesday night at the Class 2A Grayslake Central supersectional.
And that is exactly what the defending state champion Gators did as a goal on a free kick by junior Tyler Getzinger 14 minutes into the second half gave them all the momentum and offense they would need the rest of the way.
From there, Crystal Lake South (19-4-4) went on to post a 2-0 victory over the Dons (14-8-3) to advance to the Final Four against Triad Friday at 1 p.m. at Hoffman Estates High School.
Unlike both of their comeback wins at the Belvidere sectional last week, the Gators didn't put their fans through nearly as much drama Tuesday as the defense and goalkeeper Carson Hill (2 saves) were never seriously threatened by Notre Dame's offense.
What proved to be Getzinger's game-winning goal came on a free kick from 25 yards out as teammate Danny Ciezadlo faked like he was going to take the free kick first. But instead, Getzinger wound up booting the goal into the upper right corner of the net and beyond the reach of Notre Dame goalkeeper Jeremy Spina (13 saves).
"I work on free kicks all day, every day. I saw the goalie and I knew I could kick it up and over the wall," said Getzinger following the game that was played in chilly 35-degree temperatures the whole way. "It just comes down to work and effort. We've been here before, and I think we can go back-to-back (state titles)."
Leading 1-0, Crystal Lake South hit pay dirt again with 6:49 to play as senior Alex Canfield booted home a left-footed shot from the right wing near the 15-yard-line to really put the Dons behind the eight-ball. Canfield had just missed a shot over the cross bar from a similar spot on the field less than two minutes earlier.
"It really just comes down to resiliency, and it's important to push the entire game and keep putting shots on them," said Canfield. "I think the key is to focus on us as a team and not focus on the other team."
Overall the contest was a pretty evenly-matched defensive struggle especially in the first half. But the Gators definitely had more quality scoring opportunities in the final 40 minutes.
"It was a terrific playoff soccer match and we knew we had to be patient because we knew we weren't going to get a lot of good looks against their defense," said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. "It was a great free kick by Tyler (Getzinger). When he gets locked in he really hits it, and you can't put into words how big that was for our team."
The Gators defense never rested, and now they have a chance to bring home back-to-back state crowns if all goes well this weekend at Hoffman Estates.
"Our defense was bend but don't break, and it took everyone as a team to make sure there was coverage," added Allen. "This was very much our brand and our style of play, and our seniors really stepped up with their leadership."
If the Gators beat Triad in the semifinals, they will play the winner of the St. Laurence-Benet Academy game Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Class 2A state championship.