Girls soccer: Prospect's two late goals beat Crystal Lake Central
Prospect went back to basics down a goal against Crystal Lake Central with 10 minutes left to go Thursday.
The Knights trailed 1-0 and used their motto of controlling the air and being the first to each ball to fight back. Prospect used its toughness and quickness to score two goals in the final eight minutes to come back and win 2-1.
"I'm just really proud of the team," Prospect senior Jillian Sawadski said. "We got [behind], but we fought back. We knew that if we trusted each other and had faith in our game that we could win the game."
Kayley Bouzas used that toughness and speed to tie the match for Prospect (3-1-2). She fought for the ball after she received a pass on a corner kick, and once she escaped, Bouzas kicked the ball at the net. The ball bounced off Central goalkeeper Addison Cleary's hands and went in, tying the match at 1-1 with 7:15 left.
The Knights kept that intensity up and used their toughness once again to win. Sawadski received a pass from Bouzas and used her speed to dribble down the sideline and shoot the ball just inside the near post to score with 4:27 remaining.
"Jill is a finisher up top," Prospect coach Tom Froats said. "Giving her an opportunity to do what she does well is good for us, always."
Prospect struggled to create many opportunities for much of the match. The Knights' first shot on goal came with 19 minutes left in the first half, and Central's Cleary made a great save when she stopped a Prospect fast break by blocking a shot.
Froats thought his team started to create more chances once the Knights started to mark their opponents well and get a feel for the midfield.
The crossbar also helped. Central hit three crossbars in a match that Froats admitted could've gone a lot differently.
"Sometimes you're fortunate," Froats said. "I'm glad that we were able to take the good fortune and turn it into a good result at the end."
Central (2-2) controlled the pace for most of the match. The Tigers forced Knights goalkeeper Sarah Bradbury to make six saves in the first half and added a couple more in the second half until Olivia Anderson finally broke up the shutout with 24:18 left in the match.
But the Tigers couldn't finish on their other 14 shots on goal, something Central coach Sarah Fack knows her team will need to work on moving forward.
"We're getting there, but that final piece just wasn't there for us today," Fack said. "Especially in the second half when we had so many opportunities that we couldn't find a way."
Central will start Fox Valley Conference action when it hosts Huntley on Tuesday, while Prospect will return to Mid-Suburban action Wednesday when the Knights travel to Wheeling.
But the Knights won't be quick to move on from Thursday's win, which Sawadski said could help them down the road.
"I think it'll give us a lot of confidence in our upcoming games," Sawadski said. "If we ever [get behind], we'll remember this game and what we're able to do."