Boys soccer: Crystal Lake South defeats Rochester to reach Class 2A state championship
Crystal Lake South's Nico Velasco and Nolan Getzinger are very familiar with each other's playing styles.
Their connection has only gotten stronger over the past four years.
On Friday against Rochester in the Class 2A state semifinals, the Gators seniors hooked up for arguably the most important goal of their high school careers.
Getzinger found his teammate wiggle free just outside the 18-yard box, and Velasco's confident strike into the lower left corner in the 11th minute stood as the game's first and only goal. South's defense and senior goalkeeper Chris Slawek secured their fourth shutout of the postseason in a 1-0 win, earning a spot in the Class 2A state championship.
South will face Peoria Notre Dame - a 2-0 winner over St. Laurence in the second semifinal - in the state final at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The Gators, playing in their third state tournament since 2018, won their first championship five years ago.
"Truly amazing, the feeling to do this in the state semifinals," said Velasco, who now has eight goals on the season. "I just read what Nolan was going to see. We've been practicing the past four years together. I just had to put it in the bottom corner like always. It was an amazing goal.
"I was always turning my head to see and I saw a gap, and so did Nolan, so we kind of read that together."
South (21-4-1) will carry an 11-game winning streak into the final day of the season.
"I mean, I really never expected this," said Getzinger, who added on to his program-record with his 28th assist of the year. "I knew we could, but at the beginning go the season, it's not what you think of. Being able to play this many games and be here with the boys, it's a great feeling."
South coach Brian Allen said Getzinger is the ultimate team player.
"There aren't enough words I'll be able to use to describe what Nolan does," Allen said. "He sees the game at a different level. He anticipates things and sees things before they develop. He strives for more and makes everyone around him better, and I think all great players do that."
Rochester (19-6) had some of its better scoring chances in the game's first 10 minutes, but Slawek, who has 14 shutouts on the season, was there for the stop each time.
In the eighth minute, the Gators senior goalie had a quick reaction and made a save off a deflected shot. Less than a minute later, he stopped a one-timer from junior forward Landon Kutscher to keep the score 0-0 at the time.
"It's what we've come on to rely on with Chris," Allen said. "He's been steady for us all year, and he usually is good for one of those game-changing saves. ... He's done it a lot in the playoffs; that's a big reason why we've been able to keep the zeroes. It's a collective effort that starts with him."
Rochester had two corner kicks in the final 15 minutes that came up empty and a free kick just outside the penalty area that sailed high.
Rochester coach Chad Kutscher felt his team did well defensively against South's top attack options, including leading scorer Ali Ahmed.
"In the attack, I think maybe we needed a little more, and maybe I could have gone with a three-forward system earlier," Kutscher said. "They have a style that's unique and you get down 1-0 to them, you're really going to have a tough time coming back. They had a lot of guys behind the ball, and they had 15 mph wind to their backs. I thought the boys were battling. I don't think we ever gave up. I think we had some opportunities, and it just didn't work out in the end."
South sophomore defender Pierce Johnson felt some pressure in the final moments, but the Gators' defense never relented.
"I thought we stayed very compact as a team the whole game," Johnson said. "Our whole back line played great, the (midfielders) played great. It's very stressful, the last minute of the game, trying to keep the zero. You've just got to stay calm and stay composed, just got to keep telling yourself you have to stay calm and you'll get through this."