Cary-Grove survives shootout -- again
Keenan Walsh was not going to get beat in a shootout again.
That wasn't an option.
The Cary-Grove goalie was in the nets 2 weeks ago when Crystal Lake South defeated the Trojans in a 1-0 game decided by penalty kicks.
Walsh turned the tables with 3 incredible saves during the shootout session as Cary-Grove outlasted Crystal Lake South 2-1 in an opening-round game of the Class AA Jacobs boys soccer regional Wednesday night.
"I just made sure I came out aggressively and blocked anything that came near me," said Walsh. "I tried to guess the right angles and I did. It was tough to lose to them a couple of weeks ago. I am so happy because our team played so hard. It is an amazing feeling. I can't express my feelings right now.
Cary-Grove coach Mark Olson praised Walsh's efforts.
"Keenan was incredible," said Olson. "He was down after we lost to South a couple of weeks ago in the shootout."
The seventh-seeded Trojans (15-5) will play No. 17 seed Jacobs for the regional title Saturday at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles (9-15) shocked No. 2 seed St Viator (18-1-3) 1-0 in double overtime in Wednesday's early game.
Mark Kyszka scored off a pass from Johnathan Ward with 8 minutes elapsed in the second overtime to win it for the Golden Eagles.
"We changed some things up and it came out the way we scripted it," said Jacobs coach Jim Dzialo. "It was a defensive-oriented game. I am very proud of our team. We put in a lot of hard work in practice and we came out with a great effort."
In the shootout, Cary-Grove got goals from Andy Roberts, John Oberlies and Calvin Brown. Walsh made saves on Gator shots from Kevin Novak, Matt Zaluckyj and Cullen Szmutko.
"It is really difficult when the game comes down to penalty kicks," said South coach Brian Allen. "It was definitely one of the most exciting games I have ever been associated with. Keenan made three incredible saves in the shootout."
Nick McDonald gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead with 19:26 left in the first half.
That goal looked it would hold up, but South's Jordan Innis ran past three Cary-Grove defenders and scored with 27 seconds left in regulation.
The teams were scoreless during the four 10-minute overtime sessions before the Trojans triumphed in the shootout.
The Gators end the season 13-9-1.