Boys Soccer: Late overtime goal lifts Larkin past Jacobs 2-1

HAMPSHIRE - Atlia Gutierrez and Larkin felt pressure.

The Royals had given up their one-goal lead against on Wednesday in their Class 3A Hampshire Sectional semifinal and they couldn't win in regulation despite Jacobs being down a man.

Larkin kept firing at the net heading into overtime, and when Gutierrez saw an opportunity to score, he took it and gave his team a 2-1 win.

"It was such a relief," Gutierrez said. "It took the weight off our shoulders."

With the match tied at 1 in the first overtime session, Gutierrez drove through traffic in the Jacobs box and shot the ball through traffic with 3:46 left.

Jacobs (9-9-4) applied pressure for the rest of the match, but couldn't connect to send it into penalty kicks.

"This win is very important," Gutierrez said. "We all worked together and believed in each other as a team and we went 120% every minute."

The Royals (16-8) couldn't have asked for a better start to the match. Larkin kept control of the ball and took an early lead when Anthony Cordova headed in a ball backward that went through Jacobs goalkeeper Adan Farias' arms with 33:12 left in the first half.

Both teams continued to create chances but neither could score until Jacobs earned a free kick roughly 40 yards away from the goal and LZ McIntosh headed in the goal to tie the match.

Jacobs went down a man with 21 minutes left in the match when Carter Roper earned his second yellow card of the night.

Golden Eagles coach Colin Brice thought his team came out slow to start the match but was proud of the way his team regrouped to force overtime.

"For these boys, the fight in them is relentless," Brice said. "That's why I love coaching this team, because they never quit."

Larkin will play Elgin for the sectional title on Friday. After defeating Huntley for a regional title and Jacobs on Wednesday despite losing to both teams during the regular season, the Royals are ready to make it three straight against Elgin after losing to the Maroons in the regular season.

"I'm excited for the matchup," Larkin coach Michael Huizar said. "I know the boys are super excited."