St. Viator stops Glenbrook S. in OT

The throw-in was right into the teeth of the wind howling through the stadium Saturday afternoon, but Nick Abel put just enough behind it to give St. Viator the chance it needed to finish off Glenbrook South.

In the third minute of overtime, the junior's throw-in from the right sideline was redirected back in front of the South goal, and senior Jack Horvath put it in the top left corner of the net for his second goal of the day and the deciding strike in St. Viator's 2-1 victory in the Glenbrook North Class 3A regional soccer final.

“It just came out to the left of the PK spot, and I was able to just get my foot on it,” Horvath said. “Abel did a good job of throwing the ball in all year. It was good that we got a goal off one of those set pieces.”

Horvath's first goal of the day came in the 24th minute of the second half with the Lions trailing 1-0. A quick goal by junior Branden McGarrity gave Glenbrook South the lead early in the fourth minute of the second half, but in the 24th minute, a scrum in front of the net ended with a penalty kick opportunity for Viator. Horvath sent it into the bottom left corner of the net to tie the game at 1.

St. Viator coach Mike Taylor said his team still has plenty of things to work on, especially on the back end, but Horvath said that at this stage of the season the most important skill is the ability to stay alive.

“We just found a way to win today, which we've been doing,” Horvath said. “It's a good thing to do in the playoffs.”