Larkin ends Dundee-Crown’s dream season
The Dundee-Crown boys soccer team had only one blemish all season.
Until Wednesday night.
The Chargers were perfect in the Fox Valley Conference, nearly had every regular season game won but one, a 0-0 tie in the Indian Cup tournament against Hononegah. But Wednesday night at Millennium Field, when it counted the most, that dream season came to an abrupt end.
After 100 minutes couldn’t settle things, the Royals were able to knock off the undefeated Chargers in penalty kicks 4-2 to win a Class 3A Streamwood regional semifinal 1-0.
For the second consecutive year coach Ken Hall’s team advances to a postseason championship game. Larkin (9-10-4), the No. 2 seed, will take on No. 5 South Elgin at 3 p.m. Saturday for the regional title. South Elgin shocked No. 1 seed Streamwood 2-1 in Wednesday’s first semifinal.
Saturday’s game will be a rematch of last year’s York sectional semifinal, which Larkin won in double PKs.
Royals’ goalkeeper Aldair Dominguez had 9 saves come in the game’s first 100 minutes, including stops on D-C’s Ben Stone and Eduardo Arellano in penalty kicks.
“I was just focused, it was me and him, 50-50 percent chance. I just had to stay focused,” Dominguez said. “If I’m nervous I’m not going to stop him. I knew I had to get that first save. It is a must every time.”
Dominguez ‘s experience in net was huge after last year’s game against South Elgin. And credit Larkin’s defense, which primarily shut down Dundee-Crown standouts Stone and Arellano.
“The first save was great, the second one the guy mis-kicks and (Arellano) missing it was big for us,” Hall said. “I thought the keepers on both teams played excellent, their keeper obviously made a couple of key saves on us and it went back and forth. I thought it was a well-played game for both teams.
“They’re a very good team. We knew we had to stop their midfielders (Stone and Arellano) and I thought our midfield did well to contain them. We accomplished what we wanted to do in not allowing them to score and get in on goal because they’re very very dangerous.”
Dundee-Crown (19-1-1) outshot Larkin 16-10 in 100 minutes, but both teams missed chances. But when it came down to penalty kicks, Larkin made all four, including Pancho Garcia’s game-winner which ended Dundee-Crown’s dream season.
“It’s just heartbreaking, that’s really all it is, just heartbreaking,” Chargers coach Rey Vargas said. “We worked our buts off and it’s just sad to see it end this way. I thought we had a good second half, (of the game). I thought we were threatening most of the time. We needed to put it away there.”
Chargers’ goalie Jose Gonzalez made 6 saves.