advertisement

Girls soccer: Huntley, Crystal Lake South to meet for sectional title

If not for Taryn Jakubowski's entire repertoire being on display in Thursday's nightcap of a Class 3A Streamwood sectional semifinal doubleheader, Huntley girls soccer coach Kris Grabner's evening on his recliner would've been really uncomfortable.

Per IHSA rules after his red card in Huntley's regional championship win, Grabner was not allowed to attend his team's game against South Elgin.

But he'll coach another game this season, as Jakubowski's 2 goals, the last with 6:49 left, was the difference in Huntley's 2-1 win over the Storm at Millennium Field.

Huntley's third-straight sectional final is a 3 p.m. showdown against Crystal Lake South Saturday. But more impressive than winning without its head coach was the way Jakubowski was able to get the job done with defenders blanketing her throughout.

"She showed you both ends of the spectrum," Huntley assistant coach Matt Lewandowski said. "She picked her spot and hit it with a skill goal and she picked up the trash on another great one and took care of business."

Jakubowski lasered a free kick from 35 yards in the 15th minute for a 1-0 Raiders lead. In the 73rd minute, Jakubowski's header on a rebound off a Brianna Wilder shot near the left post sealed the deal for Huntley (20-3-2).

"We wanted to win so bad for Grabner because he sticks up for us so much so we wanted to help him out for this one so he can be there for the next one," Jakubowski said.

A 3-1 South win over Huntley a month ago gave the Gators an outright Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title but the next installment has supersectional implications.

"We've got to play a completely different game," Grabner said over the phone from home. "South had us on our rear-ends and ran around us we really need to come out and be aggressive and be as quick as we normally are. If we can cut the (errors) down and play our game, we should have a chance."

Tiffany Disher's tenure as Storm coach came to an end as her family relocates to the Charlotte area this summer. Sydney Shephard's header in the 16th minute quickly evened the score but the more aggressive Huntley outshot the Storm (12-10-2) 16-8 with an 8-4 edge in the final 40 minutes despite 8 saves from Jackie DeLaMora.

"It's really bittersweet because I truly love the team and the program," Disher said. "I'm so proud of them and who they're going to become."

CL South (16-5-1) notched an easy 2-0 win over Harlem (15-11). Samantha Sisto's 14th minute goal and Katherine Siavelis' second half strike gave CLS a shot at its first sectional plaque in school history.

"It's the first year they've ever won conference and a regional in the same season," Gators coach Jay Mueller said. "We'll have to see if that works for or against us. Certainly getting a victory against (Huntley) in the first one will help with our confidence going into it."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.