Boys soccer: Elgin, South Elgin draw - this time

Elgin and South Elgin battled to a scoreless draw during Wednesday's Upstate Eight boys soccer match, but the next time they meet someone will have to win.

While the Maroons and Storm finished deadlocked at 0-0, someone will have to move on during their upcoming Oct. 19 game at Elgin since a berth in the Class 3A regional championship game will be on the line.

"We played good overall, we just needed to put the ball in the net," Elgin senior Alan Sanchez said. "Unfortunately, we didn't come through, but we have them in the playoffs. We're going to work in practice and hope that we get the win in the playoffs."

South Elgin (5-6-5, 3-2-2) appeared to have scored the potential game-winner with 4:51 remaining off a free kick, but Zac Meyer was ruled offsides.

Elgin (8-2-5, 3-1-2), which had the better of the chances in the second half, answered with a couple solid opportunities over the final five minutes in response, including a shot from sophomore Eduardo Nava that sailed wide left.

"The last couple of minutes we had some chances but we didn't put them through," Sanchez said. "We'll work on finishing at practice and hopefully we can finish in our next games."

The Storm celebrated Senior Night by recognizing their seniors and while they didn't come away victorious, they did earn their first shutout of the season while blanking the Maroons for the first time in a month (2-0 loss to Glenbard East on Sept. 7).

"I didn't have much to say to them other than this was the first shutout for these guys and it's been a goal of theirs for a long time," Storm coach Jerzy Skowron said. "To shut out a team like Elgin with the record they've got right now and (being) fourth in the sectional. I'm taking nothing away from Elgin but I felt like we were the better team today and a little bit more dangerous than maybe they even expected."

South Elgin believes it has been improving each time out and results like this one reaffirm such growth.

"I think we're a really underrated team," South Elgin senior Rocco Marzullo said. "We lost a lot of great players (from last year) so it's taken some time but we've gotten better every single game, and we have a tough schedule. I think if we can shut out a team like (Elgin), I think we're going to be ready for the postseason."

Senior Brandon McKee believes the Storm can go on a roll.

"I hope we don't stop and we keep on playing together," he said. "It's sad to have this last game, but hopefully we'll have opportunities to keep playing in the future."