Boys soccer: Jacobs survives scare from Cary-Grove
Jacobs boys soccer coach AJ Cappello could finally breathe a little easier.
The fourth-seeded Golden Eagles were pushed to the limit by 13th-seeded Cary-Grove but the Eagles, on a goal from Noah Melick that was assisted by Colin Walsh with 3:59 left in the second overtime, were able to eke out a 3-2 win in first round action of the Class 3A Huntley regional Tuesday night.
The Eagles (13-6-2) will play for the regional title Saturday at 2 p.m. against Wednesday's winner between No. 5 Larkin and No. 12 Huntley. With a win Saturday, the Eagles can grab their third straight regional crown.
The upset-minded Trojans end the season 4-9-1.
"Cary played brilliantly and to their credit they could have won," said Cappello. "They really competed and played with a lot of heart and put themselves in position to win. We had enough talent at the end. Noah had a tough night but we he came up big at the end. It is nice to get that first win and advance."
Melick tied the game at 2 with 10:47 remaining on a penalty kick.
"We can't take anything for granted in the playoffs," said Melick. "Cary-Grove was outstanding. They really pushed us. We got the job done and we will be ready to play for the regional championship on Saturday."
Cary-Grove stayed in the game because of the play of goalkeeper Sergio Lemus, who collected 13 saves. The senior keep made 2 great saves on Melick in the first half and 1 each in the second half on shots by Daniel Buirge, Walsh and Gabriel Swarthout.
"Sergio was outstanding and really kept us in the game with some great saves," said Cary-Grove coach Mark Olson. "Our defense was also outstanding and did a great job of clearing the ball out. We really competed and I am incredibly proud of the kids. Noah Melick is a tough kid to contain for 100 minutes. We gave a great effort and were in position to win. Jacobs is a great team and was a little better than us."
After a scoreless first half, Jacobs scored first on a penalty kick by Walsh with 25:28 left in the contest.
The Trojans knotted the score at 1 on an unassisted goal by Riley Conroy with 24:12 left.
Cary-Grove grabbed its only advantage of the match 2-1 on a penalty kick by Sam Carhart with 18:35 left in the contest.
Jacobs, which outshot Cary-Grove 16-7, got 5 saves from junior goalkeeper Anthony Riportella.