Boys soccer: Dundee-Crown, Jacobs fight to FVC draw
With first place at stake in the Fox Valley Conference, neither Jacobs or host Dundee-Crown were thrilled to finish 100 minutes in a 1-1 draw.
Both sides were left lamenting unfinished chances from a physical battle that left uniforms grass-stained and the need for ice bags and pain relievers. Wednesday morning may bring a little more relief for Jacobs since the Golden Eagles' three remaining FVC matches include the third unbeaten, Crystal Lake South.
While Jacobs and the Chargers now stand 3-0-2, South squeezed out a 1-0 home victory over Crystal Lake Central to improve to 4-0-1,
The Golden Eagles (6-6-4) must first host Cary-Grove and Central before the potential showdown with South. Dundee-Crown (12-3-4) must scoreboard watch for help while welcoming McHenry before finishing with visits to Central and Hampshire.
The host Chargers appeared to be on the way to a victory thanks to Arnol Batres' opportunistic tap-in with just over four minutes left in regulation.
However with 31 seconds still to play, officials whistled a foul on Dundee-Crown leading to a penalty kick conversion by John O'Connor for Jacobs.
Neither side was able to find the net during either of two 10-minute overtime sessions played as golden goal periods.
"It's very disappointing to us because I thought we had more chances," Dundee-Crown coach Rey Vargas said. "To me, that was a 50-50 ball in the box that we won. I'm sure there was a collision, but not a foul because both players went straight up."
Jacobs' Liam Armstrong was on the more painful end of a head-on-head collision that the center official and assistant referee nearest the play both viewed as a Dundee-Crown foul. The ultimate result was O'Connor converting to his right for his seventh goal of the season.
"I pretty much decide which way I want to go and take a last peek hoping to fool the keeper. In this case I placed it into the bottom corner," O'Connor noted. "It still feels frustrating because I thought we had a lot of opportunities that we simply didn't put away."
"Both teams battling to a tie feels right in some way," Jacobs coach Colin Brice said. "Dundee-Crown is a very solid team and we handled them pretty well both offensively and defensively. In that second half, we had a couple near makes."
Dundee-Crown's lead was a result of Kevin Juanchi launching a cross from the left sideline toward the far right post which is where Batres chalked up his third goal of the year.
"Kevin and I have played club ball together long enough to develop our chemistry, so his pass landed perfectly for me to score off," Batres said. "I saw the keeper coming out and noticed no defender was close to me, so I just had to chip it in. The outcome is upsetting because I still believe we're the more talented team."
Statistically the Chargers' edge in the first half was somewhat offset by Jacobs in the second half, but with the extra 20 minutes it all favored Dundee-Crown. The hosts had a 19-14 advantage for overall attempts and a 14-9 edge for shots on goal. The majority of free or direct kicks were absorbed by defensive walls or else the two keepers making catches.
Seven minutes in Ivan Aviles took a blast from the left side that Jacobs goalie Preston Krahl tipped over. There was 16:01 left before halftime when the Golden Eagles' O'Connor extended his leg to reach a cross but wasn't able to direct it goalward.
The Golden Eagles also began the second half with a Sam Rainer rocket that Dundee-Crown keeper Daniel Smiech made a one-hand tip save. Ten minutes in and the Chargers had a cross go begging for any kind of a touch and then Ashton Ajroja had a solid attempt stopped by Krahl.
With 13:21 remaining, Smiech blocked one shot and then absorbed a follow-up with his face. He also made a diving save on another O'Connor laser shot.
A potential rematch is possible in the postseason with both teams assigned to the Rockford Auburn regional. Dundee-Crown is the third seed among 19 schools in the Hampshire sectional and is the favorite for that regional which includes Jacobs as the six seed facing 11-seed Rockford Guilford.