Boys soccer: Jacobs tops Crystal Lake South for FVC title
Alex Nicastro had played enough soccer for one day.
Off a perfect pass from John O' Connor, Nicastro scored with 7:32 left in the first overtime to give Jacobs a 1-0 Fox Valley Conference win over Crystal Lake South in Crystal Lake Tuesday afternoon.
The win over the defending Class 2A state champions gave the Golden Eagles the outright FVC title with an unblemished 8-0 mark and a 12-3-3 overall mark. The Gators, 6-1-1 in league play, drop to 13-4-4 for the season.
It is the first FVC title for the Eagles since 2016.
"I am very happy for the kids," said Jacobs coach Colin Brice. "The kids deserve this. They worked so hard in the off-season to get ready for the year. Alex and John have played together since youth soccer. They got creative and we got the game-winning goal."
With darkness setting in, O Connor broke through the Gators defense and found Nicastro in stride who blasted a shot past Gators goalie Carson Hill for the game-winner and a FVC title.
"John gave me the perfect pass in stride and I had the ball in the perfect place to score," said Nicastro.
"We have been playing together and know each other's moves. This was a great win against a great program."
O' Connor knew where to put the ball for Nicastro to score.
"Alex and I have built a trust and we have great communication," said O'Connor. "It is nice to win the conference again. "
Jacobs outshot the Gators 7-3.
"Give Jacobs all the credit," said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen. "Congrats to them for winning the Fox Valley Conference. We made a mistake and they capitalized on it. We will grow from this and put it in our back pocket. We have battled through adversity and will be ready for the playoffs."
Hill kept the Gators in the game with 3 outstanding saves in the second half.
With 18:05 left, Nicastro blasted a direct kick on goal but Hill punched the ball over the net for the save.
Bryan Ramos-Munoz broke through the Gators defense on a breakaway but Hill made a sliding save with 8:18 left in the game.
With 3:12 left O'Connor blasted a shot on goal from 10 yards out but Hill leapt to make the save.
"It was very frustrating," said Nicastro. "We had some great shots on goal and couldn't score. We knew we had to be patient and we would score and win the game and win the conference."
Coach Allen believes Hill is ready for the postseason.
"Carson was outstanding today and is playing with a lot of confidence," said Allen. "I am confident he will have a great postseason."