Boys soccer: Lake Zurich tips Crystal Lake South in high-scoring affair
It was a shower of goals Saturday afternoon in Lake Zurich.
The host Bears and their guests from Crystal Lake South each bagged three in the second half - but it would be the home side that claimed a nonconference victory in this seven-goal thriller at Mel Eide Field.
Braedon Smith and Jason Paull scored within 60 seconds to help Lake Zurich (5-3-0, 0-1-0) earn a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Gators, who fought back twice before falling short.
"This was an important win. It's a real confidence booster for us after losing two straight this week," said Smith, who along with teammate Ethan Goldbert and Gators junior Ali Ahmed provided the sun-kissed crowd with highlight film goals during an exciting second half of attacking soccer.
"We got ourselves a big conference win over Dundee-Crown earlier in the week, then came back two days later to lose a tough one against Grayslake Central, and at times played really well today, but we just fell a little short," offered Ahmed.
The Gators (4-3-1, 1-0-0) missed an early chance to grab the opener, then watched Anthony Kim dent the back of the net in the seventh minute for the home side.
Goldberg stunned the visitors when he beat two players up the left side, then somehow found a way to steer in his near impossible angled shot just inside the far inside netting in the 50th minute.
The Gators would roar back and score two super quick goals to get back even around the hour mark.
Nick Prus pulled the first one back for the visitors in the 51st minute with a sublime finish before Ahmed, with a pair of defenders draped all over him, burst to the end line and hit a remarkable one-timer into the far side of the net.
Level at 2-2 at 61 minutes, Smith, then Prull - who redirected a wonderful corner from Caden Wits - put the Bears in control for good.
Ahmed would make it interesting with an unstoppable missile from 22 yards 16 minutes from time, but the Bears back line tightened in order to defend two corners, and free kicks, before the final whistle.
"We have a lot of talent on this team, including our back line, who played well today, especially when we needed it the most," said Smith.
Next up for the Bears is a visit to Zion-Benton on Tuesday, while the Gators take on FVC rival Prairie Ridge on Thursday at home.
"We did a lot of good things today, but we have to work to eliminate mistakes, and defend better in our own end, because a team like Lake Zurich will punish you for those mistakes," began Gators coach Brian Allen.
"We did well to come back from being two goals down, and we played hard as a team after a busy week of games, so now we can rest a little, and get ourselves ready for Prairie Ridge."