High school boys lacrosse: Crystal Lake South edges Crystal Lake Central

LAKE IN THE HILLS – In a rivalry boys lacrosse game marked by penalty minutes and momentum shifts, Crystal Lake South did just enough Sunday to hold off Crystal Lake Central.

The Gators beat the Tigers, 10-9, in a Fox Valley Conference game at Sunset Park. Cory Sheehan scored the game-winning goal for the Gators, and Jason Van Dyck scored four times.

"This is a good rivalry right here," Van Dyck said. "This was a good game, very close game. This is a big rivalry here, it was good to come out with a win."

Cory Chlebicki led Central with four goals and two assists, and Brett Steckbar added three goals and an assist.

Both goalkeepers were solid with Tommy Atella making 13 saves for the Gators and John Stroud making 11 for the Tigers.

The Tigers knew they needed to limit the Gators' senior captains Sam Klinsky and Van Dyck. While Van Dyck still scored four, Klinsky finished without a goal but did assist on one.

"We kind of went to a zone and played man just on them, trying to shut them off," Tigers coach Kerry Murphy said. "Did a great job on Klinsky – zero goals; I'm very happy with that. That was our biggest goal, shutting him down. But then we kind of forgot about Van Dyck from the top, and that kid's just unbelievable. It's kind of hard to stop him when you've got a shorty on a shorty."

The Gators (4-5 overall, 3-1 FVC) led 9-6 heading into the fourth quarter, but Central wouldn't go away. Goals by Chlebicki, Sean Gau and Steckbar, the latter two coming on a man-advantage, tied the score with 4:49 left.

Two minutes later, South's Sheehan used his speed to get a crack of space and bounce a shot from the top of the box for a goal. The junior's only goal of the game proved to be the game-winner, putting the Gators ahead, 10-9, with 2:44 left to play.

"We really just needed to clean up our penalties. I think that's what put us down a little bit. We were man down for too long," Van Dyck said. "We just needed to work on working the ball around quicker and get their defense moving."

The Tigers (1-6, 1-3) had possession in the offensive zone with 25 seconds left but could not get a potential tying shot on frame before time expired.

Central jumped out to a 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter on goals by Chlebicki. The Gators were on top, 6-5, by halftime.

The Tigers drew within one, 7-6, when Steckbar scored with 3:28 left in the third. A penalty for a late-check after the goal put the Gators down a man for the next three minutes, but the Tigers could not take advantage. Instead, South's Andy Weber scored two shorthanded goals to put the Gators up, 9-6, heading into the final quarter.

The Game Ball

Jason Van Dyck

Crystal Lake South, sr.

A The senior captain scored a team-high four goals and was dominant on faceoffs.

The Number

6: Lead changes in the back-and-forth rivalry game. Neither team ever led by more than three goals.

The Big Play

With 2:44 left in the fourth, Corey Sheehan scored from the top of the box to give the Gators a 10-9 lead.