Presented with a free kick during the 66th minute of Dundee-Crown’s Fox Valley Conference match against Burlington Central, senior forward Hugo Arista got creative with teammate Sebastian Sanchez on how to attack.

With the ball spotted just outside the Burlington Central box, Sanchez faked the indirect kick, sprinting over the ball and tapping it slightly to Arista. Using his right foot, Arista bent a well-placed shot that curved beyond the outstretched arms of keeper Antonio Amato and into the net.

It was the deciding goal for the Chargers, who held steady over the final 10-plus minutes to secure a 2-1 victory over the Rockets. Arista was one of two seniors to score for Dundee-Crown (14-5-3, 6-2-1 FVC), which celebrated senior night on Tuesday evening.

“It was an indirect free kick, so we had to come up with something on the fly,” Arista said. “I told my teammate to roll it slightly and I know I have a good shot, so I took that and scored. It’s a very big win, especially since we’re going into regionals and it was senior night. It builds confidence.”

Arista applied pressure up top early in the first half, forcing a save by Amato, who finished with four for the Rockets, in the eighth minute. D-C, which possessed and hunted the ball for most of the first half, had a promising chance in the 15th minute, when midfielder Arturo Flores crossed a ball into the box that was sent out of bounds for a corner kick.

“Our game plan is always to keep it on the ground,” Arista said. “We have a mentality to win all of the time. I think everyone has a chance in the state playoffs, but if we keep our mentality right, then we can go really far.”

The Chargers, who ended the match with a 4-2 advantage on corner kicks, broke through during the 23rd minute, scoring off a corner by midfielder Mauricio Ruiz. The right-footed Ruiz sent a ball into the box, where senior defender Cesar Sosa found position before placing the ball into the net.

“We always try to look for balls in the back and get the ball into the middle,” Sosa said. “I was looking for the ball and I found it. It was a nice cross. We always try to possess, and that’s our main priority.”

Burlington Central (8-9-1, 4-5 FVC) almost capitalized on a breakaway chance in the 32nd minute, when forward Mariano Franzone sprinted between two D-C defenders in a race toward the goal. But the D-C defense, anchored by senior keeper Manuel Hernandez, made the stop.

“It feels good,” Sosa said. “We had a lot of family and friends out here to support us. We’re feeling good and coming off a win, we’re hoping to keep this momentum going into [the postseason] and we’re hoping to get that win.”

Hernandez totaled six saves, including one on a shot from Burlington Central’s Aiden Jaimes before the first-half buzzer, during Tuesday’s match. Needing a spark, Burlington Central picked up the intensity in the second half, equalizing the score after midfielder Sam Knych took a pass up top from teammate Niko Guzman and rolled a left-footed shot into the net.

“I saw Niko getting ready to pass me the ball,” Knych said. “He made his run and I was going to play him again, but I saw the defender close down the lane and I was like, ‘Why not shoot?’ It was our last conference game, so we might as well come out as strong as we can. ... I think we can go far and it was a tough loss, but our team feels that it can go pretty far.”

Knych’s goal, which came in the 44th minute, brought the energy level up from both sides. Sanchez nearly returned the lead to the Chargers, but a close-range shot in the 49th soared well above and beyond the net. The junior keeper Amato then made a key save for the Rockets in the 55th, deflecting an Arista shot on goal away to keep the match tied.

After Arista gave D-C a one-goal lead in the 66th minute, Burlington Central had one promising opportunity down the stretch. Jaimes made a run and put a quality shot on goal in the 73rd minute, but the sixth and final save from Hernandez helped the Chargers preserve the victory.

D-C hosts Hononegah in a Class 3A regional semifinal next Tuesday, while Burlington Central plays at home against Sycamore in the 2A regional semifinals. The Rockets are seeking their first regional title since 2013, while the Chargers are shooting for their first since 2022.