Crystal Lake South midfielder Will Prus received a throw-in and drove into the Hampshire box, rolling a shot under the outstretched arms of Whip-Purs goalkeeper Jayden Serrano to give the Gators an early lead Thursday night.

It was the first of two goals scored by Prus, who took a through-ball inside the box and ripped a shot into the net during the 74th minute to help secure Crystal Lake South’s 2-0 victory over the Whip-Purs. With both teams vying to move up the conference standings after slow starts, Crystal Lake South (7-7-1, 2-4 FVC) snapped a five-game losing streak.

“We were looking forward to getting our streak back,” Prus said. “We were attacking, and it started with our defense. We built our way up the field every single time, and it was a team effort. ... It feels amazing, and I’m very proud of our team today.

“We played one of our best games of the season.”

Prus tallied a team-high six shots on goal for the Gators, who had scored just once in their previous four games. Both teams exchanged attacks early in the first half, with Crystal Lake South defender Kaleb Nunnally heading a shot toward the net off a corner in the 12th minute before Hampshire’s Grayson Hedderich put a shot just above the net during the 13th minute.

“It was a pretty even match for the most part,” Hampshire head coach Chayanne Martinez said. “We played our game, and they played theirs. ... The boys really did great and came on strong in the second half. We had some good looks, but we need to keep working on that going into the next game.”

The Gators claimed a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when Prus beat a Hampshire defender through the left side of the box and scored the first goal. The Whip-Purs (6-4-3, 1-3-2 FVC) nearly evened the match late in the first half, but a save by Crystal Lake South goalkeeper Noah Dunteman in the 32nd minute and a high shot in the 33rd minute preserved the lead.

“I saw the ball coming in, and I tried my best to bring it down,” Prus said. “I saw the defender behind me, and when I turned and shot it, the ball went in. It brought my confidence up a lot, and from that moment on, I knew that we would win this game. ... Our only goal was to get our win streak going again.”

Despite Kage Guge and Edgar Perez departing with injuries, the short-handed Hampshire side gained steam in the second half, where the Whip-Purs looked for outside runs before crossing the ball toward the Crystal Lake South box. Led by defender Brian Vega – who had a team-high five shots on goal – the Whip-Purs possessed and threatened throughout the second half.

Behind strong efforts from defenders like Pierce Johnson, Dennis Adusah and Nunnally, the Gators backline held strong in the late minutes. Prus sealed Crystal Lake South’s win in the 74th minute, scoring on a short through-ball after a stoppage of play to give the Gators a two-goal advantage.

Serrano totaled three saves for the Hampshire defense.

“It was a huge team effort,” said Dunteman, who finished with five saves in the victory. “We put our heads down and worked today. Will’s two goals helped, but everyone else worked their butts off to make that happen. We didn’t let them get in the middle, and we forced them to the outside. Our defense was pretty locked in today, and they didn’t give up many chances.”

Crystal Lake South earned three corner kicks, while Hampshire received two.

The Gators will host Sycamore for a nonconference game Saturday before resuming FVC play at home against Cary-Grove on Tuesday. The Whip-Purs, who have recorded just one win over their last six games, will travel to play McHenry on Tuesday before facing Cary-Grove at home Thursday.