Senior midfielder Vince Santarelli saw an opportunity to strike late in the first half of Crystal Lake South’s Class 2A Wheaton Academy Regional semifinal match against Prairie Ridge at Wheaton Academy on Wednesday evening.

Shortly after a throw-in from deep inside Prairie Ridge territory, Santarelli positioned himself on the left side of the box. Amid a crowd of defenders, Santarelli booted a ball that rolled past goalkeeper Chris Zinevich during the 34th minute to give the Gators the advantage before the first-half buzzer.

It was the deciding goal for Santarelli and the fifth-seeded Gators, who beat Prairie Ridge for the second time in as many weeks, outlasting the fourth-seeded Wolves 1-0 to reach the regional championship game on Saturday. Crystal Lake South (11-9-1, 4-5 FVC) will face the top seed, Wheaton Academy, which ousted No. 8 seed Woodstock 4-0 earlier in the evening.

“I came in with a lot of confidence from my coach and the bench,” Santarelli said. “My teammates had my back, and we executed. It was about all of the work we put in over the last week, and everything came together. It was a new game for us, and we wanted to have a fresh start to the playoffs.”

Despite starting the match without senior forward and captain Trenton Pavoris, Prairie Ridge (7-10-2, 2-6-1 FVC) showed promise early in the first half, earning multiple quality chances at the Crystal Lake South net. Defender Carter Favia put a dangerous shot on goal in the seventh minute, but a diving save from goalkeeper Noah Dunteman kept the match even.

“There was a lot of communication between the whole team and the back line,” Dunteman said. “We forced them to take bad angles, which led to easy saves for me. The whole team put a lot of work in today. We knew they liked to take shots from far, so we had to look out for that. My defense in front of me did a good job of forcing them out wide and not letting them do that.”

Dunteman recorded six saves for the Gators, who kept the Wolves off the scoreboard after Prairie Ridge earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 14th minute. Sophomore midfielder Alex Zinevich fired a laser toward the goal, but the ball soared just over the crossbar and out of play. By the 23rd minute, Prairie Ridge had four corner kicks, but the Wolves couldn’t score.

“The boys executed what we wanted them to,” Prairie Ridge head coach Joe Schroeder said. “We wanted to hold the ball and I thought we had the game, but we struggled to score. ... I didn’t see how their ball snuck in there and we kept pressing on, but we couldn’t get the ball between those posts. Their goalkeeper did an outstanding job, and he had full control of his box.”

Prairie Ridge senior forward Mateo Torres exited in the 51st minute with an injury. Needing a spark to save its season, Prairie Ridge received a significant boost in the 62nd minute, when Torres returned along with Pavoris, who took the field wearing a hard cast on his injured wrist.

“He’s a great leader, great friend and great teammate,” Schroeder said. “For him to get in and get some minutes... It was memorable to see our senior captain get out there, and we didn’t think he’d get back out on the field. It’s a tough loss, but it’s a memory that I’ll take to see him play one more time.”

Alex Zinevich and Torres had great looks at the net during the 68th and 69th minutes, but Zinevich’s shot went wide left, and Dunteman stopped Torres’ chance to preserve Crystal Lake South’s lead. Pavoris missed left of the target in the 74th minute, and despite a yellow card for forward Josh Moreno in the 77th minute, Crystal Lake South won a hard-fought battle in the final third.

“It was a team effort back there,” Dunteman said. “The whole team will be excited if we win the regional, and I hope we do. We just have to keep working over these next few days to get ready for the game on Saturday.”

The Gators are seeking their seventh regional championship in nine years. Crystal Lake South’s last regional title came in 2023, when the Gators advanced to the 2A state finals, beating Peoria Notre Dame.