Boys soccer: Larkin’s fast start too much for Huntley

SOUTH ELGIN – Larkin felt good about its fast start, its two-goal lead and its overall first-half performance against Huntley on Saturday in the Class 3A South Elgin Boys Soccer Regional championship.

But the Royals were far from comfortable en route to the 3-1 win.

Larkin coach Michael Huizar quickly reminded his team what happened Sept. 3.

“Earlier in the season we were winning [against Huntley] 2-0 in the first half, and we lost that game 3-2,” Huizar said. “So coming into halftime 2-0 was a bit concerning, and I made sure to make that point. I’m sure they did too.”

He was right.

“I still felt good,” Red Raiders coach Matt Lewandowski said. “That two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer. We couldn’t work it in our favor, unfortunately.”

Huntley tried. Forward Talon Sargent finally got the Raiders on the scoreboard midway through the second half, cutting the advantage to one.

But Royals forward Joel Gutierrez got an assist from Adrian Diaz with 10 minutes remaining to secure its first regional title in nine years.

Larkin (15-8) jumped in front in the seventh minute of the game when Diaz and Gutierrez teamed up twice in the span of 36 seconds. Gutierrez passed to Diaz both times about 10 yards out in front of the left post, and both times Diaz sent his shot inside the right post.

“We always play with each other,” Gutierrez said. “We play club with Elgin Pumas, that’s the same play we do. I saw him open and played on him, and he finished it. The second one, the same thing. It was a rebound, and I got it and saw him open and knew he would finish it.”

Lewandowski loudly urged his team to pick things up midway through the first half, and it did. The Raiders (14-8-2) produced better chances and carried some of that into the second half.

Eventually, Sargent tapped in a bouncing ball behind goalkeeper Adrian Andrade to make it 2-1.

“We started to get momentum throughout the game, we just didn’t get enough,” Lewandowski said. “We score that one [at 2-1], we have the energy. We score another one, they have no energy.

“We have a great squad of guys here with a lot of talent. Any time any of these guys can turn it on and make something happen.”

Still, Huntley was left to lament the costly slow start.

“They were just the better team today. We played a lot better in the second half than first half,” Raiders midfielder Zach Heitkemper said. “Just two mistakes and they capitalized on them. [Making the score 2-1] gave us motivation. We played a lot better. We were pressing a lot better. Then they got that goal from No. 21.

“We had chances to score, it just wasn’t our day. Next year we’re going to have a better team than this year. I think they’ll make it back to supersectionals, like we did last year.”

The Royals were thrilled to end their stretch without a regional title.

“It has been awhile,” Gutierrez said. “Last year we got defeated by Dundee-Crown, and it felt horrible. We didn’t want to repeat that. We were motivating each other to win this one.”