April 19, 2024
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Boys soccer: Larkin beats Jacobs in OT to set up sectional final against Elgin

By Michal Dwojak
Dundee-Crown’s Miguel Pena, right, staves off Elgin’s Miguel Navarro in Class 3A boys soccer sectional semifinal action at Hampshire on Wednesday.

Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local Dundee-Crown’s Miguel Pena, right, staves off Elgin’s Miguel Navarro in Class 3A boys soccer sectional semifinal action at Hampshire on Wednesday.

HAMPSHIRE – Atlia Gutierrez and Larkin felt pressure.

The Royals had given up their one-goal lead against Jacobs on Wednesday in their Class 3A Hampshire Sectional semifinal, and they couldn’t win in regulation despite the Golden Eagles being down a man.

Larkin kept firing at the net heading into overtime, and when Gutierrez saw an opportunity to score, he took it and gave his team a 2-1 win.

“It was such a relief,” Gutierrez said. “It took the weight off our shoulders.”

With the match tied at 1 in the first overtime, Gutierrez drove through traffic in the Jacobs box and shot the ball through traffic with 3:46 left.

Jacobs (9-9-4) applied pressure for the rest of the match but couldn’t connect to send it into penalty kicks.

“This win is very important,” Gutierrez said. “We all worked together and believed in each other as a team, and we went 120% every minute.”

The Royals (16-8) couldn’t have asked for a better start to the match. Larkin kept control of the ball and took an early lead when Anthony Cordova headed in a ball backward that went through Jacobs goalkeeper Adan Farias’ arms with 33:12 left in the first half.

Both teams continued to create chances, but neither could score until Jacobs earned a free kick about 40 yards from the goal, and LZ McIntosh headed the ball for a goal to tie the match.

Jacobs went down a man with 21 minutes left in the match when Carter Roper received his second yellow card of the night.

Golden Eagles coach Colin Brice thought his team came out slow to start the match but was proud of the way his team regrouped to force overtime.

“For these boys, the fight in them is relentless,” Brice said. “That’s why I love coaching this team, because they never quit.”

Larkin will play Elgin for the sectional title Friday. After defeating Huntley for a regional title and Jacobs on Wednesday despite losing to both teams during the regular season, the Royals are ready to make it three straight against Elgin after losing to the Maroons in the regular season.

“I’m excited for the matchup,” Larkin coach Michael Huizar said. “I know the boys are super excited.”

Elgin 2, Dundee-Crown 0

Elgin is one win closer to redeeming last season’s ending.

The Maroons worked all offseason and are looking for redemption after losing in the sectional final last season. Elgin is one step closer after taking down Dundee-Crown on Wednesday.

“We knew the talent that we had on the team we were going to be able to create, we just needed to put the pieces together,” Elgin senior Omar Saldana said. “Now we’re seeing the success.”

Saldana gave his team a 1-0 lead with 12:06 left in the first half after he dribbled through traffic and shot it at the net, just sneaking it through. The Maroons kept applying pressure and controlled the ball for much of the match, making it 2-0 when Eduardo Nava scored with 35:29 left.

D-C coach Rey Vargas knew his team was in for a tough test against an Elgin team that hasn’t lost a match all season.

“I’m proud of my boys for battling all the way through,” Vargas said. “They never gave up. It’s hard to play against a team of that caliber, and they’ve had some nice wins.”

Elgin will take on crosstown rival Larkin for the sectional title. With one more win standing in the way of redemption, Elgin won’t need much motivation heading into the final.

“We just want to win,” Saldana said. “We don’t want to feel what we felt last year. A lot of the guys want to make history.”