A late goal by senior captain Kareem Rassas, along with a little bit of luck, helped the boys soccer team defeat archrival Jacobs on Saturday morning.
The Red Raiders (11-6-3 overall, 2-3-0 FVC) outshot the Golden Eagles (8-11-0, 1-5-0) 11-6 to snag a win in a make-up of the rained out “Senior Night” game.
“The key was playing for the seniors,” said junior Lucas Baker. “It really helped.”
After pre-game festivities which saw senior players escorted to the middle of the field by their parents along with an appearance by the varsity volleyball team, players took the field.
Huntley drew first blood with a goal from sophomore Scott Dorvilier coming just 3:20 into the match. After poor ball control and several penalties on both sides of the ball, Jacobs scored with just 17.6 seconds remaining to tie the game 1-1 going into the half.
Despite slight halftime adjustments by both teams, poor play continued to dominate the second half of the match.
Just as it appeared that both teams would play to a tie, Rassas rocketed a 50-yard kick into the Jacobs goal with 7:58 remaining, to give Huntley a late 2-1 lead. After holding on defensively to make the score final, Huntley players stormed the field in celebration and watched Baker backflip across the field.
Head Coach Kris Grabner did not share in the same celebratory mood as his players.
“The key to the win was luck,” said Grabner. “We didn’t play well, and now they have confidence that they can beat us going into the playoffs, which is not good.”
Huntley will play division-worst Prarie Ridge in their final regular season game on Tuesday before facing Jacobs again in the first round of the regional tournament next Wednesday.
Post Author: Tom Heagney. Tom Heagney is a junior at Huntley High School and a staff writer for The Voice. He enjoys exploring the streets of Huntley in his mini van, having great times with his friends, and spending time with his family. He is a member of the track team, has a first degree black belt in the art of Kyukido, and can be found screaming at his TV during Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks games. He can be found on Twitter at www.twitter.com/theagney.