HAMPSHIRE – Crystal Lake South pushed across the only goal in an epic defensive battle with Hampshire on Thursday night.

Josh Moreno’s goal – his first of the season – made the difference in the sixth minute in the Gators’ 1-0 Fox Valley Conference win.

“Another-grind out victory, which is what we pride ourselves on,” said Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen said. “I think keeping the zero was huge against Hampshire, who’s been scoring a lot of goals, and they have a lot of attacking weapons.

“I was really proud of us being able to slow their momentum and having to absorb things at different points in time.”

Although his squad did not come away with a positive result, Hampshire manager Chayanne Martinez liked was he saw on the pitch.

“I think that we played a great game. Honestly, we dominated almost the entire second half. We limited the long balls that they played,” the Whip-Purs coach said. “We definitely had plenty of chances. Some came off and some didn’t, and that’s how it works some days.”

Nick Prus started the sequence that ended with the match’s lone goal at the 34:10 mark of the first half. The senior’s blast from the right corner of the penalty box bounced off the right post.

Moreno corralled the rebound from just outside the goal box and knocked the ball into the left corner of the net.

It was the second shot on goal for the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. 

The earlier attempt from the left side of the box went wide in the third minute.

“I just wanted to put that one in on the second chance,” the sophomore said. 

Crystal Lake South’s best chance for an insurance goal came on Prus’ left-side blast from 25 yards in the 52nd minute. It hit the cross bar and caromed to the ground. Hampshire keeper Parker Smith pounced on the ball before it could roll across the goal line.

Allen would have like to have bigger winning margins and feels they will come with time.

“We were a little unlucky not to extend our lead after Nick’s shot on the crossbar and some other good looks,” said the Gators’ coach. “But that’s how we play -- grind things out. Eventually those will fall our way, and we’ll be able to extend some of these leads.”

Crystal Lake South’s lockdown defense started in the final third and got a major contribution from its midfield.

“It starts with our backline,” Allen said. “I mean when you’re winning 50/50s, you give yourself a good chance. Then the attack was able to get going. Pierce (Johnson), Kaleb (Nunnally), Will (Witak) and Diego (Paguada) just worked.

“Hampshire’s center-mids were so dangerous. Hayden (Stone) and Zach (Vallicelli), our holding mids, were able to disrupt them and force them into some difficult spots. Those two, combined with the backline, did a great job today.”

The shutout was a total team-effort.

“We were talking on the backline, and we were staying together,” Johnson said. “We all filled our roles, played great, but it wasn’t just the backline. The pressure started with the forwards.”

The Gators remained resolute.

“The key to match was everyone stayed locked in the whole 80 minutes,” Moreno said.

Matthew Perez and Grayson Hedderich were the Hampshire midfielders who challenged Crystal Lake South.

“We dominated the midfield,” Martinez said. “It’s simply we just we didn’t get that last bit in the attack. 

“Matthew Perez has been a very great player to have and watch -- the effort that he has on the ball and his soccer IQ. 

“Between him and Grayson Hedderich, they’ve done a great job controlling the midfield and playing through their lines.”

Hedderich praised his mates’ efforts.

“Today we played a really good game. It was one of our best games of the year. We possessed the ball really well. We played some good defense,” the junior said. “It wasn’t the outcome we were looking for, obviously. They got a lucky goal in the first half.”

The Whip-Purs defense closely monitored all-stater Nick Prus, Crystal Lake South’s leading scorer with 13 goals, on their radar.

“We noticed right away their number 10 (Prus) is a great player,” Martinez said. “We just wanted to make sure that we kept an eye on him, and we did for most of the match.

“He had a few glimpses, and we were able to control them.”

Led by Issac Ludwig, the Hampshire backline’s intensity matched their Crystal Lake South counterparts.

“We really stepped up today on defense, and we shut down a lot of dangerous plays,” Martinez said “Isaac has really been stepping up for us. He’s pushing forward and helping lead the backline, which is huge”.

The Hampshire coach lauded Smith’s play between the posts. The senior finished with seven saves.

“He’s an amazing athlete, very coachable,” Martinez said. “He’s a really good shot-stopper and has kept us in games, like today, plenty of times.”

Crystal Lake South keeper Noah Dunteman (seven saves) strengthened his claim on the Gators’ goalkeeping duties with his second clean-sheet of the week. The sophomore, who has a total of five shutouts, has been splitting time with senior Patryk Poccia.

“Noah has got the hot hand. He’s been talking well and meshing well with the backline,” Allen said. “It’s just one of those things that we’re going to keep doing, because it’s what’s working right now. Two shutouts in conference are not an easy feat.”

Vinny Pacetti had Hampshire’s best chance for the equalizer with 18 minutes left to play. From the right side of the box, Kage Guge crossed the ball to the sophomore in front of the right post. A leaping Dunteman punched Pacetti’s chip shot onto the top of net.

Martinez see a great future for the sophomore.

“Vinny has been a very good role player this year. He has shown up in different places, and every single time it’s just more and more impressive,” said the Hampshire coach. “His effort on or off the field, wherever he is, is constant. He’s another great player to have, and we’re looking forward to a couple more years of him.”

Hampshire (6-7-1, 1-3-0) rebounded from the loss with a 2-1 home nonconference win over Guilford on Saturday. Next up is a road Fox Valley Conference matchup at Huntley on Oct. 1.

Crystal Lake South (7-6-0, 3-1-0) will try to match its season-high win streak of three games when it hosts cross-town rival Crystal Lake Central at 4:30 Oct. 1.

Starting lineups

Crystal Lake South
GK: Noah Dunteman
D: Diego Paguada
D: Kaleb Nunnally
D: Pierce Johnson
D: Will Witak
MF: Will Prus
MF: Hayden Stone
MF: Zach Vallicelli
F: Mason Ross
F: Josh Moreno
F: Nick Prus

Hampshire
GK: Parker Smith
D: Isaac Ludwig
D: Edgar Perez
D: Jacob Sheba
D: Diego Sanchez
MF: Matthew Perez
MF: Grayson Hedderich
MF: Lukianos Petropoulos
F: Kage Guge
F: Jackosn Carey
F: Charlie Terriquez

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Josh Moreno, so., F, Crystal Lake South

Scoring summary

First half
CLS: Moreno (Nick Prus), 6’

Second half
No scoring