Although Rick Prangen is one of only two coaches in IHSA history to have won 400 or more matches in both boys and girls soccer; 2009 IHSSCA Hall of Famer Brian Papa is the other. Despite all that success, the 34-year veteran Lemont coach entered this season without a trophy on the boys side after winning six with the girls from 2009-2018.

In 2007, Prangan led a team that finished 22-3-3 to the Class AA finals but they lost 4-2 in the quarterfinals to Boylan. 

On Tuesday, Prangen assured himself of his first state trophy and second state appearance when his 23-3-1 team defeated 2022 champion and 2023 state runnerup Notre Dame (Peoria) 7-6 in a 12-round shootout after the two squads played to a 1-1 draw in the Class AA Kankakee Supersectional.

Lemont, which is one of the few schools in the state without a nickname, meets Althoff (24-4-0) in a 1:30 p.m. Class AA semifinal match Friday at Hoffman Estates High School.

The winner faces either DeLaSalle or Prairie Ridge for the state championship Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The third place match will be contested at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Prangen, who has a 436-253-80 record in 34 seasons leading the school's boys teams, captured his seventh sectional title and first since 2011 for the boys and his 15th overall when Lemont beat their hosts 2-0 in the Class AA Brother Rice Sectional title match Nov. 2.

The team's losses (Lincoln-Way East, Reavis and Waubonsie Valley) and one draw (Stagg) have come against Class 3A teams. Lemont captured the championship of the South Suburban Conference Blue Division with a 10-1-0 mark and were the runnerup in Reavis' 32-team Windy City Ram Classic and Waubonsie and Metea valleys WarStang Invitational.

Between its last two defeats, Lemont had a nine-match winning streak and are currently on a seven-match unbeaten string. In the playoffs the team has outscored its five opponents by a 10-1 margin.

Lemont has allowed just 19 goals this season and has recorded 16 shutouts. In their last 13 matches they have given up only six goals. Junior goalkeeper Adrian Lisowski has an 0.69 GAA and has made 37 saves in 26 matches.

Prangen, who led his girls teams to a AA runner-up finish in 2009, third place efforts in 2011 and 2018 and fourth place showings in 2013, 2015 and 2017, is assisted by Mark Tomczak, Bill Baldauf, Mark Virtel and Michael Beranek.

Leading Lemont goal scorers are sophomore forward Andrew Guzy (18 goals, two assists) and senior forwards Billy Eliadis (11 goals, five assists) and Mitchell Sowa (11 goals, five assists).

Other top scorers include senior all-state midfielder Tyler Chrisman (five goals, 15 assists), senior midfielder Vincenzo Mancini (six goals, five assists), senior defender Luciano Mancini (three goals, six assists), sophomore midfielder Gabriel Zarycki (five goals, seven assists), sophomore forward Giovanni Ochoa (four goals, five assists), senior defender Marco Pavlica (four goals, one assist) and sophomore forward John Robbins (four goals, one assist). 

Team captains are senior defender Ali Nabulsi and Chrisman. The squad features 11 seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores and one freshman.