Growing up quickly
BARRINGTON -- Only a freshman, Larkin's Erik Rodriguez made his presence felt against an upperclassmen-dominated Crystal Lake South team in a semifinal match at the Barrington Class 3A Sectional on Tuesday.
The forward bullied his way through the Gators defense all night and scored each of Larkin's two goals -- the final of which was a game-winner with 7:13 left to play -- to give the Royals a 2-1 win over a stunned South team, which entered the match with just three losses.
(Dave Shields/For The Courier-News)
PHOTO GALLERY
• Larkin 2, Crystal Lake South 1
The win matches the furthest Larkin has ever advanced in the state tournament. Up next for the Royals (9-15-3) is Lake Zurich (18-4) in Friday's 6 p.m. title match.
"With this group, we have four freshmen and five sophomores, I never dreamed we'd be here," said Larkin coach Ken Hall. "Crystal Lake South has 19 wins. Their two guys on top are fabulous."
Heading into the match, Larkin had given up the first goal in each of its two postseason games. On Tuesday night, it was business as usual.
After a scoreless first half, Larkin fell behind 1-0 with 35:39 left to play. From then on, Larkin dominated.
"We have to give up the first goal in every game we play," Hall joked. "The only difference is it didn't go into overtime."
Rodriguez tied the game at 1 on an assist from fellow freshman Tony Hernandez with 17:50 to play after a free kick.
The Royals kept possession and just over 10 minutes later, Rodriguez scored again. After a throw-in and a scramble for the ball, Rodriguez maneuvered his way to the ball and went far-left post for the 2-1 lead, sending the Larkin bench and its fans into an uproar.
"I fought for the ball, you know," Rodriguez said. "We were tied and I was just looking to score. It's the finals and you always want to win. I aimed for that corner and luckily it went in. I've been practicing that kind of timing shot and I guess I have a good feel for the ball."
After struggling with the speed of the game at the beginning of the season, Rodriguez has adapted and become a force.
"He's got a lot of talent," Hall said. "He's been scoring a ton of goals for us lately. I thought they came out and tried to stop him and he still manages to score two goals. He's a special player, there's no doubt about it."
Over the final seven minutes of the game, South (19-4-2) had two free kicks and a corner kick, but Larkin's defense and goalkeeper Santiago Guerrero stood strong.
"I thought our defense was key to the game," Hall said. "If we don't defend the way we did, it's all for naught."
Guerrero, a sophomore, had nine saves in goal.
"The last 10 minutes my heart was beating so fast," Guerrero said. "We kept our heads in the game and that's all that matters. If we believe and try our hardest like we are now it's possible we can make state."
