STREAMWOOD -- First Larkin had to wait nearly an hour and a half past the scheduled starting time at Millennium Field on Tuesday to even begin its game against Maine West.
Then the Royals had to wait more than 48 minutes before finally scoring the game's first goal.
The wait was worth it as Larkin's patience paid off for a 2-1 victory over the seventh-seeded Warriors in the Streamwood Class 2A Sectional semifinals.
The third-seeded Royals (17-5-4) will now try for a second straight year to win its first sectional title as it advances to play eighth-seeded Schaumburg (14-4) in Thursday's sectional championship game.
The Saxons beat No. 4 Lake Park 1-0 after four overtimes and pair a of shootouts, which delayed the start of the Larkin-Maine West game.
"I think both teams might have tightened up a little during the delay," Royals coach Ken Hall said. "I know we were playing a little nervous and tentative in the first half, but we kept telling them at halftime to loosen up and relax. Once we did, we got the result we wanted."
The Royals had a 10-3 shot advantage in the game when Danny Hinterlong finally broke the scoreless tie with 31:07 left to play. Hinterlong's header off a corner kick from Stephen Drew bounced off the Maine West goalie, right back to Hinterlong, who kicked the rebound into the net to put Larkin up 1-0.
"We were getting a little impatient," Hinterlong said. "Especially in the first half. We were rushing things and not setting up our plays. But we kept at it and Stephen gave me a great crossing pass to score on."
The Royals didn't have to wait near as long for their second goal. It came just 2:32 later when Misael Hernandez sent a long ball from midfield that David Rodriguez deflected in to give Larkin a 2-0 cushion.
Led by sweeper Fernando Alvarez and goalkeeper Raziel Samarriba, Larkin's defense held Maine West scoreless until 13 seconds left in the game.
The Warriors had only nine shots all night. Samarriba recorded six saves, including a nice jumping save late in the first half and a diving save late in the second half.
"Our defense sometimes gets overlooked, but it has really been solid," Hall said. "Fernando is a big part of that. He should be a first-team All-Stater because, in my mind, he's the best sweeper I've seen all year."
The Royals were in the same position a year ago before losing in the sectional finals to Maine South, but hope to take it one step farther this season.
"One area where I think we have a definite advantage this year is our depth," Hall said. "There's really no drop-off in talent with the first 17 or 18 guys we put on the field.
"Schaumburg is a team with a strong midfield and they've been on a good run lately, but so have week, and I like the way we match up with them."
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