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Not fans of suspense

Wildcats trip Tigers in OT, take firm control of conference race
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At the start of the season, all the Plainfield-based boys soccer teams' coaches agreed the Southwest Prairie Conference title was up for grabs this year.

Weeks later, however, Plainfield Central is 6-0 in the league after downing rival Plainfield North on Tuesday.

"Last week was a huge week for us," Plainfield Central coach Kevin Fitzgerald said. "We beat both Oswegos, and that was big. Those were the biggest hurdles. I think our guys maybe thought the job was done coming into (Tuesday's game) a little bit, but Plainfield North is a pretty decent team. They played well."

"We've had a rough go at it lately with kids out and injuries this season," Plainfield North coach Ty Dilger said. "We kind of rearranged some things, gave them a little pep talk and they were pumped up today."

After regulation, the Wildcats and Tigers were locked up at 1 until minutes into overtime. That's when Tyler Hill scored the game-ender in Central's 2-1 win at home.

While in a scramble near the goal, Hill poked the ball in. He then was mobbed by teammates. He was also responsible for the goal that gave the Wildcats the advantage in the first half. It was a straight shot in the unguarded goal a few minutes after his first attempt hit the crossbar.

"On a sprained ankle and everything," Fitzgerald said of Hill. "It's nice when he's out there because he's so big and hard to handle. Obviously he can score goals too, which is nice. He came up big. He was the go-to guy today and he came through."

Plainfield North (3-3 SPC) is also dealing with injuries this year. The Tigers' lone goal came from a healthy Kevin Wilson on a penalty kick in the second half.

"We hit a low (with all the injuries to several seniors) midseason, but now these younger kids are starting to realize they can step up and fill those spots."

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 13-4-2. On Monday, they tied with nonconference foe Naperville Central (ranked No. 4 in the Chicago Sun-Times) and also won a shootout with Plainfield South earlier this year.

"(Naperville Central) was a good tie," Fitzgerald said. "I can't say that we should have won, but we could have. They can maybe say they should have -- both teams had chances in the second half -- but it was a good game."

Plainfield Central has to beat Romeoville on Oct. 13 to officially clinch the conference title this year. Last season the Wildcats shared the title with Oswego while finishing 13-6-2 overall.


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