Headed to final

Travis Haughton - thaughton@nwherald.com McHenry's Josh McNaughton (right) leaps for a header against Round Lake's Gilberto Alfaro during Wednesday's game at McHenry West High School. McNaughton scored McHenry's only goal in their 1-0 victory.(10/21/09) (Travis Haughton ())

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McHENRY – The McHenry boys soccer team was forced to shift from domination to preservation mode Wednesday against Round Lake in a match that was a microcosm of the Warriors’ season.

Although McHenry was not as effective as it had hoped during the regular season, players have made the necessary adjustments in hopes of a postseason run and took a step toward that goal with a 1-0 victory against the Panthers in the IHSA Class 3A McHenry Regional semifinal.

The win, which came courtesy of a Josh McNaughton goal in the first half, set up the third meeting this season between the second-seeded Warriors and top-seeded Crystal Lake South.

McHenry and the Gators will meet in the regional final at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“We had a chance to score two or three more goals in the first half, but we only scored one, so we had to be able to hold them off,” McHenry coach Tony Caruso said. “ ... I always tell the boys to give me hard, physical [and] clean play whenever they go out there, and they played hard and with a lot of heart today.”

The Warriors (8-11-3) returned nine seniors this season and were the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division team least affected by graduation, but McHenry struggled to “put the pieces together,” resulting in a rocky start to its season, McNaughton said.

Moving senior midfielder Jake Bukiri into a defensive position helped solidify the Warriors in the back. Promoting sophomore goalkeeper Carlos Wence to varsity mid-season also helped.

The team that struggled for wins and consistency early might have overcome those obstacles at the right time, McNaughton said.

“We feel like we’re playing really well now,” McNaughton said, “and we’re excited to get one more shot at South.”

McNaughton scored the match’s only goal off a pass from Scott Dabrowski, slipping the ball past Round Lake goalkeeper José Landa with 32:42 left in the first half.

“We knew [the Panthers] were quick with their touches,” McNaughton said. “[Dabrowski] made a good clearance, I saw him come off the ball and I made a touch to the side.”

In the second half, Round Lake turned on its offense.

Wence finished with eight saves, including two key deflections in the last 10 minutes of play.

“It was very intense,” said Wence, who was kicked in the arm while diving to save a shot late in the second half, but expects to play Saturday. “They kept pressuring [us], but our hard work and dedication got us the win.”

McHenry will need that focus against South. The Gators beat McHenry twice during FVC Valley Division play, but McHenry was more competitive the second time. The Warriors lost the first meeting, 3-0, and the second, 1-0.