TCSL 2002 Playoff Report
The 2002 Tri County Soccer
League Playoffs were played on August 24, 2002 at the Serbian Brothers Field
in Lake Villa, Illinois, the home of FK Morava. Heavy rains early in the week
made some of the initial matches a bit slippery, but the well-maintained
fields provided great overall playing conditions.
FIRST
ROUND
For the First Round, Cary,
the 8th seed for the second year in a row, came up with a huge upset against
the number 1 seed Wauconda Chiefs with a 3-0 victory. The Chiefs suffered the
misfortune of losing their keeper early in the first half with a sprained
ankle, but nevertheless were unable to score against a well-organized Cary
club.
The host club FK Morava
(second seed) managed a first-half score and then packed the box to hold off
the Gurnee Spartans who sent a blast off the upright in the second half, but
were unable to score resulting in a well-reserved 1-0 victory for Morava.
In the other bracket, the
defending champions, Lake Zurich Aces (seeded third) preserved a shut out
against a good Crystal Lake Hammer club to advance while Crystal Lake One and
Libertyville Spirits had their match determined by penalties after the Hammers
leading for almost the entire match gave up a late goal sending the match to
penalties. From the spot the Spirits turned in the better results for a 2-1
victory to advance.
Semi-Finals
The match involving the
highest seeds Lake Zurich Aces and FK Morava was also the most dramatic. In
the first half Morava scored first and then doubled from the spot late in the
first half. But, before the half could come to an end, a Lake Zurich player
taunted the referee to show him a red card which the referee correctly obliged
so at the half, it was Morava 2 and the Aces 0.
After half the Aces
concentrated on playing soccer instead of the referee and staged a great
comeback to level the score at the end of regulation. After two scoreless
overtimes, a great save by the Lake Zurich keeper on the fifth Morava shot
from the spot, decided the match with the Aces advancing on a 3-2 victory.
In the other semi-final
match, Cary again showed a steady buildup and scored first against the
Libertyville Spirits. Cary continued the pressure, but the Spirits managed
another late goal and sent the game into overtime. In the first overtime,
Cary sent a great shot from outside the box beating the keeper in the
upper-right corner for the winning goal for a 2-1 victory.
The Final
A rematch of last years'
final, the defending champion Lake Zurich Aces were down to essentially 11
players due to injuries and the dispatching of one of its players from the prior
match. The match started very tight with Cary having several chances. Play
leveled, when the Aces score on a set piece where three different Lake Zurich
players flooded the far post zone allowing one to head in, beating both the
defense and keeper who had no chance.
The second half started with
the Aces slowing the pace and succeeding in controlling the tempo. Eventually,
the Aces pulled off another big play when a long cross into the box was headed
home over a defender and past the keeper for a brilliant score. The match
played out with the final score Lake Zurich Aces 2 - Cary 0.
After the match, the tradition of presenting hardware took place with the championship trophy awarded to the Aces, Second Place to Cary, and Third Place to FK Morava.