Most times the best soccer comes when players play for each other. Deerfield did that and more Saturday.
A year after a car crash took the life of teammate Ross Trace, the Warriors prevailed in a 1-0, four-overtime victory over Stevenson for the Buffalo Grove regional title.
Joey Glass hit a 51-yard free kick that teammate Hooman Shams headed into the net in the 113th minute that brought a result as meaningful as it was thrilling.
“We have a lot of guys who are seniors who were right there in the middle of all of it last year,” Glass said. “We’ve had talks about it throughout the season. We actually don’t mention it right before the game, but it’s something that’s always with us, always in our hearts.”
Deerfield (14-5-4) plays top-seeded Barrington in the sectional semifinals Tuesday.
“I think the defender might have misjudged it, maybe because of the wind,” Shams said of his goal. “I was right behind him. It eventually went off my head. I was just hoping that it would go in the back of the net.”
Stevenson’s season ended at 12-5-2.
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dsurico@tribune.com
