NILES, Illinois — The Knights varsity soccer team kept the good times rolling into the weekend Friday evening, taking down ISL rival and defending state champion North Shore Country Day in a 1-0, overtime nail biter in the teams' first matchup of the 2024 season.

It was a back and forth affair between the two squads that lasted beyond the 80 minutes of regulation time. In the match's first half, the Knights dominated possession, giving seniors Jacob Klatt and Linus Coleman multiple chances to put the ball in the back of the net. A strong defensive effort from the Raiders kept the game scoreless through the first 40 minutes.

When the teams returned from the intermission, the intensity rose. The back and forth battle remained scoreless at 80 minutes.

As the first of two five-minute overtime periods began, the Knights and Raiders traded offensive opportunities, though much like the rest of the game, neither team could finish off their chances. It wasn't until the second overtime period when a squad would finally break through.

With time ticking down to the 88th minute, the Knights were awarded a free kick from just outside the box. After getting juggled around for a few brief moments, the ball eventually found the head of senior defender Emilio Borquez, who put the ball past the goalkeeper with just seconds remaining.

"I think the biggest factors in this win were focus and endurance," head coach Alvaro Vargas said. "This year, we have a goal difference of +6 in conference matchups in the second half, which has played a key role in our success. Linus ran all over the field, Blake sacrificed a lot to help defend, Jacob did a good job of extending their team by taking them down the line. Joey, Keller and Tommy did a great job in the second half of controlling the midfield, and our defenders were solid, including the winning goal from our left back, Emilio."

"This was a great win for our team," athletic director Will Rey said following the thriller. "This gives our team three straight shutouts to begin conference play, all against teams that have traditionally competed for league championships. The team's effort was incredible from start to finish."

The Knights will now take the weekend off before hitting the pitch once again on Monday, September 16th for an away game in the city against Lycee Francais.