Allen has South soccer on way up

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CRYSTAL LAKE – Three years ago, when Brian Allen took over the boys soccer program at Crystal Lake South, he drew up a directional blueprint for the program.

Putting South’s program into the category of the state’s elite topped Allen’s wish list. Unwavering teamwork, open communication and respect for one another all found their respective bullet marks among Allen’s goals.

Today, Allen has at the least solidified the Gators’ place among the area’s best teams and is inching closer toward putting South on the powerhouse map. The Gators flew under the preseason radar but emerged quickly as an upstart team when they rolled to a 7-0 record after beating their competition in the season-opening Lake Park Lancer Classic.

South put the finishing touches on its successful season with its first Fox Valley Conference division or league title in 12 years and its first regional title since 2004.

For leading his team to a remarkable year, Allen is the Northwest Herald Boys Soccer Coach of the Year, as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches.

“This group really bought into what I’ve been trying to do here for the past few years,” Allen said. “They worked hard, they respected one another, they would bounce ideas off of me, and I would run things by them. They just created the kind of system that I’ve wanted to establish.”

After this season’s 19-4-2 record, Allen is 42-27-4 in his three years in charge of the Gators. The numbers allude to a program on the rise.

“So much of what we were able to do this year was because of our work rate,” Allen said. “When we looked at it at the beginning of the season, we felt like our skills weren’t where they needed to be, but we knew we could make up for it by working as hard as we could as a team.

“It was amazing to see how quickly that skill developed because of how hard we worked.”

Allen was quick to credit his two volunteer assistant coaches, former Marian Central coach Tony Allen and Chris Troka, with helping the program move forward.

“They take time out of their own lives on a volunteer basis to help myself and the kids,” Allen said. “I’m very fortunate to have them.”