Each year before they square off in nonconference play, Prospect coach Kurt Trenkle and Crystal Lake South coach Brian Allen look at the match as a measuring stick of sorts.

Where each team stands at the season’s midpoint is critical, especially as the Knights and Gators try to turn their fortunes in their respective conference races. Prospect wants to distance itself from the rebuilding tag attached to its program this year and establish a new identity. South still is searching for one.

Prospect’s 1-0 victory against the Gators on Saturday served each team’s purpose. Allen saw his defense clamp down under pressure despite not pulling off the much-needed win, and Trenkle saw a more composed, disciplined offensive attack.

“We always know (the Gators) are a quality program and can give us a good game,” said Trenkle whose Knights are 3-0-1 against South in the last four seasons. “It’s always close every time we do this. We like seeing those players from outside (the conference) and seeing how we stack up because when you’re in the (Mid Suburban League) it’s difficult to see what the rest of the world is like.”

While many MSL teams favor a direct approach to the game, the Fox Valley Conference in which the Gators play features teams more focused on possession and switching. Allen’s teams have excelled at this over the years, but have struggled to string it all together this season.

Whether it was the reigning MSL champions’ style that flustered the Gators or the gusty conditions Saturday morning, Prospect’s game plan kept the Knights in their final third for most of the second half and the Gators on their heels.

Prospect (3-6-2 overall) put three shots on frame in the second half and kept coaxing South keeper Steven Follmer out of the net to help his defense. When South did get the ball in the midfield and set up an attack, Knights senior midfielder Avi Chitman proved he could force turnovers.

Chitman orchestrated a 3-on-2 attack off a turnover in the 50th minute of play that South broke up, but it was indicative of the kind of offense Trenkle was hoping to see.

“That’s something we’ve been working on a lot lately,” said Trenkle of keeping the ball in the final third and within striking distance. “We don’t score very often this year, we don’t have a lot of fire power and we’ve had trouble hanging onto leads late in the game. We had a big problem with that on Thursday (in a loss to Elk Grove) so our ability to finish down the stretch today was a big step forward.”

The Knights were protecting an advantage they’d earned in the 10th minute of play. Senior defender Curtis Glennon threw a long ball in to senior forward Kennedy McNamara, who found it at his feet courtesy of flick from teammate Matt Burikas.

McNamara finished his touch by burying the ball into the left corner past South keeper Gus Alvarez, who started in the first half. Trenkle said McNamara has found similar ways to score all season. McNamara deferred to his teammates.

“We’ve been really working on our long throws in practice and we had a long throw there in the corner from Curtis, then Matt flicked it on,” McNamara said. “I was just in the right place at the right time. We’ve been drawing it up like that at practice and working really hard, but if it weren’t for Curtis and Matt contributing to it, it wouldn’t have happened. I have to give them a lot of credit.”

The Knights had chances to replicate the play a few times in the second half. Prospect had three opportunities on throw ins, corner kicks and an indirect kick, but South (9-8) found a way to defuse them.

South senior defender C.J. Prell felt like his team’s second-half efforts were sound but lamented their momentary lapse in judgment that led to the Knights’ goal.

“We had to just stay with our marks and make sure we were communicating, switching off in transition and we had to make sure we were tight and not giving anything away,” Prell said. “(The goal) was pretty frustrating because we’ve done that once before. We’re going to fix that. We’ve fixed a lot of things already in terms of possession. Now we just have to find the back of the net.”

Finishing might be the only thing standing between the South of right now and the South Allen knows his team can be. The Gators entered last week on a high after a positive showing in the Hononegah tournament, but dropped FVC Valley Division matches to Prairie Ridge and Huntley before Saturday’s loss.

“It takes a toll on us mentally,” Allen said. “I think it’s hard because it’s not fair. Not that we deserved to win games we haven’t won, but I thought we have done enough to get a draw and we had a ball hit off the post or cleared off the line, or something like that. So I think the toll of not finding a way to get a result – not even a win, but just a result – has kind of bogged guys down a little bit.

“We’re very close to being there and connecting it, the work rate is there, but we have to break down that wall to get those victories and get what we deserve.”