As a light rain feel under the new field lights at Chuck Pos Stadium Tuesday night, senior Pawel Dabek was carried of the field on his teammate’s shoulders. Dabek, the lone goal scorer of the game, led the Niles West Wolves Boys Varsity Soccer Team to a 1-0 victory against rival Niles North in the Regional Semifinals.

As he was carried off shoulder high, Dabek was ecstatic that his goal propelled the team to victory. Even more ecstatic? His parents screaming their voices out in the stands. “Take the shot” was screamed by Dabek’s fan club over and over before he scored in the second half. Then their tune changed, as his parents instead screamed, “Let’s go West” and “Come on West let’s do it, let’s win.”

For the entire first half, the fans in the stands were almost more exciting than the game itself. Both teams got off to a slow start, and there were less than 10 shots on goal. The Wolves had two good chances, but the wet field proved to be the best defender for either team, stifling both attempts.

The game became more fast paced in the second half as the field dried, and the Wolves got shot after shot on goal. There was a small scare part way through the second as the Vikings had three consecutive corner kicks, but failed to score on all three. Directly after the third corner kick the momentum shifted, the Wolves pushed the ball up the field, and off a shot blocked by North’s goalie, Dabek scored his goal.

After the goal it was a waiting game, as the Wolves held the ball for the remaining 20 minutes, until the final buzzer sounded, and the rest of the team mobbed Dabek.

Varsity Head Coach Scott Ackman said that the conditions affected the game, but the team played well.

“We played sloppy in the sloppy conditions, but we came through when it mattered most.”

The Wolves play again against Glenbrook South on Friday night at 7 for the Regional championship.