Glenbard South boys soccer will play in the program's first-ever IHSA state semifinal Friday, Nov. 6, facing No. 1 seed Peoria Notre Dame at 12:30 p.m. at Guilford High School in Rockford.

The No. 7-seeded Raiders punched their ticket to state Monday, Nov. 2, with a 3-1 win over Fenton in the Class 2A Hinsdale South Supersectional, as reported by the Daily Herald. No Glenbard South soccer team had reached the state tournament before.

The season has carried extra weight. Head coach Willie Fajkus passed away from heart complications before the year began, according to the Daily Herald. The Raiders opened with three straight losses.

Coach Mike Filipiak has guided the team since. After the supersectional win, he told the Daily Herald the run honors Fajkus.

"This is all in memory of coach William Fajkus, who deserved this," Filipiak said. He called the season "one big dedication to coach Willie and what he's done for the program."

Against Fenton, senior Clayton Nallbani scored in the sixth minute off a pass from Adrian Maslanka. Senior Jackson Arnold added a goal in the 13th minute. An own goal early in the second half sealed the 3-1 result.

Peoria Notre Dame enters the semifinal at 20-1-3 after edging Lemont 2-1 in double overtime in the supersectional, according to Yahoo Sports. Joey Alwan scored the winner with 22 seconds left in the first overtime.

The other Class 2A semifinal pits No. 1 Washington (22-1-2) against No. 1 Crystal Lake South. Washington's sophomore goalkeeper Oliver Wettstein has recorded 21 shutouts, according to Yahoo Sports. Crystal Lake South enters at 17-5-2 with 15 seniors, according to Shaw Local. The Gators, coached by Brian Allen, are chasing their third state title in eight years. Their players all dyed their hair blonde, a tradition from the 2023 championship run.

If Glenbard South wins Nov. 6, the Raiders would play for the Class 2A state championship at 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, against the winner of Washington and Crystal Lake South. The IHSA Boys State Tournament is being held in Rockford for the first time, according to mystateline.com, the first year of a three-year agreement between the IHSA and Rockford.

All three championship games are scheduled for Nov. 7 at Swanson Stadium.