Tyler Murray’s dream of scoring a game-winning goal became a reality as Huntley battled into the final minutes of overtime during Fox Valley Conference action against Crystal Lake Central on Tuesday evening.

Huntley pushed the ball deep into Central territory as the final moments of the overtime period approached. With perhaps one last chance to clinch the game, Red Raiders defender Ryan Andresen passed the ball inside the Tiger box and Murray found open space, blasting a shot into the upper corner of the net in the 97th minute.

Murray’s goal ended the match and sealed Huntley’s 3-2 victory over the Tigers, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat despite erasing a two-score deficit in the first half. The Raiders (4-0-2, 2-0 FVC) remained unbeaten on the season and in conference play with the win.

“I saw a breakthrough and it was a moment I always wanted,” Murray said. “We played it perfectly. [Ryan] played it right through and I said to myself, ‘this is my option’. I just took it and it felt so good. This boosts our confidence because we fell short against them last year.”

The nearly 100-minute-long match opened with a pair of early goals by Huntley forward Aiden Felz. The Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, when a big goal kick led to a perfect pass from Murray, who headed a ball backward from the midfield line to Felz. The senior then beat two Central defenders to the net for the score.

“I just took the chances I got,” Felz said. “I had good balls through the back line and I took the chances. It boosts my confidence a lot because we can score goals as a team, especially at the start of the match. Communication has been one key for us. We keep each other accountable for our mistakes and we build each other up.”

Felz earned his second goal and the brace during the 16th minute, drawing a foul on a run inside the Central box before converting the penalty kick. From that moment, it appeared that the Raiders would run away with the match, but the Tigers (4-3-3, 0-1 FVC) showed they were unwilling to back down, scoring in the 25th and 38th minutes to even the match at 2-2 before halftime.

“We started connecting better and we picked up our pace,” Central coach Leah Rutkowski said. “Once we got the rhythm and the pace we needed, we started connecting and we started having opportunities. We capitalized on a couple of them.”

Central’s first goal resulted from a free kick by defender Roman Vences, who launched a ball deep into the Huntley box that forward Nathan Gray tapped into the net. The Tigers equalized just over 10 minutes later, scoring on a beautiful left-footed cross from defender Finnegan Dobbels. Tiger midfielder/forward Nick Pagonis headed the cross into the goal to bring Central even.

“I’m nothing but proud of the effort they gave,” Rutkowski said. “Between the mental hurdle of overcoming a 2-0 deficit early and holding them so tight ... I’m extremely proud of their effort.”

While the second half was mostly a battle in the middle third, much of the possession went to the Central side. A handful of key saves from sophomore goalkeeper Christian Cuellar helped Huntley keep the match even throughout the second half and the overtime period. Cuellar finished with seven saves for the Raiders.

“We knew what we needed to do and we had the motivation,” Murray said. “We didn’t finish last season how we wanted to and we have a lot of motivation. This year, we want to be good from the beginning.”

Central had a near chance to score the game winner early in the second 10-minute overtime period. Gray took a ball inside the Huntley box and had an angle on the goal, but a diving stop from Cuellar helped the Red Raiders keep the match alive. The Tigers will face Hampshire on Thursday seeking to snap a three-game losing skid.

“I felt like we were winning the second half possession-wise,” Rutkowski said. “We weren’t getting any goals to fall and shots were tough in the second half. Overall, I thought we were dominating a little bit there, which makes it extra tough to not get one in that half.”