Bolingbrook and Joliet West have had nearly identical seasons in boys soccer, entering Tuesday’s contest in Bolingbrook with records of .500. That’s overall and in the Southwest Prairie Conference.

So the stakes were relatively high Tuesday with just over a week to go before the postseason starts and both teams looking for a boost. The boost wound up going to the home team thanks to some big-time kicks from some big-time players.

Brayan Araujo made a penalty kick in the first half, while Alex Diaz scored in quality fashion in the second as Bolingbrook secured a key 2-0 victory. The win moves Bolingbrook ahead of Joliet West in the SWPC standings.

Bolingbrook (9-8-1) had been stuck in a four-way tie with Joliet Central, Joliet West and Plainfield East at 4-4 in conference play. The victory moved the Raiders to 5-4 while moving West to 4-5.

With Joliet Central’s 3-0 loss to Plainfield North, the Raiders will be at least tied for fifth if not in sole possession of it depending on Plainfield East’s result against Yorkville.

“I was really proud of the energy we started with and the pressure we put on defensively,” Bolingbrook coach Nick Trotter said. “We made a real point of getting the ball into some dangerous areas. That penalty kick was a really good moment for us to get into the box in that moment. The set piece worked the way we wanted it to, so really proud of the guys for keeping their focus and composure throughout.”

The game ended suddenly with 20:49 remaining on the clock after a physical altercation between a Joliet West player and one of the officials. Trotter praised his players for attempting to separate the West player from the official.

“I’m really proud of them for that,” he said. “I could see them getting ready to help out as it was happening, and that’s the leadership we talk about all of the time in the locker room and in the community. When those moments happen, are you leading or are you watching? That was very clearly us leading.”

The Raiders also led on the pitch in terms of time of possession early on. The Raiders consistently put pressure on the Tigers backline and created opportunities in the box, as Trotter observed. That led to a golden opportunity five minutes in when Araujo got the PK attempt.

Initially it looked like the opportunity had been squandered. Joliet West keeper Noah Tarver came up with a massive save to apparently stop the attempt as Araujo placed his face in his palms. However, Tarver came off the line early, and Araujo earned another shot. He made good on that one and put the Raiders up 1-0.

“Training every day and focusing on the game at hand helps us,” Araujo said through a translator. “We don’t focus on the past or let anything bring us down. We take pride in that.”

The possession remained in favor of the Raiders the rest of the way, but the Tigers managed to keep them from adding another goal for a time. It wasn’t until 22 minutes remained that Diaz squeezed one in the back of the net to increase the lead to 2-0.

“It feels great to get a win. ...” Diaz said. “We have to keep practicing every day and keep having pride.”

The game was called just under two minutes later.

For Joliet West (7-8-2), it wasn’t the night the Tigers needed. The loss for Joliet Central should soften the blow a bit, but the team knows it’ll have to do better to stick around in the postseason.

“We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot with an early PK and play from behind,” coach Alan Stewart said. “I thought we played really well the first 20 minutes of the second half. Kudos to Bolingbrook.”