OPRF travels to LaGrange
for West Suburban Silver opener
Host Lions hope to recover
from frustrating loss to top Illinois team
By Dave Owen
The bounce-back ability of Lyons will be in immediate focus when the Lions open WSC Silver against Oak Park and River Forest at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at their north campus in LaGrange.
Lyons (5-2) comes off an excellent performance but agonizing finish Saturday against St. Charles East, which is ranked No. 1 in the state and 11th nationally by one media outlet. After leading 1-0 in the 79th minute, the Lions endured a game-tying goal with 1:03 left and the Saints’ game-winner 1:27 into the golden goal OT to fall in a 2-1 heartbreaker Saturday (Sept. 6) in the New Trier Tournament finals.
The Saints’ amazing comeback under pressure didn’t diminish a strong week for the Lions, who were 3-1 in the tourney.
“This was a great experience,” said forward Cole Gilchrist, the Lions’ offensive leader with five goals this fall. “I thought we boosted the confidence of our offensive players scoring a lot of goals and showed that we can defend the best in the state.”
Tuesday’s match should be a tough test: in the last few years, the Lions, the Huskies and Hinsdale Central have been top factors in the WSC Silver title race.
Success on restarts last year helped Lyons defeat OPRF 5-2 in Oak Park, but that wide-open match was the exception in this series recently. The Lions needed overtime to beat the Huskies 1-0 in 2012, and also won 1-0 in 2011 (a year the Huskies reached the sectional finals).
OPRF (2-2-1) was on a three-game unbeaten streak (including impressive shutout wins over Leyden and Saint Ignatius) before being edged 2-1 by Lane Tech on Sept. 4.
“We had some mental lapses and let a 50-minute lead turn into a loss,” Huskies coach coach Paul Wright said.
The Lions pose an imposing challenge.
“They have always been a very organized, strong possession team,” Wright said. “Our biggest concern is not letting them dictate the flow and pace of the game.”
Oak Park and River Forest's defense will need to continue to do its part in the game. The Huskies’ backline, featuring Mavin Gill, Graham Nagle-Deamer, Quentin Drane, Kirk Svensson and Justin Bruce, has allowed three goals in the last four matches.
This key conference match precedes a big stretch of games for both teams. Both play conference games Thursday (Oak Park and River Forest hosts Glenbard West -- Lyons travels to York) before the sides begin play at the PepsiCo Challenge on Saturday at the Lions' soccer complex. Oak Park and River Forest meets St. Viator at 1 p.m. on the east field, and the Lions game against Minooka follows at the same spot at 2:30.
for West Suburban Silver opener
Host Lions hope to recover
from frustrating loss to top Illinois team
By Dave Owen
The bounce-back ability of Lyons will be in immediate focus when the Lions open WSC Silver against Oak Park and River Forest at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at their north campus in LaGrange.
Lyons (5-2) comes off an excellent performance but agonizing finish Saturday against St. Charles East, which is ranked No. 1 in the state and 11th nationally by one media outlet. After leading 1-0 in the 79th minute, the Lions endured a game-tying goal with 1:03 left and the Saints’ game-winner 1:27 into the golden goal OT to fall in a 2-1 heartbreaker Saturday (Sept. 6) in the New Trier Tournament finals.
The Saints’ amazing comeback under pressure didn’t diminish a strong week for the Lions, who were 3-1 in the tourney.
“This was a great experience,” said forward Cole Gilchrist, the Lions’ offensive leader with five goals this fall. “I thought we boosted the confidence of our offensive players scoring a lot of goals and showed that we can defend the best in the state.”
Tuesday’s match should be a tough test: in the last few years, the Lions, the Huskies and Hinsdale Central have been top factors in the WSC Silver title race.
Success on restarts last year helped Lyons defeat OPRF 5-2 in Oak Park, but that wide-open match was the exception in this series recently. The Lions needed overtime to beat the Huskies 1-0 in 2012, and also won 1-0 in 2011 (a year the Huskies reached the sectional finals).
OPRF (2-2-1) was on a three-game unbeaten streak (including impressive shutout wins over Leyden and Saint Ignatius) before being edged 2-1 by Lane Tech on Sept. 4.
“We had some mental lapses and let a 50-minute lead turn into a loss,” Huskies coach coach Paul Wright said.
The Lions pose an imposing challenge.
“They have always been a very organized, strong possession team,” Wright said. “Our biggest concern is not letting them dictate the flow and pace of the game.”
Oak Park and River Forest's defense will need to continue to do its part in the game. The Huskies’ backline, featuring Mavin Gill, Graham Nagle-Deamer, Quentin Drane, Kirk Svensson and Justin Bruce, has allowed three goals in the last four matches.
This key conference match precedes a big stretch of games for both teams. Both play conference games Thursday (Oak Park and River Forest hosts Glenbard West -- Lyons travels to York) before the sides begin play at the PepsiCo Challenge on Saturday at the Lions' soccer complex. Oak Park and River Forest meets St. Viator at 1 p.m. on the east field, and the Lions game against Minooka follows at the same spot at 2:30.