Hinsdale Central corners
Lyons, wins sectional title
Smith-Cangelosi OT connection delivers 1-0 win
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE -- Two years ago, Erin Smith was one of the defensive stars as host Hinsdale Central defeated Lyons 3-1 for the 2013 sectional title.
Friday brought deja vu with something new. Along with another strong defensive effort, Smith’s header off a Lauren Cangelosi corner kick with 5:36 left in the first overtime earned the Red Devils (19-6) a 1-0 win over the Lions (14-6-3) in front of a large crowd.
A trip to the Lewis Supersectional at 5 p.m. Tuesday is next.
“Lauren plays it right to the middle of the box every time, so I just try to get on it,” Smith said. “It goes to the same spot, so it’s just based on how I run and how the defenders come towards me.
“We have trouble scoring off the run of play, but we always know that Lauren can hit a perfect ball so we try to get on it every time.”
Cangelosi played club soccer and was not a part of the 2013 high-stakes sectional showdown with Hinsdale Central's archrival. But in the two years since, the chemistry she has developed with her Red Devils teammates paid off Friday.
“I feel like me and Erin know what to do and know each other, so I guess that’s how we did it,” Cangelosi said.
If sending perfect corner kicks wasn’t enough, Cangelosi served up pregame defensive advice that loomed just as important.
The tight defensive battle between the two rivals appeared to swing into Lyons' favor with 32:30 left in regulation, when Lions junior Grace Salvino was fouled on her dribble into the box to earn a penalty kick.
Lyons' Isabelle Scott lined the PK towards the right corner of the goal, but Hinsdale Central’s Katy Coseglia made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
The Red Devils’ May 7 win over the Lions in a penalty kick session produced valuable lessons.
“I had a feeling,” Cangelosi said. “I was telling Katy before the game that all the LT PKs that I remember (May 7) went to the right side of the goal. I said ‘Katy, she’s going to her right.’
“I was hoping Katy wouldn’t second-guess herself, and she went right. Katy did it. She was amazing.”
Coseglia approached the ultimate pressure challenge of a sectional PK with an uncommon demeanor.
“I love doing PKs, so it was fun,” Coseglia said. “I just took a deep breath and went with my bet of where I thought she was going, and it turned out she went that way. It’s probably the top (play) I’ve ever had.”
Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith had confidence in his goalkeeper.
“The good thing is that we’ve been practicing penalty kicks for weeks, so Katy has seen more than enough,” he said. “And a lot of different styles and different angles. She smothered the ball. That tells me she made a choice and went for it, and fortunately for us the ball was there.”
Both defenses generally stood tall in the final 18 yards all night.
Hinsdale Central’s Emma Dannhausen-Brun had the game’s first big chance, but her 10-yard shot off a Kaitlyn Livingston pass was saved by Lyons goalkeeper Lidia Breen.
Dueling late first half chances were denied. First, a corner kick by Lyons' Scott was headed upfield by Smith 9:30 before the half. Three minutes later, Maeve McLaughlin’s one-touch with her back to the goal off a Margaret Tamm throw-in was grabbed by Breen.
“I didn’t think either team had many great chances through the flow of play,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Both teams were pretty solid in the back.
“They had the ball in our end a little bit, but we feel like that’s OK as long as they don’t have great chances. We didn’t get our numbers up (offensively) today, and part of that was being worn down from having to defend them and the way they play.”
Besides Coseglia’s PK save, the second half was punctuated by a great end-to-end exchange with 12 minutes left in regulation.
First, the Red Devils swarmed the net. Off an end line cross by Dannhausen-Brun to the front of the goal, a Livingston pass to Lizzy Nelson created a 6-yard Nelson shot near the left post that Breen saved.
Just 35 seconds later at the other end, the Lions' Salvino burst in on left wing but had her 8-yard try deflected by Cangelosi and covered by Coseglia.
With 2:50 left, Hinsdale Central’s Sydney Griffin raced in 1-on-1 against LT defender Catherine Johnson, who slowed Griffin enough to allow Breen to race out and cover the ball six-yards out just an instant ahead of the charging Griffin.
“I feel like we should have gotten the goal earlier,” Erin Smith said. “We played tough throughout the whole game though. Like on their PK, we came right back after they missed. I knew that was a sign that we’d win this game.”
Steady offensive attacks and great bench contributions were positive signs for coach Smith.
“We knew we had to take it to them,” he said. “We couldn’t allow a silly mistake on our behalf to give them anything.
“In the second half Danielle Shayani, a senior who hadn’t played in the first half, came on and gave us a great 15 minutes there. Collectively all the girls gave us at least three or four minutes, and it was fun to watch them contribute.”
The real fun for the Red Devils came in overtime.
With 6:05 left in the first OT session, Dannhausen-Brun’s challenge up right wing was denied by Johnson. But Livingston fielded the loose ball and lined a short hop 30-yard shot that Breen deflected over the end line for a corner kick.
Livingston’s play loomed large when Cangelosi threaded a perfect corner kick to Smith, and a header into the right corner of the net finally broke the ice.
“I think it was very even throughout,” Breen said. “Both teams had their chances, and they managed to get one.
“We knew they were going to be dangerous on their set pieces, and they managed to finish one of them. But I didn’t necessarily think they were the better team. They got one chance, and it managed to end our season.”
But not without another 15-plus minutes of overtime yet to be played.
With the Lions desperate to strike back, the Red Devils stayed on the offensive.
With 3:55 left in the first OT, history nearly repeated when Smith headed another nice Cangelosi corner kick just wide.
Lyons closed the first 10-minute overtime with two threats. Salvino was fouled with 1:40 left, and her ensuing 28-yard free kick produced a Scott header near the right post that Coseglia stopped.
Then with just 10 seconds left, a pass to the box by Sarah-Kate Weibel was blocked and cleared by Cangelosi.
The Lions' offense in the second OT was limited to a 50-yard send by Scott and a through-ball on goal.
Allowing no serious Lyons' threats in the final 10 minutes, the Red Devils continued their postseason run and built on their home field success against their top rivals.
“It’s so awesome,” Erin Smith said. “We’ve beat them every time we’ve played them on this field (in four years). That means a lot. And it’s my last game playing on this field.”
Hinsdale Central won state in 2009 and was second two years ago. Another state trophy is now just one win away.
“I think we just need to play our style, and mainly keep the ball with good passing to each other,” Cangelosi said of the keys to supersectional success. “If we get too frantic and start kicking it, we don’t play as well. So we need to keep it and create chances.”
Hit hard by graduation, the Lions also lost defenders Sheila Murphy and Grace Gumbiner to knee injuries in the last two weeks of the season. But they endured and flourished to reach the sectional finals for the second-straight year.
“I think we had a great season,” Breen said. “At the beginning we weren’t sure what we’d be facing with so many new girls, but I think we surpassed everyone’s expectations and made a deep run in the playoffs. I’m excited to see what they do next year.”
This year continues for the Red Devils. And before focusing on the next big test Tuesday, there was a lot to savor in an emotional and well-played win on Friday.
“Just the pride the seniors had in the second half,” coach Smith said. “They said, ‘This is our last half on this field. We are going out as winners.’ I’m so proud of the girls.
“I was impressed with the fire that the girls on both sides played with: a great crowd, a great atmosphere, and you have two strong programs duking it out, but at the same time showing respect for each other. I have great respect for what Bill does with his program, and we have that mutual respect. We’re fortunate that we get the goal.”
Starting lineups
Lyons Township
GK: Lidia Breen
D: Katie Hamor
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Isabelle Scott
D: Kim Vitek
M: Lindsey Allen
M: Jenna Fuller
M: Kristen Janicki
M: Tina Cevizovic
F: Margaret Lynch
F: Grace Salvino
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Erin Smith
D: Abby Cole
D: Julie Culler
D: Lauren Cangelosi
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Kaitlyn Livingston
M: Katie Murphy
M: Lizzy Nelson
F: Sydney Griffin
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
MVP of the Match: Erin Smith, D, Hinsdale Central
Lyons, wins sectional title
Smith-Cangelosi OT connection delivers 1-0 win
By Dave Owen
HINSDALE -- Two years ago, Erin Smith was one of the defensive stars as host Hinsdale Central defeated Lyons 3-1 for the 2013 sectional title.
Friday brought deja vu with something new. Along with another strong defensive effort, Smith’s header off a Lauren Cangelosi corner kick with 5:36 left in the first overtime earned the Red Devils (19-6) a 1-0 win over the Lions (14-6-3) in front of a large crowd.
A trip to the Lewis Supersectional at 5 p.m. Tuesday is next.
“Lauren plays it right to the middle of the box every time, so I just try to get on it,” Smith said. “It goes to the same spot, so it’s just based on how I run and how the defenders come towards me.
“We have trouble scoring off the run of play, but we always know that Lauren can hit a perfect ball so we try to get on it every time.”
Cangelosi played club soccer and was not a part of the 2013 high-stakes sectional showdown with Hinsdale Central's archrival. But in the two years since, the chemistry she has developed with her Red Devils teammates paid off Friday.
“I feel like me and Erin know what to do and know each other, so I guess that’s how we did it,” Cangelosi said.
If sending perfect corner kicks wasn’t enough, Cangelosi served up pregame defensive advice that loomed just as important.
The tight defensive battle between the two rivals appeared to swing into Lyons' favor with 32:30 left in regulation, when Lions junior Grace Salvino was fouled on her dribble into the box to earn a penalty kick.
Lyons' Isabelle Scott lined the PK towards the right corner of the goal, but Hinsdale Central’s Katy Coseglia made a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
The Red Devils’ May 7 win over the Lions in a penalty kick session produced valuable lessons.
“I had a feeling,” Cangelosi said. “I was telling Katy before the game that all the LT PKs that I remember (May 7) went to the right side of the goal. I said ‘Katy, she’s going to her right.’
“I was hoping Katy wouldn’t second-guess herself, and she went right. Katy did it. She was amazing.”
Coseglia approached the ultimate pressure challenge of a sectional PK with an uncommon demeanor.
“I love doing PKs, so it was fun,” Coseglia said. “I just took a deep breath and went with my bet of where I thought she was going, and it turned out she went that way. It’s probably the top (play) I’ve ever had.”
Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith had confidence in his goalkeeper.
“The good thing is that we’ve been practicing penalty kicks for weeks, so Katy has seen more than enough,” he said. “And a lot of different styles and different angles. She smothered the ball. That tells me she made a choice and went for it, and fortunately for us the ball was there.”
Both defenses generally stood tall in the final 18 yards all night.
Hinsdale Central’s Emma Dannhausen-Brun had the game’s first big chance, but her 10-yard shot off a Kaitlyn Livingston pass was saved by Lyons goalkeeper Lidia Breen.
Dueling late first half chances were denied. First, a corner kick by Lyons' Scott was headed upfield by Smith 9:30 before the half. Three minutes later, Maeve McLaughlin’s one-touch with her back to the goal off a Margaret Tamm throw-in was grabbed by Breen.
“I didn’t think either team had many great chances through the flow of play,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Both teams were pretty solid in the back.
“They had the ball in our end a little bit, but we feel like that’s OK as long as they don’t have great chances. We didn’t get our numbers up (offensively) today, and part of that was being worn down from having to defend them and the way they play.”
Besides Coseglia’s PK save, the second half was punctuated by a great end-to-end exchange with 12 minutes left in regulation.
First, the Red Devils swarmed the net. Off an end line cross by Dannhausen-Brun to the front of the goal, a Livingston pass to Lizzy Nelson created a 6-yard Nelson shot near the left post that Breen saved.
Just 35 seconds later at the other end, the Lions' Salvino burst in on left wing but had her 8-yard try deflected by Cangelosi and covered by Coseglia.
With 2:50 left, Hinsdale Central’s Sydney Griffin raced in 1-on-1 against LT defender Catherine Johnson, who slowed Griffin enough to allow Breen to race out and cover the ball six-yards out just an instant ahead of the charging Griffin.
“I feel like we should have gotten the goal earlier,” Erin Smith said. “We played tough throughout the whole game though. Like on their PK, we came right back after they missed. I knew that was a sign that we’d win this game.”
Steady offensive attacks and great bench contributions were positive signs for coach Smith.
“We knew we had to take it to them,” he said. “We couldn’t allow a silly mistake on our behalf to give them anything.
“In the second half Danielle Shayani, a senior who hadn’t played in the first half, came on and gave us a great 15 minutes there. Collectively all the girls gave us at least three or four minutes, and it was fun to watch them contribute.”
The real fun for the Red Devils came in overtime.
With 6:05 left in the first OT session, Dannhausen-Brun’s challenge up right wing was denied by Johnson. But Livingston fielded the loose ball and lined a short hop 30-yard shot that Breen deflected over the end line for a corner kick.
Livingston’s play loomed large when Cangelosi threaded a perfect corner kick to Smith, and a header into the right corner of the net finally broke the ice.
“I think it was very even throughout,” Breen said. “Both teams had their chances, and they managed to get one.
“We knew they were going to be dangerous on their set pieces, and they managed to finish one of them. But I didn’t necessarily think they were the better team. They got one chance, and it managed to end our season.”
But not without another 15-plus minutes of overtime yet to be played.
With the Lions desperate to strike back, the Red Devils stayed on the offensive.
With 3:55 left in the first OT, history nearly repeated when Smith headed another nice Cangelosi corner kick just wide.
Lyons closed the first 10-minute overtime with two threats. Salvino was fouled with 1:40 left, and her ensuing 28-yard free kick produced a Scott header near the right post that Coseglia stopped.
Then with just 10 seconds left, a pass to the box by Sarah-Kate Weibel was blocked and cleared by Cangelosi.
The Lions' offense in the second OT was limited to a 50-yard send by Scott and a through-ball on goal.
Allowing no serious Lyons' threats in the final 10 minutes, the Red Devils continued their postseason run and built on their home field success against their top rivals.
“It’s so awesome,” Erin Smith said. “We’ve beat them every time we’ve played them on this field (in four years). That means a lot. And it’s my last game playing on this field.”
Hinsdale Central won state in 2009 and was second two years ago. Another state trophy is now just one win away.
“I think we just need to play our style, and mainly keep the ball with good passing to each other,” Cangelosi said of the keys to supersectional success. “If we get too frantic and start kicking it, we don’t play as well. So we need to keep it and create chances.”
Hit hard by graduation, the Lions also lost defenders Sheila Murphy and Grace Gumbiner to knee injuries in the last two weeks of the season. But they endured and flourished to reach the sectional finals for the second-straight year.
“I think we had a great season,” Breen said. “At the beginning we weren’t sure what we’d be facing with so many new girls, but I think we surpassed everyone’s expectations and made a deep run in the playoffs. I’m excited to see what they do next year.”
This year continues for the Red Devils. And before focusing on the next big test Tuesday, there was a lot to savor in an emotional and well-played win on Friday.
“Just the pride the seniors had in the second half,” coach Smith said. “They said, ‘This is our last half on this field. We are going out as winners.’ I’m so proud of the girls.
“I was impressed with the fire that the girls on both sides played with: a great crowd, a great atmosphere, and you have two strong programs duking it out, but at the same time showing respect for each other. I have great respect for what Bill does with his program, and we have that mutual respect. We’re fortunate that we get the goal.”
Starting lineups
Lyons Township
GK: Lidia Breen
D: Katie Hamor
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Isabelle Scott
D: Kim Vitek
M: Lindsey Allen
M: Jenna Fuller
M: Kristen Janicki
M: Tina Cevizovic
F: Margaret Lynch
F: Grace Salvino
Hinsdale Central
GK: Katy Coseglia
D: Erin Smith
D: Abby Cole
D: Julie Culler
D: Lauren Cangelosi
M: Maeve McLaughlin
M: Kaitlyn Livingston
M: Katie Murphy
M: Lizzy Nelson
F: Sydney Griffin
F: Emma Dannhausen-Brun
MVP of the Match: Erin Smith, D, Hinsdale Central