Lyons' 180-degree response
downs Downers Grove North
Goal after injury delay delivers key W. Suburban Conference win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- Lyons’ low point and high point were separated by one second of play Tuesday at Downers Grove North.
Lions freshman Mary Devine had to be carted off the field with 33:43 left in the first half after suffering an apparent leg injury on a foul.
When play resumed after a five-minute delay, LT’s Izy Scott sent a nice 40-yard free kick into the box. Teammate Grace Salvino reached the airborne ball just before charging Trojans goalkeeper Grace Stevenson and headed an 8-yarder into the net.
That would hold up as the lone goal in a 1-0 win for the Lions (8-4-2, 4-0 in the WSC Silver).
The nice Scott-to-Salvino connection was the product of experience.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time,” Salvino said. “She (Scott) told me to run towards the goalie, and I got around my defender. It was there, and I finished it.”
Said Scott: “It was great. We work on plays like that a lot, so it’s nice that we have that unison out there. We’re on the same page with those, so it’s nice.”
Scott also noted the downside that set up the play.
“We just hope Mary’s OK,” she said. “She would have liked to be in on that.”
For Downers Grove North, the goal marked a rare defensive letdown.
“I don’t know if we were sleeping on that, but it was a mental lapse on a lot of people’s part,” Trojans coach Bob Calder said. “We started our offside line too deep, we ran in before the ball was played, and then we didn’t get our hands on it in the back.
“That’s something that I think should have been avoided. If we start that offside line five yards higher and don’t let them run in, our keeper catches that uncontested.”
That goal ended a four-game shutout streak for the Trojans, but the rough start continued with two more quality Lyons chances.
Elizabeth Hodonicky’s nice defensive play denied a Margaret Lynch attack in th 12th minute, and the Lions' Delaney Fox lined a 15-yarder over the net on her drive on the right wing in the 14th minute.
“We came out way too flat against a team like that,” Calder said. “I’ve been preaching to them all year when we played teams that weren’t as good as LT that you can’t play 60 minutes and win a soccer game against a really good team.
“I didn’t think we started playing until about the 20-minute mark of the first half. From then on it was a good game. It was not a good game in the beginning. They had complete control, and they put one away on us.”
The playing field rapidly leveled as play went on. The two teams traded excellent chances late in the half: a dangerous Lyons throw-in by Kim Vitek was nicely cleared from the box by Alyse Dutcher 14:30 before halftime.
One minute later, a 20-yard free kick by Downers North’s Arlinda Osmani set up a battle in front in which Sheila Murphy cleared the ball from near the right post and out of danger for Lyons.
“I thought we played with some pretty good energy today,” Lions coach Bill Lanspeary said. “There were times when they picked things up and were kind of coming at us, but our backs did a nice job and held up pretty well.”
The Trojans (9-4, 1-2) tested the Lyons defense several times after the halftime break.
The first big chance came with 34:05 left, when Lions goalkeeper Lidia Breen stopped a low 25-yard shot by Carli Nehls.
Breen came up big again with 21:30 to play. Ellie Metros sent a nice ball up the left side, and Jessica Ridderhoff’s eventual 10-yard header off a cross was caught by Breen.
The Trojans best bid to tie came with 11:50 left. Nice passes by Ridderhoff and then Lexi Cittadine freed Emily Redpath in on the left wing. Her 12-yard liner hit high off the post and caromed over the end line.
“They were really aggressive in the middle and did a nice job outnumbering us,” Scott said. “They definitely broke us down and kind of found seams here or there, but we recovered pretty well and were able to hold them off.”
The Lions had their own series of offensive-end attacks. Their best chance of the second half came with 4:15 left, when Downers Grove North keeper Stevenson made a nice diving deflection of a 20-yard drive by Salvino.
Between her earlier goal and chances like that, Salvino has been a key offensive component for the Lions.
“Grace is good because she can turn it on when we need her to, and she can also lay it back,” Scott said. “That’s key for that center attacking spot.”
Much of the offensive core of the Lions’ 2014 sectional champion squad was hit by graduation, but Salvino has helped fill the void.
“I’ve stepped up into the center forward position, which Erin Fitzgerald (now at Cornell) used to play,” Salvino said. “And it’s been really important to try to switch the field, especially with a lot of new players getting and going forward.
“It’s key for us to get up the field. If you get the ball in the right area at the right time, you can create opportunities for yourself.”
The last opportunity Tuesday went to Downers Grove North. With 2:50 to play, Cittadine dribbled in on right wing and lined a high 15-yarder near post that made Breen leap to deflect it over the crossbar.
A nice defensive play by Lyons freshman defender Catherine Johnson stopped a Metros offensive zone attack with 1:10 left, effectively capping the Lions’ shutout win.
“It was a hard loss,” Downers Grove North standout junior defender Osmani said. “We know how well we can play. This game we came out a little bit flat, but we outplayed them for most of the time I think. We’re going to keep doing that because we know we can play with some of the best.”
Despite Tuesday’s loss, the Trojans are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
“I think the last stretch of games I think we really came together and knew what we really wanted,” Osmani said. “Defensively we shut down teams, and I think that pumps up the rest of the team.
“We play as a team - we’re really good at setting each other up. It’s been working for us: playing together, passing, we play good defense as a team. All of that really motivates us.”
Team chemistry has helped for a group that includes nine freshmen or sophomores on its roster.
“We do a big sister-little sister thing,” junior Osmani said. “We’re all pretty close. It’s nice to have a team where everyone is friends and we all hang out all the time, which is really nice.
“It doesn’t even feel like there’s an age difference. We all unite. Our team plays like we’re all friends playing. It’s really nice. It makes the game 10 times more fun. We play for each other and show so much heart on the field. I love it.”
Even losing Osmani’s talents for four games due to injury didn’t derail Downers North.
“We have really good individuals to fill in,” she said. “Once you get the hang of it, we’re really good at playing together. We work a lot in practice on shifting defense and working with the defense.”
Strong defense and team play aside, Tuesday’s slow start was lethal against a strong opponent like Lyons.
“I was happy with the effort down the stretch, but I wasn’t ecstatic,” Calder said. “We’ve played much better soccer this year. It comes down to not being fully engaged for 80 minutes.
“Our back line has been so good, and today they looked flat early. Our clears were off, our marking was off. Just early. Then it cleaned up. But it was enough that it was 1-0, and we couldn’t get it back.”
Once they got in sync, the Trojans had several standouts.
“Arlinda and Elizabeth (Hodonicky) played really well in the back pretty much start to finish. And Ellie (Metros) fought really well in the middle and she did a nice job composing us, because from the beginning I felt like we were frantic except for her.
“And Carly Nehls up front was playing right front most of the game, and she worked so hard and made a lot of things happen. She got a lot of good crosses, she earned some corners, so she’s done a nice job.”
After Salvino’s header goal on the restart, the Lions knew they were in a nip-and-tuck match.
“It was 50-50 the whole time,” Salvino said.
The Trojans lost 1-0 to the Lions last year in Western Springs.
“They always come out really hard against us,” Scott said. “I know we’re a big rival of theirs and good competition. It’s awesome playing against them.
“Coming out we knew this was going to be a big game, but we showed up to play and so did they. We battled it out, and it was good to get that goal. But it was a battle.”
Lanspeary had his own praise for the Downers North effort.
“They bottled us up a little defensively,” he said. “We’d get going forward and they seemed to have numbers back. We didn’t do a good enough job stretching the field. But they’re a good team for sure.”
The Lions had steady play throughout their own lineup: Jenna Fuller and Katie Hamor made nice plays late in the first half to repel attacks, and Murphy stepped in front of a Downers North offensive zone throw-in with 7:05 left for a steal and start of a counterattack.
After a 4-0-2 start this season, the Lions unexpectedly dropped three games in a row as the No. 2 seed at the PepsiCo Showdown. But Lyons appears back on track heading into the key stretch of the season: the resumption of Naperville Invitational play, and then the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title match at Hinsdale Central next Tuesday.
“I think we’ve just come together a little bit,” Lanspeary said. “We’ve kind of circled the wagons. We lost a (first round PepsiCo) game that shook us a little bit, and then sometimes playing in that consolation bracket...that was just our kids getting down on themselves a little bit.
“But we got back up for the Naperville Tournament and played well against Naperville North, and they’re obviously very good. And we played well against Oswego (a shutout win Saturday). It’s been nice to see this team respond and get stronger from some of those losses.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Lidia Breen
D: Katie Hamor
D: Sheila Murphy
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Izy Scott
M: Kim Vitek
M: Jenna Fuller
M: Kristen Janicki
F: Margaret Lynch
F: Grace Salvino
F: Mary Devine
Downers Grove North
GK: Grace Stevenson
D: Arlinda Osmani
D: Alyse Dutcher
D: Elizabeth Hodonicky
D: Kacey Ford
M: Ellie Metros
M: Maggie Nevrly
M: Delaney Forst
M: Jessica Ridderhoff
F: Emily Redpath
F: Lexi Cittadine
MVP of Match: Izy Scott, D, Lyons
downs Downers Grove North
Goal after injury delay delivers key W. Suburban Conference win
By Dave Owen
DOWNERS GROVE -- Lyons’ low point and high point were separated by one second of play Tuesday at Downers Grove North.
Lions freshman Mary Devine had to be carted off the field with 33:43 left in the first half after suffering an apparent leg injury on a foul.
When play resumed after a five-minute delay, LT’s Izy Scott sent a nice 40-yard free kick into the box. Teammate Grace Salvino reached the airborne ball just before charging Trojans goalkeeper Grace Stevenson and headed an 8-yarder into the net.
That would hold up as the lone goal in a 1-0 win for the Lions (8-4-2, 4-0 in the WSC Silver).
The nice Scott-to-Salvino connection was the product of experience.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time,” Salvino said. “She (Scott) told me to run towards the goalie, and I got around my defender. It was there, and I finished it.”
Said Scott: “It was great. We work on plays like that a lot, so it’s nice that we have that unison out there. We’re on the same page with those, so it’s nice.”
Scott also noted the downside that set up the play.
“We just hope Mary’s OK,” she said. “She would have liked to be in on that.”
For Downers Grove North, the goal marked a rare defensive letdown.
“I don’t know if we were sleeping on that, but it was a mental lapse on a lot of people’s part,” Trojans coach Bob Calder said. “We started our offside line too deep, we ran in before the ball was played, and then we didn’t get our hands on it in the back.
“That’s something that I think should have been avoided. If we start that offside line five yards higher and don’t let them run in, our keeper catches that uncontested.”
That goal ended a four-game shutout streak for the Trojans, but the rough start continued with two more quality Lyons chances.
Elizabeth Hodonicky’s nice defensive play denied a Margaret Lynch attack in th 12th minute, and the Lions' Delaney Fox lined a 15-yarder over the net on her drive on the right wing in the 14th minute.
“We came out way too flat against a team like that,” Calder said. “I’ve been preaching to them all year when we played teams that weren’t as good as LT that you can’t play 60 minutes and win a soccer game against a really good team.
“I didn’t think we started playing until about the 20-minute mark of the first half. From then on it was a good game. It was not a good game in the beginning. They had complete control, and they put one away on us.”
The playing field rapidly leveled as play went on. The two teams traded excellent chances late in the half: a dangerous Lyons throw-in by Kim Vitek was nicely cleared from the box by Alyse Dutcher 14:30 before halftime.
One minute later, a 20-yard free kick by Downers North’s Arlinda Osmani set up a battle in front in which Sheila Murphy cleared the ball from near the right post and out of danger for Lyons.
“I thought we played with some pretty good energy today,” Lions coach Bill Lanspeary said. “There were times when they picked things up and were kind of coming at us, but our backs did a nice job and held up pretty well.”
The Trojans (9-4, 1-2) tested the Lyons defense several times after the halftime break.
The first big chance came with 34:05 left, when Lions goalkeeper Lidia Breen stopped a low 25-yard shot by Carli Nehls.
Breen came up big again with 21:30 to play. Ellie Metros sent a nice ball up the left side, and Jessica Ridderhoff’s eventual 10-yard header off a cross was caught by Breen.
The Trojans best bid to tie came with 11:50 left. Nice passes by Ridderhoff and then Lexi Cittadine freed Emily Redpath in on the left wing. Her 12-yard liner hit high off the post and caromed over the end line.
“They were really aggressive in the middle and did a nice job outnumbering us,” Scott said. “They definitely broke us down and kind of found seams here or there, but we recovered pretty well and were able to hold them off.”
The Lions had their own series of offensive-end attacks. Their best chance of the second half came with 4:15 left, when Downers Grove North keeper Stevenson made a nice diving deflection of a 20-yard drive by Salvino.
Between her earlier goal and chances like that, Salvino has been a key offensive component for the Lions.
“Grace is good because she can turn it on when we need her to, and she can also lay it back,” Scott said. “That’s key for that center attacking spot.”
Much of the offensive core of the Lions’ 2014 sectional champion squad was hit by graduation, but Salvino has helped fill the void.
“I’ve stepped up into the center forward position, which Erin Fitzgerald (now at Cornell) used to play,” Salvino said. “And it’s been really important to try to switch the field, especially with a lot of new players getting and going forward.
“It’s key for us to get up the field. If you get the ball in the right area at the right time, you can create opportunities for yourself.”
The last opportunity Tuesday went to Downers Grove North. With 2:50 to play, Cittadine dribbled in on right wing and lined a high 15-yarder near post that made Breen leap to deflect it over the crossbar.
A nice defensive play by Lyons freshman defender Catherine Johnson stopped a Metros offensive zone attack with 1:10 left, effectively capping the Lions’ shutout win.
“It was a hard loss,” Downers Grove North standout junior defender Osmani said. “We know how well we can play. This game we came out a little bit flat, but we outplayed them for most of the time I think. We’re going to keep doing that because we know we can play with some of the best.”
Despite Tuesday’s loss, the Trojans are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
“I think the last stretch of games I think we really came together and knew what we really wanted,” Osmani said. “Defensively we shut down teams, and I think that pumps up the rest of the team.
“We play as a team - we’re really good at setting each other up. It’s been working for us: playing together, passing, we play good defense as a team. All of that really motivates us.”
Team chemistry has helped for a group that includes nine freshmen or sophomores on its roster.
“We do a big sister-little sister thing,” junior Osmani said. “We’re all pretty close. It’s nice to have a team where everyone is friends and we all hang out all the time, which is really nice.
“It doesn’t even feel like there’s an age difference. We all unite. Our team plays like we’re all friends playing. It’s really nice. It makes the game 10 times more fun. We play for each other and show so much heart on the field. I love it.”
Even losing Osmani’s talents for four games due to injury didn’t derail Downers North.
“We have really good individuals to fill in,” she said. “Once you get the hang of it, we’re really good at playing together. We work a lot in practice on shifting defense and working with the defense.”
Strong defense and team play aside, Tuesday’s slow start was lethal against a strong opponent like Lyons.
“I was happy with the effort down the stretch, but I wasn’t ecstatic,” Calder said. “We’ve played much better soccer this year. It comes down to not being fully engaged for 80 minutes.
“Our back line has been so good, and today they looked flat early. Our clears were off, our marking was off. Just early. Then it cleaned up. But it was enough that it was 1-0, and we couldn’t get it back.”
Once they got in sync, the Trojans had several standouts.
“Arlinda and Elizabeth (Hodonicky) played really well in the back pretty much start to finish. And Ellie (Metros) fought really well in the middle and she did a nice job composing us, because from the beginning I felt like we were frantic except for her.
“And Carly Nehls up front was playing right front most of the game, and she worked so hard and made a lot of things happen. She got a lot of good crosses, she earned some corners, so she’s done a nice job.”
After Salvino’s header goal on the restart, the Lions knew they were in a nip-and-tuck match.
“It was 50-50 the whole time,” Salvino said.
The Trojans lost 1-0 to the Lions last year in Western Springs.
“They always come out really hard against us,” Scott said. “I know we’re a big rival of theirs and good competition. It’s awesome playing against them.
“Coming out we knew this was going to be a big game, but we showed up to play and so did they. We battled it out, and it was good to get that goal. But it was a battle.”
Lanspeary had his own praise for the Downers North effort.
“They bottled us up a little defensively,” he said. “We’d get going forward and they seemed to have numbers back. We didn’t do a good enough job stretching the field. But they’re a good team for sure.”
The Lions had steady play throughout their own lineup: Jenna Fuller and Katie Hamor made nice plays late in the first half to repel attacks, and Murphy stepped in front of a Downers North offensive zone throw-in with 7:05 left for a steal and start of a counterattack.
After a 4-0-2 start this season, the Lions unexpectedly dropped three games in a row as the No. 2 seed at the PepsiCo Showdown. But Lyons appears back on track heading into the key stretch of the season: the resumption of Naperville Invitational play, and then the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title match at Hinsdale Central next Tuesday.
“I think we’ve just come together a little bit,” Lanspeary said. “We’ve kind of circled the wagons. We lost a (first round PepsiCo) game that shook us a little bit, and then sometimes playing in that consolation bracket...that was just our kids getting down on themselves a little bit.
“But we got back up for the Naperville Tournament and played well against Naperville North, and they’re obviously very good. And we played well against Oswego (a shutout win Saturday). It’s been nice to see this team respond and get stronger from some of those losses.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Lidia Breen
D: Katie Hamor
D: Sheila Murphy
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Izy Scott
M: Kim Vitek
M: Jenna Fuller
M: Kristen Janicki
F: Margaret Lynch
F: Grace Salvino
F: Mary Devine
Downers Grove North
GK: Grace Stevenson
D: Arlinda Osmani
D: Alyse Dutcher
D: Elizabeth Hodonicky
D: Kacey Ford
M: Ellie Metros
M: Maggie Nevrly
M: Delaney Forst
M: Jessica Ridderhoff
F: Emily Redpath
F: Lexi Cittadine
MVP of Match: Izy Scott, D, Lyons