Persistence pays off for Lyons vs. OPRF
Frequent pressure finally pay off in 3-1 home win over Huskies
By Dave Owen
WESTERN SPRINGS -- The story line in Lyons' 3-1 win Friday over Oak Park and River Forest couldn’t have been scripted.
The Lions peppered the net with seven shots on goal inside the box in the first 30 minutes of play, while the Huskies’ lone quality chance 14:57 before halftime resulted in a 1-0 OPRF lead.
But Lyons' perseverance and some once-elusive luck would eventually pay off.
After Jenna Fuller’s goal off a nice Erin Smothers assist tied the game 1-1 with 7:13 left in the first half, the Lions (3-1-1, 2-0-0 in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division) struck in the second half on a Catherine Johnson penalty kick and an improbable goal by Bella Lestina with 11:35 left cemented the win over the Huskies (2-4-0, 0-2-0).
Lestina’s goal was the capper to a day of unlikely events. The junior forward had six shots on frame, three requiring diving saves. Finally, her goal came on a seemingly harmless 28-yard send on net that somehow skipped through the legs of the OPRF goalkeeper.
“One of my best,” Lestina joked of her fifth goal of the season. “I had no idea (it went in). I turned around (to go upfield), and everyone was cheering. I’ll take it.”
Showing great resiliency, Oak Park and River Forest second half goalkeeper Caitlin Kenoian followed three minutes later with the best save of the match by either side – a diving deflection wide of Lestina’s 12-yard rocket destined for the lower left corner.
“You feel for the keeper (on the Lestina goal), She had a ton of great saves,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “And she bounced back with a really nice save.”
Bouncing back was one of the themes of the day for both sides.
The Lions had OPRF starting goalkeeper Alex Hampton's attention from the start, with an Eileen Murphy shot wide 30 seconds in.
In the first 10 minutes, Hampton made four saves on shots inside 15 yards, including a diving stop at the post of a Lestina low 15-yarder off a Smothers pass.
Lestina was again denied in the 14th minute, as Hampton made a diving catch of a 15-yarder off a left side drive. Lestina and Eileen Murphy followed in the next two minutes with quality shots wide of the net, adding to a frustrating collection of near misses.
“A lot of chances,” Lestina said. “We didn’t put them all away, but I thought we did well creating them. We had so many of them, and we didn’t let them get many either.”
But OPRF’s first decent chance with 14:57 left in the first half sent the Lyons frustration to new levels.
After the Lions' Meara Hilling initially cleared the box on a Grace Huettel corner kick, a resend by OPRF’s Emma Smith resulted in a scramble at the right post and a point-blank goal by Ashley Gerin for a 1-0 Huskies’ lead.
“She’s one of our senior captains, a four-year starter,” OPRF coach Ignacio Ponce said of Gerin. “She’s played very well to this point, and she was a scrappy player to get in there.
“She’s very skillful – she holds the ball in the middle and is a strong attacker. She was in the right place and capitalized on the opportunity. She’s one of our leaders in the program.”
In one of the grand quirks of soccer, the team that had dominated play suddenly trailed 1-0.
“Their keeper made a bunch of nice saves, and some (shots) we didn’t hit real well,” Lanspeary said. “But you start worrying when you don’t finish those chances that something like that can happen.
“But it lit a fire under us and we bounced back, which was nice to see.”
Three more Lyons chances came quickly – a Hilling 15-yard shot over the net in the 27th minute; a Fuller right side free kick over the net 11:10 before halftime, and Hampton’s diving save of a Lestina 8-yard shot 50 seconds later.
Finally, a payoff for the relentless effort came 7:13 before halftime. Smothers’ cross found Fuller in front for a 6-yard drive into the lower left corner of the net, and a 1-1 tie.
“Erin won the ball in the midfield and took it to the sideline like we practice all the time, then crossed it in,” said Fuller of her third goal of 2017. “I just put it to the far post to finish it off.
“I think it really changed the momentum of the game. It got us back in the game – we were a little down. After they scored we beat ourselves up a little bit, so it was good to get the goal and get back in it before the half.”
Fuller nearly scored again with 3:50 left in the half, as her long run up the left side ended with a Hampton block save at the left post.
“Really no major adjustments, just limit their chances,” Lanspeary said of his halftime message. “And talking to the kids that ‘I don’t know how many more chances we’re going to get, we have to start putting them in.’ Sometimes the first couple don’t go in, and it gets in your head a little bit.”
Said Fuller: “We were playing a good game, and I just knew we had to stay with our game and not fall into whatever they were doing. We had to stay with what we were doing, and we were going to finish our chances eventually.”
Kenoian entered at goalkeeper for OPRF to start the second half, and faced the ultimate test immediately.
After Murphy was tripped in the box going for a loose ball, the ensuing penalty kick by Johnson put Lyons up 2-1.
Murphy’s effort that produced the deciding PK epitomized her play all match.
“Eileen’s a dynamic player,” Lanspeary said. “She was making some moves in the middle of the play, taking kids on and either creating things for herself or setting up other kids, which is great. That one (for the PK) she got in herself and got tripped up a little bit.”
Ponce summed up the swing of emotions and momentum on OPRF’s side.
“Striking first was awesome – it motivated us,” he said. “Then coming into the second half about 90 seconds in they scored on the PK, which was questionable in my opinion.
“I thought we came out in the second half much stronger, and showed we can compete with them.”
The Lions had fewer chances in the final 40 minutes than in their first half blitz but still were dangerous.
Off a 37-yard free kick by Johnson with 25:40 left, Kenoian made a nice diving block at the left post of Mary Devine’s 6-yard header.
Then on an Elsa McMahon send to the far post with 22:40 to go, Fuller won the race to the ball and shot towards an open net – but the chance was deflected just wide by OPRF’s Hope Nowak.
The Huskies’ increased second half chances included a Cedella Breitenstein steal and 35-yard shot on goal with 23:35 left, and a Huettel shot wide left with 12:45 to go.
But outside of the goal, Oak Park and River Forest's threats in the box were limited.
“Our backs have done a good job of limiting things,” Lanspeary said. “None of them have stood out – defenders often don’t. But they’ve done a nice job. And Erin Smothers in the middle has been great.”
Lestina’s fortunate bounce goal (off a Hilling assist) then gave the Lions a 3-1 lead, and the hosts had the best chances the rest of the way – Kenoian’s great save on Lestina, a Lestina corner kick that curled just beyond the back post with 8:20 left, and a Hilling shot high off the left post with 6:15 to go.
“It’s a nice conference win – they (OPRF) always play tough,” Lanspeary said. “We’re just trying to get better. We have to move the ball a little faster and clean up our touch a little bit. But overall for this point of the season I’m pretty happy where we are.”
Added Lestina: We have things to improve on, like finishing today, but I think we’re pretty good right now.”
The Lions followed their Friday win with a first round victory over Hinsdale South in the PepsiCo Showdown. Lyons advances to a quarterfinal match against no. 1 seed St. Charles North on Thursday.
Starting lineups
OPRF
GK Alex Hampton
D Emma Smith
D Samantha Gurrola
D Quinn Berleman
D Charlotte Melche
M Cedella Breitenstein
M Katherine Bauhs
M Grace Huettel
M Ellena Anillo
F Allie Saraceno
F Ashley Gerin
Lyons
GK Claire Purcell
D Catherine Johnson
D Caroline Murphy
D Sarah Fitzgerald
D Kaelan Lee
M Erin Smothers
M Eileen Murphy
M Maggie Gilchrist
M Mary Devine
F Bella Lestina
F Jenna Fuller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jenna Fuller, sr., F, Lyons
Frequent pressure finally pay off in 3-1 home win over Huskies
By Dave Owen
WESTERN SPRINGS -- The story line in Lyons' 3-1 win Friday over Oak Park and River Forest couldn’t have been scripted.
The Lions peppered the net with seven shots on goal inside the box in the first 30 minutes of play, while the Huskies’ lone quality chance 14:57 before halftime resulted in a 1-0 OPRF lead.
But Lyons' perseverance and some once-elusive luck would eventually pay off.
After Jenna Fuller’s goal off a nice Erin Smothers assist tied the game 1-1 with 7:13 left in the first half, the Lions (3-1-1, 2-0-0 in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division) struck in the second half on a Catherine Johnson penalty kick and an improbable goal by Bella Lestina with 11:35 left cemented the win over the Huskies (2-4-0, 0-2-0).
Lestina’s goal was the capper to a day of unlikely events. The junior forward had six shots on frame, three requiring diving saves. Finally, her goal came on a seemingly harmless 28-yard send on net that somehow skipped through the legs of the OPRF goalkeeper.
“One of my best,” Lestina joked of her fifth goal of the season. “I had no idea (it went in). I turned around (to go upfield), and everyone was cheering. I’ll take it.”
Showing great resiliency, Oak Park and River Forest second half goalkeeper Caitlin Kenoian followed three minutes later with the best save of the match by either side – a diving deflection wide of Lestina’s 12-yard rocket destined for the lower left corner.
“You feel for the keeper (on the Lestina goal), She had a ton of great saves,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “And she bounced back with a really nice save.”
Bouncing back was one of the themes of the day for both sides.
The Lions had OPRF starting goalkeeper Alex Hampton's attention from the start, with an Eileen Murphy shot wide 30 seconds in.
In the first 10 minutes, Hampton made four saves on shots inside 15 yards, including a diving stop at the post of a Lestina low 15-yarder off a Smothers pass.
Lestina was again denied in the 14th minute, as Hampton made a diving catch of a 15-yarder off a left side drive. Lestina and Eileen Murphy followed in the next two minutes with quality shots wide of the net, adding to a frustrating collection of near misses.
“A lot of chances,” Lestina said. “We didn’t put them all away, but I thought we did well creating them. We had so many of them, and we didn’t let them get many either.”
But OPRF’s first decent chance with 14:57 left in the first half sent the Lyons frustration to new levels.
After the Lions' Meara Hilling initially cleared the box on a Grace Huettel corner kick, a resend by OPRF’s Emma Smith resulted in a scramble at the right post and a point-blank goal by Ashley Gerin for a 1-0 Huskies’ lead.
“She’s one of our senior captains, a four-year starter,” OPRF coach Ignacio Ponce said of Gerin. “She’s played very well to this point, and she was a scrappy player to get in there.
“She’s very skillful – she holds the ball in the middle and is a strong attacker. She was in the right place and capitalized on the opportunity. She’s one of our leaders in the program.”
In one of the grand quirks of soccer, the team that had dominated play suddenly trailed 1-0.
“Their keeper made a bunch of nice saves, and some (shots) we didn’t hit real well,” Lanspeary said. “But you start worrying when you don’t finish those chances that something like that can happen.
“But it lit a fire under us and we bounced back, which was nice to see.”
Three more Lyons chances came quickly – a Hilling 15-yard shot over the net in the 27th minute; a Fuller right side free kick over the net 11:10 before halftime, and Hampton’s diving save of a Lestina 8-yard shot 50 seconds later.
Finally, a payoff for the relentless effort came 7:13 before halftime. Smothers’ cross found Fuller in front for a 6-yard drive into the lower left corner of the net, and a 1-1 tie.
“Erin won the ball in the midfield and took it to the sideline like we practice all the time, then crossed it in,” said Fuller of her third goal of 2017. “I just put it to the far post to finish it off.
“I think it really changed the momentum of the game. It got us back in the game – we were a little down. After they scored we beat ourselves up a little bit, so it was good to get the goal and get back in it before the half.”
Fuller nearly scored again with 3:50 left in the half, as her long run up the left side ended with a Hampton block save at the left post.
“Really no major adjustments, just limit their chances,” Lanspeary said of his halftime message. “And talking to the kids that ‘I don’t know how many more chances we’re going to get, we have to start putting them in.’ Sometimes the first couple don’t go in, and it gets in your head a little bit.”
Said Fuller: “We were playing a good game, and I just knew we had to stay with our game and not fall into whatever they were doing. We had to stay with what we were doing, and we were going to finish our chances eventually.”
Kenoian entered at goalkeeper for OPRF to start the second half, and faced the ultimate test immediately.
After Murphy was tripped in the box going for a loose ball, the ensuing penalty kick by Johnson put Lyons up 2-1.
Murphy’s effort that produced the deciding PK epitomized her play all match.
“Eileen’s a dynamic player,” Lanspeary said. “She was making some moves in the middle of the play, taking kids on and either creating things for herself or setting up other kids, which is great. That one (for the PK) she got in herself and got tripped up a little bit.”
Ponce summed up the swing of emotions and momentum on OPRF’s side.
“Striking first was awesome – it motivated us,” he said. “Then coming into the second half about 90 seconds in they scored on the PK, which was questionable in my opinion.
“I thought we came out in the second half much stronger, and showed we can compete with them.”
The Lions had fewer chances in the final 40 minutes than in their first half blitz but still were dangerous.
Off a 37-yard free kick by Johnson with 25:40 left, Kenoian made a nice diving block at the left post of Mary Devine’s 6-yard header.
Then on an Elsa McMahon send to the far post with 22:40 to go, Fuller won the race to the ball and shot towards an open net – but the chance was deflected just wide by OPRF’s Hope Nowak.
The Huskies’ increased second half chances included a Cedella Breitenstein steal and 35-yard shot on goal with 23:35 left, and a Huettel shot wide left with 12:45 to go.
But outside of the goal, Oak Park and River Forest's threats in the box were limited.
“Our backs have done a good job of limiting things,” Lanspeary said. “None of them have stood out – defenders often don’t. But they’ve done a nice job. And Erin Smothers in the middle has been great.”
Lestina’s fortunate bounce goal (off a Hilling assist) then gave the Lions a 3-1 lead, and the hosts had the best chances the rest of the way – Kenoian’s great save on Lestina, a Lestina corner kick that curled just beyond the back post with 8:20 left, and a Hilling shot high off the left post with 6:15 to go.
“It’s a nice conference win – they (OPRF) always play tough,” Lanspeary said. “We’re just trying to get better. We have to move the ball a little faster and clean up our touch a little bit. But overall for this point of the season I’m pretty happy where we are.”
Added Lestina: We have things to improve on, like finishing today, but I think we’re pretty good right now.”
The Lions followed their Friday win with a first round victory over Hinsdale South in the PepsiCo Showdown. Lyons advances to a quarterfinal match against no. 1 seed St. Charles North on Thursday.
Starting lineups
OPRF
GK Alex Hampton
D Emma Smith
D Samantha Gurrola
D Quinn Berleman
D Charlotte Melche
M Cedella Breitenstein
M Katherine Bauhs
M Grace Huettel
M Ellena Anillo
F Allie Saraceno
F Ashley Gerin
Lyons
GK Claire Purcell
D Catherine Johnson
D Caroline Murphy
D Sarah Fitzgerald
D Kaelan Lee
M Erin Smothers
M Eileen Murphy
M Maggie Gilchrist
M Mary Devine
F Bella Lestina
F Jenna Fuller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jenna Fuller, sr., F, Lyons