Present and future of Lane in full display
Indians roll to Premier Division win over Washington
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Lena Price-Johnson is the face of the Lane program. She's brainy, capable, disciplined and marked by passion. She is also an embodiment of the program’s past achievements and a bridge to its future -- the beacon that shows the way going forward.
“She is so determined and such a great leader, it has been a great honor to play with her these last few years,” junior Lane defender Izzy Oganovich said. “She is a great person on and off the field. As a player she is a threat anywhere, super fast and strong. I just love the way that she plays.”
The younger Indians honored their mentor and leader with spirited play and ideal chemistry as Oganovich and freshman midfielder Camaron Niforos scored two goals each as the Indians, ranked no. 21 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, smashed Washington 8-0 Monday in its celebration of Senior Night.
Six different players scored for the Indians (6-2-3), who set a season high for goals in a game. All the scoring happened in the final 47 minutes of play.
Fittingly, Price-Johnson, Lane’s only senior, punctuated the victory by drilling a free kick from about 21 yards out in the 80th minute.
If anything, Lane was almost too adrenalized at the start to honor Price-Johnson, who is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) next year, where she is still deciding whether or not she is going to play soccer.
“I think we were not frantic or nervous, but a little anxious at the start,” Oganovich said. “We were all excited and hyped up and wanted to play well, but I think once we started connecting our passes more and getting a feel for the game, I thought we played pretty well.”
Price-Johnson was naturally a little caught up in the moment as well. She had the best scoring chance in the 24th minute, controlling a sharp service from defender Kinuko Mrozik inside the six for a prime scoring opportunity, only to push her shot wide off frame.
“I definitely felt pressure because it was Senior Night,” Price-Johnson said. “Typically on Senior Night, every senior scores. I really wanted to score, but the way Washington was playing, they were putting a lot of pressure on the forwards. The majority of our goals tonight were scored by midfielders, because they generally had less pressure on them.”
Despite the final margin, Washington keeper Karla Leezma played well. She was active and very aggressive in cutting off the Indians’ angle of attack. She recorded nine saves, the vast majority from tough placement.
Washington (6-6-0, 0-4-0) struggled to establish any kind of counter rhythm or action to disrupt Lane’s monopoly on possession time. Lane so thoroughly controlled possession that the entirely of the game was played in the scoring third.
Oganovich broke through in the 33rd minute. Sophomore midfielder Kayla Dutton slotted a ball to her on the left wing from about 19 yards and her quick one-touch was beautifully placed and out of the reach of Leezma.
The skilled and versatile Oganovich scored her first two goals of the year. She has the ability to play multiple positions on the field. Starting in the back, she moved to the middle of the Indians’ attack.
“I feel like I can be a threat on defense and offense,” Oganovich. “We had possession most of the time, and that made it easier to push up and be more involved in the field of play. I really do not have a preference of where I play. I like to be a part of the offense. It’s always feels good to score. I also love that feeling when you stop the other team.”
Her first loosened up the Indians and propelled the Washington into a downward spiral. Lane quickly gained ever greater confidence and sureness.
Camaron Niforos took the baton from Oganovich, offering a glimpse of the next generation of talent for the Indians. Her older sister Anastasia Niforos was a standout who played on three city championship teams for Lane.
She made the most of her extended opportunities in turning the game into a rout by scoring two goals and recording a beautiful assist off a corner kick during a 13-minute burst from the end of the half to the beginning of play in the second half.
Camaron Niforos earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her excellent play. In the 37th minute, another talented Lane freshman, midfielder Leigh Lindgren worked the ball down the right edge and crossed to sophomore forward Grace Dunaway. She quickly switched the ball to Niforos, who was flanked on the left wing.
Niforos finished with a powerful left-footed blast for the first goal of her career.
“I am actually coming off an injury,” Niforos said. “I had an ACL tear, and I did not play this fall. I did not feel that confident until now. I knew today, since we were playing a team we were expected to beat, I thought this could be a game where I could go in, play harder, be aggressive and hopefully get a goal or something.”
The two end-of-the-first-half goals changed the complexion of the game.
“I thought we did a great job of playing and being competitive in the first half,” Washington coach Rafael Ramirez Jr. said. “On that first goal, my defender missed a clearance, and if they don’t score and we go to the game at halftime zero-zero, maybe it’s a different game. I feel like my kids played their hearts out.
“Lane has too many quality players. They are in the city championship every year. We were chasing them more than being on them, and we just got tired out. When the other team possesses as well as Lane, you are bound to get tired. If you make mistakes, they make you pay for it.”
The onslaught simply overwhelmed Leezma, a freshman who showed considerable moxie and fight in holding off the Indians for as long as she did. She made a superb point blank stop of Lane junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan in the 44th minute.
Lane’s depth wore out the Patriots.
Niforos returned to the game early in the second half, and she immediately made an impact. She scored her second goal with another beautifully placed left-footed shot from 21 yards for the 3-0 Lane advantage in the 50th minute.
Her most impressive action followed in the 55th minute. Lane’s constant pressure yielded recurrent corner kicks. Niforos served a terrific ball that Jordan volleyed on the fly for the backbreaking 4-0 lead.
“In the first half when we were possessing we were not possessing to go forward,” Niforos said. “We talked about that at halftime, and we were back in and had a much better game and we were playing with much more urgency. I think once we got something on the scoreboard everybody had a better mindset.”
Oganovich and sophomore midfielder Caryle Makuch recorded back-to-back goals. Sophomore defender Sam Sorich, the Indians’ long-range free kick specialist, also drilled a long and looping kick from about 40 yards.
“In the beginning of the game, it was really hard for us to connect our passes and get a feel for how this team was playing,” Jordan said. “Once Izzy and Cam scored, it got us focused and we definitely wanted to score some more. The early goals kickstarted everything and our energy boosted up.”
Starting lineups
Washington
GK: Karla Leezma
D: Guadalupe Sanchez
D: Dalia Ramos
D: Nadia Arrambula
D: Angelita Catalan
MF: Carina Ramon
MF: Anais Ruvalcaba
MF: Maritza Moreno
MF: Esmralda Avila
F: Yuridsa Loza
F: Karina Salazar
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Sam Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Carlye Makuch
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Lena Price-Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Camaron Niforos, fr., MF, Lane
Indians roll to Premier Division win over Washington
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Lena Price-Johnson is the face of the Lane program. She's brainy, capable, disciplined and marked by passion. She is also an embodiment of the program’s past achievements and a bridge to its future -- the beacon that shows the way going forward.
“She is so determined and such a great leader, it has been a great honor to play with her these last few years,” junior Lane defender Izzy Oganovich said. “She is a great person on and off the field. As a player she is a threat anywhere, super fast and strong. I just love the way that she plays.”
The younger Indians honored their mentor and leader with spirited play and ideal chemistry as Oganovich and freshman midfielder Camaron Niforos scored two goals each as the Indians, ranked no. 21 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, smashed Washington 8-0 Monday in its celebration of Senior Night.
Six different players scored for the Indians (6-2-3), who set a season high for goals in a game. All the scoring happened in the final 47 minutes of play.
Fittingly, Price-Johnson, Lane’s only senior, punctuated the victory by drilling a free kick from about 21 yards out in the 80th minute.
If anything, Lane was almost too adrenalized at the start to honor Price-Johnson, who is attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) next year, where she is still deciding whether or not she is going to play soccer.
“I think we were not frantic or nervous, but a little anxious at the start,” Oganovich said. “We were all excited and hyped up and wanted to play well, but I think once we started connecting our passes more and getting a feel for the game, I thought we played pretty well.”
Price-Johnson was naturally a little caught up in the moment as well. She had the best scoring chance in the 24th minute, controlling a sharp service from defender Kinuko Mrozik inside the six for a prime scoring opportunity, only to push her shot wide off frame.
“I definitely felt pressure because it was Senior Night,” Price-Johnson said. “Typically on Senior Night, every senior scores. I really wanted to score, but the way Washington was playing, they were putting a lot of pressure on the forwards. The majority of our goals tonight were scored by midfielders, because they generally had less pressure on them.”
Despite the final margin, Washington keeper Karla Leezma played well. She was active and very aggressive in cutting off the Indians’ angle of attack. She recorded nine saves, the vast majority from tough placement.
Washington (6-6-0, 0-4-0) struggled to establish any kind of counter rhythm or action to disrupt Lane’s monopoly on possession time. Lane so thoroughly controlled possession that the entirely of the game was played in the scoring third.
Oganovich broke through in the 33rd minute. Sophomore midfielder Kayla Dutton slotted a ball to her on the left wing from about 19 yards and her quick one-touch was beautifully placed and out of the reach of Leezma.
The skilled and versatile Oganovich scored her first two goals of the year. She has the ability to play multiple positions on the field. Starting in the back, she moved to the middle of the Indians’ attack.
“I feel like I can be a threat on defense and offense,” Oganovich. “We had possession most of the time, and that made it easier to push up and be more involved in the field of play. I really do not have a preference of where I play. I like to be a part of the offense. It’s always feels good to score. I also love that feeling when you stop the other team.”
Her first loosened up the Indians and propelled the Washington into a downward spiral. Lane quickly gained ever greater confidence and sureness.
Camaron Niforos took the baton from Oganovich, offering a glimpse of the next generation of talent for the Indians. Her older sister Anastasia Niforos was a standout who played on three city championship teams for Lane.
She made the most of her extended opportunities in turning the game into a rout by scoring two goals and recording a beautiful assist off a corner kick during a 13-minute burst from the end of the half to the beginning of play in the second half.
Camaron Niforos earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her excellent play. In the 37th minute, another talented Lane freshman, midfielder Leigh Lindgren worked the ball down the right edge and crossed to sophomore forward Grace Dunaway. She quickly switched the ball to Niforos, who was flanked on the left wing.
Niforos finished with a powerful left-footed blast for the first goal of her career.
“I am actually coming off an injury,” Niforos said. “I had an ACL tear, and I did not play this fall. I did not feel that confident until now. I knew today, since we were playing a team we were expected to beat, I thought this could be a game where I could go in, play harder, be aggressive and hopefully get a goal or something.”
The two end-of-the-first-half goals changed the complexion of the game.
“I thought we did a great job of playing and being competitive in the first half,” Washington coach Rafael Ramirez Jr. said. “On that first goal, my defender missed a clearance, and if they don’t score and we go to the game at halftime zero-zero, maybe it’s a different game. I feel like my kids played their hearts out.
“Lane has too many quality players. They are in the city championship every year. We were chasing them more than being on them, and we just got tired out. When the other team possesses as well as Lane, you are bound to get tired. If you make mistakes, they make you pay for it.”
The onslaught simply overwhelmed Leezma, a freshman who showed considerable moxie and fight in holding off the Indians for as long as she did. She made a superb point blank stop of Lane junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan in the 44th minute.
Lane’s depth wore out the Patriots.
Niforos returned to the game early in the second half, and she immediately made an impact. She scored her second goal with another beautifully placed left-footed shot from 21 yards for the 3-0 Lane advantage in the 50th minute.
Her most impressive action followed in the 55th minute. Lane’s constant pressure yielded recurrent corner kicks. Niforos served a terrific ball that Jordan volleyed on the fly for the backbreaking 4-0 lead.
“In the first half when we were possessing we were not possessing to go forward,” Niforos said. “We talked about that at halftime, and we were back in and had a much better game and we were playing with much more urgency. I think once we got something on the scoreboard everybody had a better mindset.”
Oganovich and sophomore midfielder Caryle Makuch recorded back-to-back goals. Sophomore defender Sam Sorich, the Indians’ long-range free kick specialist, also drilled a long and looping kick from about 40 yards.
“In the beginning of the game, it was really hard for us to connect our passes and get a feel for how this team was playing,” Jordan said. “Once Izzy and Cam scored, it got us focused and we definitely wanted to score some more. The early goals kickstarted everything and our energy boosted up.”
Starting lineups
Washington
GK: Karla Leezma
D: Guadalupe Sanchez
D: Dalia Ramos
D: Nadia Arrambula
D: Angelita Catalan
MF: Carina Ramon
MF: Anais Ruvalcaba
MF: Maritza Moreno
MF: Esmralda Avila
F: Yuridsa Loza
F: Karina Salazar
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Sam Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Carlye Makuch
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Lena Price-Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Camaron Niforos, fr., MF, Lane