Four scores send Lyons
into 7th heaven
Showdown with St. Charles North turns into rout
By Matt Le Cren
LA GRANGE -– St. Charles North has already lost two starters to season-ending injuries.
Captain Colin Kraft, a senior defender, broke his leg against Geneva in the third game of the year, and sophomore midfielder David Gorniak suffered a broken collarbone against Larkin.
Despite that, the North Stars took a four-game winning streak and impressive 7-2-1 record into Thursday’s PepsiCo Showdown quarterfinal against host Lyons.
But what was expected to be a close battle instead turned into a stunning rout. The third-seeded Lions scored four goals in the first 28 minutes and rolled to a 4-1 victory over No. 6 St. Charles North.
The win sends the Lions (10-2) into Saturday’s tournament semifinals against No. 2 New Trier, a 1-0 winner over seventh-seeded Lane Tech, which knocked the Lions out of the Showdown last year.
St. Charles North's slow start was unexpected.
“I’m surprised,” North Stars coach Eric Willson said. “I think that we came out pretty flat. The execution of our game plan was nonexistent.
“That being said, if you do that against this team, they will make you pay. I’ve seen and we’ve played some really good teams this year. That’s the most impressive team I’ve seen to this point.”
The Lions were impressive from the opening whistle, pressuring the North Stars and seemingly outhustling them to every loose ball. The North Stars were made to appear to be running in sand, though the surface was grass.
“I thought we had really good possession today,” Lyons forward Cole Gilchrist said. “[St. Charles North is a] good team, but I thought we passed well and finished our chances.”
Gilchrist delivered the first finish just 3:44 into the match. Several Lions strung together a series of nice passes, with Daniel Gutierrez feeding the ball into the box to Gilchrist for a composed finish into the upper right corner of the net.
The Lions nearly had another goal just a minute later, but North Stars goalie Kevin Sabres made a diving save to stop Harry Hilling’s 25-yard free kick, then quickly covered up the rebound before LT’s John Mazur could get to it.
But the reprieve proved to be temporary.
Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, senior forward Patrick Duncan, struck for two goals within a span of 1:38 to increase the lead to 3-0.
Gilchrist got the assist, sending a pass into the left side of the box to Duncan, who muscled his way by two defenders before beating Sabres with a short shot inside the right post.
“The ball got slotted to me by Cole, and I touched it around a defender and just sort of nudged my way in there and slid it underneath the keeper,” Duncan said. “Fortunately it was able to go in.”
“That was great on Pat’s part,” Gilchrist said. “I just hit it into him, and he did the rest. Props to him on that.”
Then the North Stars were whistled for a hand ball in the box, and Duncan converted the penalty kick with 23:01 left in the first half.
The Lions made it 4-0 at the 12:30 mark off another set piece. This time Camilo Drobny triggered it, sending a 25-yard free kick from the right corner in front to Diego Lopez, who headed the ball forward to Gutierrez for a short header from the back post.
That took all the suspense out of the match, which surprised people on both squads.
“It was surprising for us too because we know that they’re a really tough team,” Duncan said. “We got really excited before the game, so it was good for us to come out and get ahead early and get some stuff going up top.”
The seeds of the fast start were planted in the wake of Lions’ 2-0 second-round victory Tuesday over Wheaton Warrenville South.
“I think we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get a couple more goals in our last game, though Wheaton was a good team,” Duncan said. “So we just came out with a little more fire today and decided we were going to dictate to play. Luckily, we were able to move the ball a lot and do well.”
Gilchrist expressed similar sentiments.
“I think we lacked in the game before, so we wanted to prove that we wanted this win,” Gilchrist said. “We stepped it up in urgency and put in a tough game.”
Lyons' high-powered offense has produced 38 goals, slightly more than three per game. The Lions now expect to produce every game.
“That’s what we shoot for,” Duncan said. “We shoot to score as many goals as we can. It’s easy when you have such a solid back line, so we feel comfortable going forward with a lot of numbers.
“Leo [Gabrek] has been a stud back there all season. Him and Mazur don’t get enough credit for that. They make it easier for us up top, so we have a lot more freedom.”
Indeed, the North Stars were able to get behind the LT defense only once, that coming with 21 seconds left in the first half when Lorenzo Estrada scored off an assist from Chris Watson to finish a 3-on-2 break.
That gave the visitors at least a hope of a second-half comeback, but it wasn’t to be. While the North Stars gave up just four shots after intermission, they mustered only three of their own, one of which went wide. LT goalie Donald Darrus made routine saves on the other two.
“They’re not only really technical on the ball and move it really well, but I was really impressed with their transition defense,” Willson said. “They sprint after a ball as soon as they lose it. They are high energy and a really good soccer team, and if you come out flat ... 4-1.”
Neither side has much time to dwell on the result. St. Charles North falls into the consolation pool but will play Leyden (5-2-1) on Saturday.
“I think sports psychology will tell you you learn from this but you have a short memory and you move on,” Willson said.
“This game needs to be gone. We try to come back and get a win on Saturday and back in the form that we’ve been playing.”
Meanwhile, the Lions will try to retain the form that has them on a five-game winning streak and continue their tradition of success in the Showdown. LT has reached the final four times since 2006, winning it in 2012. They lost to Lane in the semifinals last year.
“We’re excited,” Gilchrist said. “We’re looking forward to Saturday’s game. We know it’s going to be tough, so we’re going to come out strong and hopefully put a couple away.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
GK Kevin Sabres
D Brandon Strickers
D Nick Graham
D Carter Held
D Garret Morgando
M Ryan Olson
M Luke Denson
M Hanson Hagemann
F Jonathon Acevedo
F Lorenzo Estrada
F Chris Watson
Lyons
GK Donald Darrus
D Daniel Thomas
D Tim Nolan
D Leo Gabrek
D John Mazur
D Nick Economou
M Harry Hilling
M Paul Falup
F Daniel Gutierrez
F Cole Gilchrist
F Patrick Duncan
Man of the Match: Patrick Duncan, Lyons
into 7th heaven
Showdown with St. Charles North turns into rout
By Matt Le Cren
LA GRANGE -– St. Charles North has already lost two starters to season-ending injuries.
Captain Colin Kraft, a senior defender, broke his leg against Geneva in the third game of the year, and sophomore midfielder David Gorniak suffered a broken collarbone against Larkin.
Despite that, the North Stars took a four-game winning streak and impressive 7-2-1 record into Thursday’s PepsiCo Showdown quarterfinal against host Lyons.
But what was expected to be a close battle instead turned into a stunning rout. The third-seeded Lions scored four goals in the first 28 minutes and rolled to a 4-1 victory over No. 6 St. Charles North.
The win sends the Lions (10-2) into Saturday’s tournament semifinals against No. 2 New Trier, a 1-0 winner over seventh-seeded Lane Tech, which knocked the Lions out of the Showdown last year.
St. Charles North's slow start was unexpected.
“I’m surprised,” North Stars coach Eric Willson said. “I think that we came out pretty flat. The execution of our game plan was nonexistent.
“That being said, if you do that against this team, they will make you pay. I’ve seen and we’ve played some really good teams this year. That’s the most impressive team I’ve seen to this point.”
The Lions were impressive from the opening whistle, pressuring the North Stars and seemingly outhustling them to every loose ball. The North Stars were made to appear to be running in sand, though the surface was grass.
“I thought we had really good possession today,” Lyons forward Cole Gilchrist said. “[St. Charles North is a] good team, but I thought we passed well and finished our chances.”
Gilchrist delivered the first finish just 3:44 into the match. Several Lions strung together a series of nice passes, with Daniel Gutierrez feeding the ball into the box to Gilchrist for a composed finish into the upper right corner of the net.
The Lions nearly had another goal just a minute later, but North Stars goalie Kevin Sabres made a diving save to stop Harry Hilling’s 25-yard free kick, then quickly covered up the rebound before LT’s John Mazur could get to it.
But the reprieve proved to be temporary.
Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match, senior forward Patrick Duncan, struck for two goals within a span of 1:38 to increase the lead to 3-0.
Gilchrist got the assist, sending a pass into the left side of the box to Duncan, who muscled his way by two defenders before beating Sabres with a short shot inside the right post.
“The ball got slotted to me by Cole, and I touched it around a defender and just sort of nudged my way in there and slid it underneath the keeper,” Duncan said. “Fortunately it was able to go in.”
“That was great on Pat’s part,” Gilchrist said. “I just hit it into him, and he did the rest. Props to him on that.”
Then the North Stars were whistled for a hand ball in the box, and Duncan converted the penalty kick with 23:01 left in the first half.
The Lions made it 4-0 at the 12:30 mark off another set piece. This time Camilo Drobny triggered it, sending a 25-yard free kick from the right corner in front to Diego Lopez, who headed the ball forward to Gutierrez for a short header from the back post.
That took all the suspense out of the match, which surprised people on both squads.
“It was surprising for us too because we know that they’re a really tough team,” Duncan said. “We got really excited before the game, so it was good for us to come out and get ahead early and get some stuff going up top.”
The seeds of the fast start were planted in the wake of Lions’ 2-0 second-round victory Tuesday over Wheaton Warrenville South.
“I think we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get a couple more goals in our last game, though Wheaton was a good team,” Duncan said. “So we just came out with a little more fire today and decided we were going to dictate to play. Luckily, we were able to move the ball a lot and do well.”
Gilchrist expressed similar sentiments.
“I think we lacked in the game before, so we wanted to prove that we wanted this win,” Gilchrist said. “We stepped it up in urgency and put in a tough game.”
Lyons' high-powered offense has produced 38 goals, slightly more than three per game. The Lions now expect to produce every game.
“That’s what we shoot for,” Duncan said. “We shoot to score as many goals as we can. It’s easy when you have such a solid back line, so we feel comfortable going forward with a lot of numbers.
“Leo [Gabrek] has been a stud back there all season. Him and Mazur don’t get enough credit for that. They make it easier for us up top, so we have a lot more freedom.”
Indeed, the North Stars were able to get behind the LT defense only once, that coming with 21 seconds left in the first half when Lorenzo Estrada scored off an assist from Chris Watson to finish a 3-on-2 break.
That gave the visitors at least a hope of a second-half comeback, but it wasn’t to be. While the North Stars gave up just four shots after intermission, they mustered only three of their own, one of which went wide. LT goalie Donald Darrus made routine saves on the other two.
“They’re not only really technical on the ball and move it really well, but I was really impressed with their transition defense,” Willson said. “They sprint after a ball as soon as they lose it. They are high energy and a really good soccer team, and if you come out flat ... 4-1.”
Neither side has much time to dwell on the result. St. Charles North falls into the consolation pool but will play Leyden (5-2-1) on Saturday.
“I think sports psychology will tell you you learn from this but you have a short memory and you move on,” Willson said.
“This game needs to be gone. We try to come back and get a win on Saturday and back in the form that we’ve been playing.”
Meanwhile, the Lions will try to retain the form that has them on a five-game winning streak and continue their tradition of success in the Showdown. LT has reached the final four times since 2006, winning it in 2012. They lost to Lane in the semifinals last year.
“We’re excited,” Gilchrist said. “We’re looking forward to Saturday’s game. We know it’s going to be tough, so we’re going to come out strong and hopefully put a couple away.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
GK Kevin Sabres
D Brandon Strickers
D Nick Graham
D Carter Held
D Garret Morgando
M Ryan Olson
M Luke Denson
M Hanson Hagemann
F Jonathon Acevedo
F Lorenzo Estrada
F Chris Watson
Lyons
GK Donald Darrus
D Daniel Thomas
D Tim Nolan
D Leo Gabrek
D John Mazur
D Nick Economou
M Harry Hilling
M Paul Falup
F Daniel Gutierrez
F Cole Gilchrist
F Patrick Duncan
Man of the Match: Patrick Duncan, Lyons