Lyons escapes New Trier
Will meet Morton in PepsiCo Showdown final again
By Kevin McGavin
LA GRANGE -- The was as physical as the elements were capricious.
Alternating between intermittent rain and unseasonably nasty heat and humidity, the first semifinal of the PepsiCo Showdown was a classic encounter between defensive-minded teams.
But host Lyons had the final say as Patrick Duncan, a senior forward, used a flawless feed from classmate Cole Gilchrist to unlock a scoreless second half draw with the match-changing goal in the Lions’ 1-0 victory.
Duncan blasted an 18-yarder past New Trier keeper Jonathan Jaggard in the 64th minute to set up a rematch of the 2012 all-West Suburban Conference final: Silver Division member Lyons against the Gold Division's Morton. The Lions won the last title meeting 1-0.
The top-seeded Mustangs handed Wheaton Academy its first loss in 10 matches this season with a 2-0 win Saturday. The final is slated for Sept. 28 at DePaul University in Chicago.
It was the sixth-consecutive victory for Lyons, which improved to 11-2 on the season.
“We were pressuring all game, and it was coming. We could feel it,” said Duncan. “I just sat back and let Cole run at them, because that’s what he does best. Cole did all the work and was able to get it to me.”
The New Trier defense acknowledged the efficiency of the lone score.
“It was really well done,” New Trier defender Tim Moriarty said. “They slipped it right across the top of the 18-(yard box) and put it right away. It was a counterattack, and we should have cut the play. It was a three-on-three.”
Second-seeded New Trier (9-2-2) more than had its fair number of opportunities to forge the equalizer.
But the Lions never allowed any of the Trevians’ chances to dent their goal.
Lyons keeper Donald Durras had nine saves on the afternoon to sustain the Lions’ winning streak.
Durras turned away Stephen Childs’ dangerous free kick with impunity, and forward Tommy Belliel's effort met the same fate with roughly five minutes to play.
Durras’ most important save came eight minutes into the second half as Duncan Gill was stoned from point-blank range on consecutive scoring chances.
“I usually make those -- and it was tough -- because we only had a few chances,” Gill said. “That (Durras save) was the difference in the match.”
Lyons, the third PepsiCo Showdown seed, was unquestionably the more aggressive team at the start.
But the Trevians reversed the early tide -- after being held without a shot on goal for the opening 20 minutes -- to become the standard-bearer for the remainder of the first half.
“New Trier had 15 minutes of really good pressure,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said. “We generated some (early) chances, and they also generated some decent chances in the first half. We defended as a group and have been very disciplined in the back the whole year.”
New Trier coach Wes Molyneaux had a similar viewpoint in the aftermath.
“It was a great game,” Molyneaux said. “Both teams played extraordinarily well. Even though the first half was played in the rain, you really saw the offensively skilled players on both sides really shine.”
As the match reached its climatic point -- the play featuring countless collisions and other frenetic moments on a frequent basis -- the sense of a big play defining the game was palpable.
“It was going to be decided in that one moment,” Molyneaux said. “They had some decent scoring chances; they put theirs away. We missed some of ours.”
In the waning moments of the first half, the Lions’ Fulop hit the top of the crossbar with a chip shot.
New Trier keeper Jaggard recorded seven saves on the day.
Labbato was happy with the effort from his team.
“We came out in the second half, and I felt like we really amped up the pressure,” Labbato said. “(New Trier is) very difficult to break down, and we were finally able to get them around the edge.”
Duncan had two quality looks in the opening half for the Lions.
Harry Hilling and Paul Fullop also had potential deadlocks fall wide of the mark for Lyons.
The title match-up pits two of the top programs in Chicagoland.
Morton won the Pepsi event in 2010, and finished second the past two seasons. The Mustangs were Class 3A state champs in 2011.
Besides its 2012 crown, Lyons finished second in the tournament in 2011, 2009 and 2006. The Lyons state championship came in 2009.
Starting lineups
Complete lineups to come
New Trier
GK: Jonathan Jaggard
D: Tanner Walsh
D: Sam Boyd
D: Richard Piggott
D: Jacob Moskowitz
MF: Connor Rife
MF: Colin Egerter
MF: Steven Childs
MF: Tim Moriarity
F: Tommy Belliel
F: Spencer Farina
Lyons
GK: Donald Durras
D: Nick Economou
D: Leo Gabrek
D: John Mazur
MF: Harry Hilling
MF: Paul Fulap
MF: Grant Thomas
MF: Daniel Thomas
F Patrick Duncan
F Daniel Gutierrez
F Cole Gilchrist
Man of the Match: Patrick Duncan, Lyons
Will meet Morton in PepsiCo Showdown final again
By Kevin McGavin
LA GRANGE -- The was as physical as the elements were capricious.
Alternating between intermittent rain and unseasonably nasty heat and humidity, the first semifinal of the PepsiCo Showdown was a classic encounter between defensive-minded teams.
But host Lyons had the final say as Patrick Duncan, a senior forward, used a flawless feed from classmate Cole Gilchrist to unlock a scoreless second half draw with the match-changing goal in the Lions’ 1-0 victory.
Duncan blasted an 18-yarder past New Trier keeper Jonathan Jaggard in the 64th minute to set up a rematch of the 2012 all-West Suburban Conference final: Silver Division member Lyons against the Gold Division's Morton. The Lions won the last title meeting 1-0.
The top-seeded Mustangs handed Wheaton Academy its first loss in 10 matches this season with a 2-0 win Saturday. The final is slated for Sept. 28 at DePaul University in Chicago.
It was the sixth-consecutive victory for Lyons, which improved to 11-2 on the season.
“We were pressuring all game, and it was coming. We could feel it,” said Duncan. “I just sat back and let Cole run at them, because that’s what he does best. Cole did all the work and was able to get it to me.”
The New Trier defense acknowledged the efficiency of the lone score.
“It was really well done,” New Trier defender Tim Moriarty said. “They slipped it right across the top of the 18-(yard box) and put it right away. It was a counterattack, and we should have cut the play. It was a three-on-three.”
Second-seeded New Trier (9-2-2) more than had its fair number of opportunities to forge the equalizer.
But the Lions never allowed any of the Trevians’ chances to dent their goal.
Lyons keeper Donald Durras had nine saves on the afternoon to sustain the Lions’ winning streak.
Durras turned away Stephen Childs’ dangerous free kick with impunity, and forward Tommy Belliel's effort met the same fate with roughly five minutes to play.
Durras’ most important save came eight minutes into the second half as Duncan Gill was stoned from point-blank range on consecutive scoring chances.
“I usually make those -- and it was tough -- because we only had a few chances,” Gill said. “That (Durras save) was the difference in the match.”
Lyons, the third PepsiCo Showdown seed, was unquestionably the more aggressive team at the start.
But the Trevians reversed the early tide -- after being held without a shot on goal for the opening 20 minutes -- to become the standard-bearer for the remainder of the first half.
“New Trier had 15 minutes of really good pressure,” Lyons coach Paul Labbato said. “We generated some (early) chances, and they also generated some decent chances in the first half. We defended as a group and have been very disciplined in the back the whole year.”
New Trier coach Wes Molyneaux had a similar viewpoint in the aftermath.
“It was a great game,” Molyneaux said. “Both teams played extraordinarily well. Even though the first half was played in the rain, you really saw the offensively skilled players on both sides really shine.”
As the match reached its climatic point -- the play featuring countless collisions and other frenetic moments on a frequent basis -- the sense of a big play defining the game was palpable.
“It was going to be decided in that one moment,” Molyneaux said. “They had some decent scoring chances; they put theirs away. We missed some of ours.”
In the waning moments of the first half, the Lions’ Fulop hit the top of the crossbar with a chip shot.
New Trier keeper Jaggard recorded seven saves on the day.
Labbato was happy with the effort from his team.
“We came out in the second half, and I felt like we really amped up the pressure,” Labbato said. “(New Trier is) very difficult to break down, and we were finally able to get them around the edge.”
Duncan had two quality looks in the opening half for the Lions.
Harry Hilling and Paul Fullop also had potential deadlocks fall wide of the mark for Lyons.
The title match-up pits two of the top programs in Chicagoland.
Morton won the Pepsi event in 2010, and finished second the past two seasons. The Mustangs were Class 3A state champs in 2011.
Besides its 2012 crown, Lyons finished second in the tournament in 2011, 2009 and 2006. The Lyons state championship came in 2009.
Starting lineups
Complete lineups to come
New Trier
GK: Jonathan Jaggard
D: Tanner Walsh
D: Sam Boyd
D: Richard Piggott
D: Jacob Moskowitz
MF: Connor Rife
MF: Colin Egerter
MF: Steven Childs
MF: Tim Moriarity
F: Tommy Belliel
F: Spencer Farina
Lyons
GK: Donald Durras
D: Nick Economou
D: Leo Gabrek
D: John Mazur
MF: Harry Hilling
MF: Paul Fulap
MF: Grant Thomas
MF: Daniel Thomas
F Patrick Duncan
F Daniel Gutierrez
F Cole Gilchrist
Man of the Match: Patrick Duncan, Lyons