Lyons grinds out win over DGN
Clarke's 14th-minute goal holds up, earns share of league title
By Mike Garofola
LA GRANGE -- There are undeniable signs that Lyons continues to build momentum in the right direction at the right time of the soccer season.
Case in point: in the past 16 days , the Lions have guaranteed themselves no less than a share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division crown four-consecutive leaue victories to guarantee themselves no worse than a share of the league crown. Overall in that span they are 6-0-0 with four shutouts and an 18-
3 advantage in goal. AFter a 3-0 win against Saint Viator Friday night. Lyons has won 10 of its last 11 matches.
Thursday the Lions used a Charlie Clarke first half goal to settle a scrappy 80-minute league fixture 1-0 at West Field to keep the momentum rolling for manager Paul Labbato and his men.
"I am very pleased with how we played to get a result against another very tough conference opponent, "said Labbato.
"We did a nice job, especially in the first half keeping the ball with our possession, and holding off (North) who, if they equalized, would have forced all of us to play overtime in the dark."
After near 70 minutes of sunshine and mild weather, the sun disappeared behind the clouds for good, and Labbato's suggestion of a couple of extra sessions with little daylight remaining would have been realized.
"If we had played with the same energy and urgency that we showed in the last half of the second period, maybe we would have forced overtime, or even come away with a victory - but our first half, particularly the first 15-20 minutes was nowhere near where we need to play against a quality opponent like Lyons," lamented DGN's manager Mike Schmitt.
The one-goal defeat ended a three-game win streak by the Trojans (9-4-2, 3-2-0) who will finish out its regular season with Montini, Proviso West and Bartlett.
"When you struggle during your warm-up, you're likely to have that carry over into the match -- and that's what we did today," added Schmitt.
"And when no. 14 (Clarke) put one in at 14 minutes, we had to chase the game far too early."
Clarke, was double-marked most of the day, yet with his strength and guile was able to fend off defenders in order to hold, turn or distribute. He didn't need to do any of those three when he hit the eventual game-winner after he ran freely to the spot to drive in a powerful header off a Sam DeBoer corner.
"That's what a player like that can do when you allow him to, and he made us pay for our inability to mark inside the box," said Schmitt.
Many of the reasons for the Lions first half dominance was how the club adhered to Labbato's demand for a high-intensity pressing game with plenty of pace epecially when the manager brought on fresh legs. He got terrific work on the wing from a trio of players throughout the day.
Eric Gradilla was in Labbato's first 11, and the senior produced several quality runs up the left side while also providing quality service with his left foot, and some gritty defensive play to slow the Trojans on the outside.
Teammates Graham Andrews and Nolan O'Malley, who each saw extended time on the same side of the park in the same role, also drew praise from their manager.
"Eric had a very strong game for us, and Graham and Nolan really put forth a solid effort when we brought them on," began Labbato.
"Both train hard, and when we rotate them like we did today for 12 minutes at a time, they did all we asked of them and more."
While the Trojans had their trouble with Clarke up-top and the Lions central midfielders Charles Hall and Phil Panopoulos, they also failed to offer sufficient support for front-runners Tyler Cree and Jack Richards, who during the early stages of this contest were rarely targeted.
When the visitors slowly got themselves into the game by winning more first and second balls, and playing through their midfielders, that's when Richards, in particular, became the dangerous man Labbato knew could and would appear.
"I thought we did a good job collectively of keeping their guys up-top from getting the ball very much in the first half, but you saw how Jack (Richards) could break you down and create chances for himself and his teammates midway through the second half," said Labbato.
"We didn't deal well with the pressure in the first half," said Richards. "And that was one of the first things we talked about at the break was to increase our work rate, and play harder if we expected to compete in the second half."
The senior made an enterprising run up the side just inside the box when a sharp tackle by Tate Riordan ended his 35-yard journey.
Moments later Richards created a deep throw for himself that produced a Trojans corner. Freshman defender Samuel Bull's left-footed serve fell on top of the roof, but it was this brief exchange that announced the the visitors' attack had awakened from a near 25-minute snooze.
The final 15 minutes of this half was played at quicker pace with counters the choice of attack from both clubs.
Lyons sophomore Joey Fitzgerald went close with his left-footer. On the other end, Cree's wicked, angled blast went wide in the 38th minute.
The Lions would break out after the intermission by creating three corners in the first four minutes, but after this exchange, Downers Grove North enjoyed its best chance of the day thus far.
That's when Richards, on a crafty run up the side, broke free and appeared to be on his way in to a solo meeting with Lyons keeper Matt Vear. If not for Riordan's swift and alert retreat, Richards may have had Vear all to himself.
After that play, the game began to open up, and it was the combined efforts of the DGN unit in the midfield and their Lyons counterparts that produced a final 25 minutes that treated the fans to entertaining, physical and intense play until the final whistle.
"It took us awhile this season to begin to play like we did for most of this game," said Gradilla.
"A lot of us play club soccer, but wherever we play, it's a different style then we play here. So it took us a lot of time to sort things out to where we were all playing the same way."
Gradilla and his mates had to absorb plenty of pressure and forego much of their attack while the Trojans had most of the play after the Richards' race into the box at 52 minutes.
A free kick from Declan Kramper sailed through the box untouched by one of his DGN mates. That was followed another attempt from Cree which called Veer into action.
An lovely early ball from Richards set Ramsey Forst free up the left side. After another Trojans corner, DeBoer came to the rescue for Lyons with his well-executed tackle.
"Again, you saw how dangerous Richards was in that second half, could have done a little better of a job (defending) him," Labbato said.
The last quarter hour was filled with several half-chances, and a handful of more clear opportunities, all of them which went to waste as the Trojans looked to get level and Lyons tried to add another to the scoreline.
Kramper and Victor Antonyuk were beginning to combine well together for North in the middle of the park. They stretched Lyons in its own end to help improve their chances in addition to Richards and Cree.
Richards skimmed the bar after Vear came far off his line to punch away a long-range blast from Antonyuk in the 61st minute. That save ended a 10-minute period of dominance from the visitors.
"We've been able to find a way in many of our last five games to pull out a win, three of which were one-goal victories, but today we created some good chances and looks on frame," said Schmitt. "But with a team like Lyons, you have to be very good in the final third in order to put one or two of those into the back of their net.
Lyons followed with a superb crossfield early ball to the back post from Adam McGahay towards Andrews, followed by some quality work in tight space from De Boer, Mike Niedermeyer and McGahay that signaled the start of a strong finish by the Lions, who did well to manage their lead in the closing minutes.
"It felt a little like a playoff game because of the physical play, a lot of hard challenges on 50-50s and the intensity which picked up when (Downers Grove North) began to come hard at us late in the second half," said Clarke, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"These are the games we want to have at this time of the year, and we know we can't let up from here on out.
"We have to continue to train hard, then play the same way in the rest of our games to help get us ready for regionals."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North (4-4-2 starting formation)
GK- Christopher Bull
D- Declan Kramper
D- Kevin Danner
D- Brett Mills
D- Samuel Bull
M- Ryan Newstrom
M- Nicholas Chapa
M- Ryan Shanahan
M- Braeden Gagliano
F- Tyler Cree
F- Jack Richards
Lyons (4-5-1)
GK- Matt Vear
D- Eric Gradilla
D- Nick Jacobs
D- Tate Riordan
D- Sam DeBoer
M- Adam McGahay
M- Phil Panopoulos
M- Charles Hall
M- Joey Fitzgerald
M- Quinn Fraser
F- Charlie Clarke
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Charlie Clarke, sr., F, Lyons
Referee: Mark Kenar
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons
Clarke (De Boer) 12'
Clarke's 14th-minute goal holds up, earns share of league title
By Mike Garofola
LA GRANGE -- There are undeniable signs that Lyons continues to build momentum in the right direction at the right time of the soccer season.
Case in point: in the past 16 days , the Lions have guaranteed themselves no less than a share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division crown four-consecutive leaue victories to guarantee themselves no worse than a share of the league crown. Overall in that span they are 6-0-0 with four shutouts and an 18-
3 advantage in goal. AFter a 3-0 win against Saint Viator Friday night. Lyons has won 10 of its last 11 matches.
Thursday the Lions used a Charlie Clarke first half goal to settle a scrappy 80-minute league fixture 1-0 at West Field to keep the momentum rolling for manager Paul Labbato and his men.
"I am very pleased with how we played to get a result against another very tough conference opponent, "said Labbato.
"We did a nice job, especially in the first half keeping the ball with our possession, and holding off (North) who, if they equalized, would have forced all of us to play overtime in the dark."
After near 70 minutes of sunshine and mild weather, the sun disappeared behind the clouds for good, and Labbato's suggestion of a couple of extra sessions with little daylight remaining would have been realized.
"If we had played with the same energy and urgency that we showed in the last half of the second period, maybe we would have forced overtime, or even come away with a victory - but our first half, particularly the first 15-20 minutes was nowhere near where we need to play against a quality opponent like Lyons," lamented DGN's manager Mike Schmitt.
The one-goal defeat ended a three-game win streak by the Trojans (9-4-2, 3-2-0) who will finish out its regular season with Montini, Proviso West and Bartlett.
"When you struggle during your warm-up, you're likely to have that carry over into the match -- and that's what we did today," added Schmitt.
"And when no. 14 (Clarke) put one in at 14 minutes, we had to chase the game far too early."
Clarke, was double-marked most of the day, yet with his strength and guile was able to fend off defenders in order to hold, turn or distribute. He didn't need to do any of those three when he hit the eventual game-winner after he ran freely to the spot to drive in a powerful header off a Sam DeBoer corner.
"That's what a player like that can do when you allow him to, and he made us pay for our inability to mark inside the box," said Schmitt.
Many of the reasons for the Lions first half dominance was how the club adhered to Labbato's demand for a high-intensity pressing game with plenty of pace epecially when the manager brought on fresh legs. He got terrific work on the wing from a trio of players throughout the day.
Eric Gradilla was in Labbato's first 11, and the senior produced several quality runs up the left side while also providing quality service with his left foot, and some gritty defensive play to slow the Trojans on the outside.
Teammates Graham Andrews and Nolan O'Malley, who each saw extended time on the same side of the park in the same role, also drew praise from their manager.
"Eric had a very strong game for us, and Graham and Nolan really put forth a solid effort when we brought them on," began Labbato.
"Both train hard, and when we rotate them like we did today for 12 minutes at a time, they did all we asked of them and more."
While the Trojans had their trouble with Clarke up-top and the Lions central midfielders Charles Hall and Phil Panopoulos, they also failed to offer sufficient support for front-runners Tyler Cree and Jack Richards, who during the early stages of this contest were rarely targeted.
When the visitors slowly got themselves into the game by winning more first and second balls, and playing through their midfielders, that's when Richards, in particular, became the dangerous man Labbato knew could and would appear.
"I thought we did a good job collectively of keeping their guys up-top from getting the ball very much in the first half, but you saw how Jack (Richards) could break you down and create chances for himself and his teammates midway through the second half," said Labbato.
"We didn't deal well with the pressure in the first half," said Richards. "And that was one of the first things we talked about at the break was to increase our work rate, and play harder if we expected to compete in the second half."
The senior made an enterprising run up the side just inside the box when a sharp tackle by Tate Riordan ended his 35-yard journey.
Moments later Richards created a deep throw for himself that produced a Trojans corner. Freshman defender Samuel Bull's left-footed serve fell on top of the roof, but it was this brief exchange that announced the the visitors' attack had awakened from a near 25-minute snooze.
The final 15 minutes of this half was played at quicker pace with counters the choice of attack from both clubs.
Lyons sophomore Joey Fitzgerald went close with his left-footer. On the other end, Cree's wicked, angled blast went wide in the 38th minute.
The Lions would break out after the intermission by creating three corners in the first four minutes, but after this exchange, Downers Grove North enjoyed its best chance of the day thus far.
That's when Richards, on a crafty run up the side, broke free and appeared to be on his way in to a solo meeting with Lyons keeper Matt Vear. If not for Riordan's swift and alert retreat, Richards may have had Vear all to himself.
After that play, the game began to open up, and it was the combined efforts of the DGN unit in the midfield and their Lyons counterparts that produced a final 25 minutes that treated the fans to entertaining, physical and intense play until the final whistle.
"It took us awhile this season to begin to play like we did for most of this game," said Gradilla.
"A lot of us play club soccer, but wherever we play, it's a different style then we play here. So it took us a lot of time to sort things out to where we were all playing the same way."
Gradilla and his mates had to absorb plenty of pressure and forego much of their attack while the Trojans had most of the play after the Richards' race into the box at 52 minutes.
A free kick from Declan Kramper sailed through the box untouched by one of his DGN mates. That was followed another attempt from Cree which called Veer into action.
An lovely early ball from Richards set Ramsey Forst free up the left side. After another Trojans corner, DeBoer came to the rescue for Lyons with his well-executed tackle.
"Again, you saw how dangerous Richards was in that second half, could have done a little better of a job (defending) him," Labbato said.
The last quarter hour was filled with several half-chances, and a handful of more clear opportunities, all of them which went to waste as the Trojans looked to get level and Lyons tried to add another to the scoreline.
Kramper and Victor Antonyuk were beginning to combine well together for North in the middle of the park. They stretched Lyons in its own end to help improve their chances in addition to Richards and Cree.
Richards skimmed the bar after Vear came far off his line to punch away a long-range blast from Antonyuk in the 61st minute. That save ended a 10-minute period of dominance from the visitors.
"We've been able to find a way in many of our last five games to pull out a win, three of which were one-goal victories, but today we created some good chances and looks on frame," said Schmitt. "But with a team like Lyons, you have to be very good in the final third in order to put one or two of those into the back of their net.
Lyons followed with a superb crossfield early ball to the back post from Adam McGahay towards Andrews, followed by some quality work in tight space from De Boer, Mike Niedermeyer and McGahay that signaled the start of a strong finish by the Lions, who did well to manage their lead in the closing minutes.
"It felt a little like a playoff game because of the physical play, a lot of hard challenges on 50-50s and the intensity which picked up when (Downers Grove North) began to come hard at us late in the second half," said Clarke, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
"These are the games we want to have at this time of the year, and we know we can't let up from here on out.
"We have to continue to train hard, then play the same way in the rest of our games to help get us ready for regionals."
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North (4-4-2 starting formation)
GK- Christopher Bull
D- Declan Kramper
D- Kevin Danner
D- Brett Mills
D- Samuel Bull
M- Ryan Newstrom
M- Nicholas Chapa
M- Ryan Shanahan
M- Braeden Gagliano
F- Tyler Cree
F- Jack Richards
Lyons (4-5-1)
GK- Matt Vear
D- Eric Gradilla
D- Nick Jacobs
D- Tate Riordan
D- Sam DeBoer
M- Adam McGahay
M- Phil Panopoulos
M- Charles Hall
M- Joey Fitzgerald
M- Quinn Fraser
F- Charlie Clarke
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Charlie Clarke, sr., F, Lyons
Referee: Mark Kenar
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons
Clarke (De Boer) 12'