Sectional memories drive
Lyons win over Downers Grove North
Murphy and Lestina star in Lions’ 3-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LA GRANGE — The events, incidents and action of May 26, 2017, haunt Lyons' Bella Lestina.
On that day, which featured a showdown of the top two-seeded teams in the Class 3A Downers Grove North sectional championship, the host Trojans avenged a regular season loss to the Lions with a pulsating 2-1 victory. The home team rode the wave of that win to the program’s first state finals appearance and an eventual fourth place finish.
Lyons' players, like forward Lestina, were left to pick up the pieces and wonder what might have been.
“When we lost to them last year, I thought about it for months,” Lestina said. “We had a sour taste in our mouths after that loss. I have also been thinking about our next game when we played them for a long time.”
The marquee rematch played out on the Lions’ wet natural surface Thursday. Lyons sought to sustain its strong run of play and close out the conference race, and Downers Grove North looked to secure a statement win and force a share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title. The rivalry is deeply personal.
“A lot of girls on [Lyons] are on my club team, and I am going to college with a couple of them as well,” said Downers Grove North star senior midfielder Abby Swanson, who will team with Lestina at Loyola University in the fall.
“They’re just a good team. It’s always a good game against them, as well as a benchmark to see where we are. Last year was pretty even, one went their way and one went our way.”
Lyons utilized the strong play of Lestina and junior midfielder Eileen Murphy to create scoring chances, some of a slightly unorthodox nature. Passions ran high. Every single action felt contested and deeply felt.
Lestina converted one of two Lyons goals off penalty kicks, and Murphy dominated play with her size and physical skills as the Lions pulled away in the 3-0 victory that officially secured the Silver Division crown Thursday afternoon.
Lyons (11-5-0, 6-0) is now 9-2-0 since a 2-3-0 start. Three of those losses are against teams ranked in the top six (New Trier, Naperville North and St. Francis). The Lions also posted their third shutout of the week after earlier knocking out Hinsdale Central and Glenbard West.
“I’d attribute that to good teamwork,” Lestina said. “We weren’t that good at the beginning of the season, honestly. We are getting to know each other better, on and off the field. We are becoming better friends, and that is important. Our practices are getting more intense. We are getting ready for the playoffs, and that is important.”
The game was loaded with significance. The teams have the top two seeds of the Class 3A York Sectional “We knew they are very good, and we had to come out well, and I think we did,” Lestina said. “We really wanted to win.”
Downers Grove North is getting a harsh lesson in the consequences of achievement. Every game against the Trojans is a prized opportunity. The team is having to learn how to cope with greater challenges and expectations.
“We are trying new things out here,” Swanson said. “We have a lot of new girls this year, and we are seeing what positions, what formations work for all of us. A high-profile game like this helps us moving forward into the postseason. If we see this team again, a Lyons or a Hinsdale Central coming our way, this kind of game helps us regroup.”
The Trojans (8-5-4, 3-2) have posted eight shutouts and have been very stingy defensively. Senior keeper Grace Swanson is the architect of a skilled and disruptive back third. It is point of pride. Fair or foul, the fact the first two Lions’ goals were off penalty kicks was upsetting and motivational.
“I thought it actually gave us a little more drive going forward,” Swanson said. “None of us like to be scored on. We are very solid defensively. It’s unfortunate either way, like going to penalty shootout after a game. You never want to lose that way.
“I think we tried to come out stronger after each goal.”
Lyons had the better play in the first half. The wet field conditions threw the Trojans off their game. The Lions seemed more fluid and quicker to the ball. “It definitely helps that we practice on the field because we know the speed of the ball,” Murphy said. “Our forwards were in the right positions and made great runs.”
After the game settled in from the natural back-and-forth rhythms, Lyons seized control in the 31st minute. Forward Ava Dallavo was tackled from behind, and the official ruled the foul happened inside the box.
Lestina stepped up and nailed a left-footed ball inside the near post for the opening goal.
Downers Grove North countered with some compelling play. Late in the first half, free kick specialist Olivia Bull smashed a hard ball from the right edge that sophomore Lyons’ keeper Sophie Grabis jumped off the line to knock out with her hands.
Downers Grove North could not get a second touch. Bull’s free kicks reflected the Trojans’ most dangerous opportunities.
“Sophie is actually my club keeper, so I know how she plays,” Bull said. “I seem to always be able to find Abby [Swanson], and she is great on headers. Unfortunately we could not find each other today. I know I have somewhat of a strong foot, so I just try to get it inside the box. Sometimes [Downers Grove North coach Brian Papa] tells me to play it down the line; it just depends on what I see with my vision.
“But I know my team is good in the air, and I was trying to look for their heads. Unfortunately we did not connect.”
In the 39th minute, midfielder Carli Nehls slotted a ball that Swanson put on frame and Grabis swallowed up in her arms.
In the 43rd minute, Downers Grove North was called for a handball inside the box off a Lyons corner kick by Maggie Gilchrist. Senior midfielder Elizabeth Hall scored her first goal of the year by drilling a shot inside the near post.
“Lyons beat us,” Papa said. “They beat us to a lot of 50/50 balls and when you do that, you are the aggressor. Our struggles scoring is not one game, it’s every game. We are better than our record shows. I want to stress that the kids have really bought into what we are trying to do.
“Every defensive mistake we make is magnified by the goals we allow.”
Coming off a shootout loss to York on Tuesday, Downers Grove North tried to locate some energy.
“Unfortunately, on Tuesday against York, we went for 100 minutes without taking much of a break, and our legs were tired today,” Bull said. “We knew coming in the last time we played them, they were going to come out stronger. We both came out pretty strong. They beat us to the ball a couple of times. We had a couple of unfortunate incidents in the box. The score does not really show it, but we both had that drive. We both really wanted it.
“I was really proud of my team and how we fought until the end.”
Murphy punctuated the victory with a beautiful header off a Gilchrist corner kick service in the 72nd minute. She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her excellent all-around game. Her presence just gives the Lions greater flexibility offensively.
“She reads the game well and puts herself in position to do those things,” Lanspeary said. “Her teammates find her. She gets out there and makes things happen. She definitely controlled the play. The header on the corner kick was really something.”
Called “Rusty,” for her flaming red hair, Murphy said her team's improvement has been evolutionary.
“I think everybody on the field knows their role better,” Murphy said. “We’re playing better together and not just individually. Maggie takes the corners now, and she just hits it in the right spot now every time. I think we are getting hot at the right time. We started kind of slow, but now we have picked it up. We saw some tough teams early, and that has prepared us for now. If we see them again, we know they are going to come back with a lot of fire.”
The Trojans competed until the very end, switching in the final movement to a 3-4-3 in an effort to push players up and try to create more scoring chances.
This game was the opening salvo. The rivalry hangs over both sides. A rematch may be on tap May 22.
“They are honestly just a good team,” Swanson said. “A lot of their players match our players, just head-to-head, one-on-one battles. I think today, they won the 50/50 balls before we did, and they came out strong. Moving forward we have to be first to those balls.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK: Grace Stevenson
D: Chloe Nowka
D: Olivia Bull
D: Carissa Mysliwiec
D: Francesca Marconi
M: Maggie Urbanski
M: Abby Swanson
M: Julia Kramper
M: Carli Nehls
F: Alexis Parker
F: Alyssa Gunderson
Lyons
GK: Sophie Grabis
D: Grace Truax
D: Kaelan Lee
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Bri Stirrat
M: Elizabeth Hall
M: Maggie Gilchrist
M: Eileen Murphy
M: Meara Hilling
F: Bella Lestina
F: Ava Dallavo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eileen Murphy, jr., MF, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons—Bella Lestina (PK), 31st
Second half
Lyons—Elizabeth Hall (PK), 43rd
Lyons—Eileen Murphy (Maggie Gilchrist), 72nd
Lyons win over Downers Grove North
Murphy and Lestina star in Lions’ 3-0 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
LA GRANGE — The events, incidents and action of May 26, 2017, haunt Lyons' Bella Lestina.
On that day, which featured a showdown of the top two-seeded teams in the Class 3A Downers Grove North sectional championship, the host Trojans avenged a regular season loss to the Lions with a pulsating 2-1 victory. The home team rode the wave of that win to the program’s first state finals appearance and an eventual fourth place finish.
Lyons' players, like forward Lestina, were left to pick up the pieces and wonder what might have been.
“When we lost to them last year, I thought about it for months,” Lestina said. “We had a sour taste in our mouths after that loss. I have also been thinking about our next game when we played them for a long time.”
The marquee rematch played out on the Lions’ wet natural surface Thursday. Lyons sought to sustain its strong run of play and close out the conference race, and Downers Grove North looked to secure a statement win and force a share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title. The rivalry is deeply personal.
“A lot of girls on [Lyons] are on my club team, and I am going to college with a couple of them as well,” said Downers Grove North star senior midfielder Abby Swanson, who will team with Lestina at Loyola University in the fall.
“They’re just a good team. It’s always a good game against them, as well as a benchmark to see where we are. Last year was pretty even, one went their way and one went our way.”
Lyons utilized the strong play of Lestina and junior midfielder Eileen Murphy to create scoring chances, some of a slightly unorthodox nature. Passions ran high. Every single action felt contested and deeply felt.
Lestina converted one of two Lyons goals off penalty kicks, and Murphy dominated play with her size and physical skills as the Lions pulled away in the 3-0 victory that officially secured the Silver Division crown Thursday afternoon.
Lyons (11-5-0, 6-0) is now 9-2-0 since a 2-3-0 start. Three of those losses are against teams ranked in the top six (New Trier, Naperville North and St. Francis). The Lions also posted their third shutout of the week after earlier knocking out Hinsdale Central and Glenbard West.
“I’d attribute that to good teamwork,” Lestina said. “We weren’t that good at the beginning of the season, honestly. We are getting to know each other better, on and off the field. We are becoming better friends, and that is important. Our practices are getting more intense. We are getting ready for the playoffs, and that is important.”
The game was loaded with significance. The teams have the top two seeds of the Class 3A York Sectional “We knew they are very good, and we had to come out well, and I think we did,” Lestina said. “We really wanted to win.”
Downers Grove North is getting a harsh lesson in the consequences of achievement. Every game against the Trojans is a prized opportunity. The team is having to learn how to cope with greater challenges and expectations.
“We are trying new things out here,” Swanson said. “We have a lot of new girls this year, and we are seeing what positions, what formations work for all of us. A high-profile game like this helps us moving forward into the postseason. If we see this team again, a Lyons or a Hinsdale Central coming our way, this kind of game helps us regroup.”
The Trojans (8-5-4, 3-2) have posted eight shutouts and have been very stingy defensively. Senior keeper Grace Swanson is the architect of a skilled and disruptive back third. It is point of pride. Fair or foul, the fact the first two Lions’ goals were off penalty kicks was upsetting and motivational.
“I thought it actually gave us a little more drive going forward,” Swanson said. “None of us like to be scored on. We are very solid defensively. It’s unfortunate either way, like going to penalty shootout after a game. You never want to lose that way.
“I think we tried to come out stronger after each goal.”
Lyons had the better play in the first half. The wet field conditions threw the Trojans off their game. The Lions seemed more fluid and quicker to the ball. “It definitely helps that we practice on the field because we know the speed of the ball,” Murphy said. “Our forwards were in the right positions and made great runs.”
After the game settled in from the natural back-and-forth rhythms, Lyons seized control in the 31st minute. Forward Ava Dallavo was tackled from behind, and the official ruled the foul happened inside the box.
Lestina stepped up and nailed a left-footed ball inside the near post for the opening goal.
Downers Grove North countered with some compelling play. Late in the first half, free kick specialist Olivia Bull smashed a hard ball from the right edge that sophomore Lyons’ keeper Sophie Grabis jumped off the line to knock out with her hands.
Downers Grove North could not get a second touch. Bull’s free kicks reflected the Trojans’ most dangerous opportunities.
“Sophie is actually my club keeper, so I know how she plays,” Bull said. “I seem to always be able to find Abby [Swanson], and she is great on headers. Unfortunately we could not find each other today. I know I have somewhat of a strong foot, so I just try to get it inside the box. Sometimes [Downers Grove North coach Brian Papa] tells me to play it down the line; it just depends on what I see with my vision.
“But I know my team is good in the air, and I was trying to look for their heads. Unfortunately we did not connect.”
In the 39th minute, midfielder Carli Nehls slotted a ball that Swanson put on frame and Grabis swallowed up in her arms.
In the 43rd minute, Downers Grove North was called for a handball inside the box off a Lyons corner kick by Maggie Gilchrist. Senior midfielder Elizabeth Hall scored her first goal of the year by drilling a shot inside the near post.
“Lyons beat us,” Papa said. “They beat us to a lot of 50/50 balls and when you do that, you are the aggressor. Our struggles scoring is not one game, it’s every game. We are better than our record shows. I want to stress that the kids have really bought into what we are trying to do.
“Every defensive mistake we make is magnified by the goals we allow.”
Coming off a shootout loss to York on Tuesday, Downers Grove North tried to locate some energy.
“Unfortunately, on Tuesday against York, we went for 100 minutes without taking much of a break, and our legs were tired today,” Bull said. “We knew coming in the last time we played them, they were going to come out stronger. We both came out pretty strong. They beat us to the ball a couple of times. We had a couple of unfortunate incidents in the box. The score does not really show it, but we both had that drive. We both really wanted it.
“I was really proud of my team and how we fought until the end.”
Murphy punctuated the victory with a beautiful header off a Gilchrist corner kick service in the 72nd minute. She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her excellent all-around game. Her presence just gives the Lions greater flexibility offensively.
“She reads the game well and puts herself in position to do those things,” Lanspeary said. “Her teammates find her. She gets out there and makes things happen. She definitely controlled the play. The header on the corner kick was really something.”
Called “Rusty,” for her flaming red hair, Murphy said her team's improvement has been evolutionary.
“I think everybody on the field knows their role better,” Murphy said. “We’re playing better together and not just individually. Maggie takes the corners now, and she just hits it in the right spot now every time. I think we are getting hot at the right time. We started kind of slow, but now we have picked it up. We saw some tough teams early, and that has prepared us for now. If we see them again, we know they are going to come back with a lot of fire.”
The Trojans competed until the very end, switching in the final movement to a 3-4-3 in an effort to push players up and try to create more scoring chances.
This game was the opening salvo. The rivalry hangs over both sides. A rematch may be on tap May 22.
“They are honestly just a good team,” Swanson said. “A lot of their players match our players, just head-to-head, one-on-one battles. I think today, they won the 50/50 balls before we did, and they came out strong. Moving forward we have to be first to those balls.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove North
GK: Grace Stevenson
D: Chloe Nowka
D: Olivia Bull
D: Carissa Mysliwiec
D: Francesca Marconi
M: Maggie Urbanski
M: Abby Swanson
M: Julia Kramper
M: Carli Nehls
F: Alexis Parker
F: Alyssa Gunderson
Lyons
GK: Sophie Grabis
D: Grace Truax
D: Kaelan Lee
D: Catherine Johnson
D: Bri Stirrat
M: Elizabeth Hall
M: Maggie Gilchrist
M: Eileen Murphy
M: Meara Hilling
F: Bella Lestina
F: Ava Dallavo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Eileen Murphy, jr., MF, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons—Bella Lestina (PK), 31st
Second half
Lyons—Elizabeth Hall (PK), 43rd
Lyons—Eileen Murphy (Maggie Gilchrist), 72nd