Garcia stars in debut, Lane tops DGS
Junior midfielder's brace leads Indians to 2-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Change is the constant of high school soccer. Even with teams that return multiple players, the game is fluid, ever evolving. Even in the most familiar of circumstances, little stays the same.
City power Lane graduated eight players from last year’s team that won an unprecedented third-consecutive city soccer championship and reached a Class 3A regional final against Loyola, where they lost in double overtime.
Lane coach Michelle Vale has the luxury of positional flexibility and versatility that most coaches can only dream of. Lane is a program now typically able to replace graduation losses with fresh and emerging new talents.
Melissa Garcia embodied the Indians’ depth by making a spectacular varsity debut in scoring her first career goals as no. 19 Lane opened its new season with a convincing 2-0 victory over Downers Grove South on the blustering night on the North Side on Thursday.
“Lane is a good team,” Downers South coach Chris Hernandez said. “We played them last year. Compared to where they were last year and where they are now, they have improved.”
A junior midfielder, Garcia fit smoothly into the Indians’ interchangeable fabric. The Indians have maintained their dominance in the city through depth, skill and superior numbers.
A player like Garcia was allowed to develop her game at the lower level.
“I was very excited and nervous with this being my first game on the varsity,” Garcia said. “We have a lot of great players, and the girls have been very supportive, and I have been able to work hard and be part of the attack.”
For her accomplishment, Garcia earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“It was great to see a player like Melissa, in her first varsity game, given a chance to shine the way that she did tonight,” Lane star Grace Dunaway said. “We lost a lot of good seniors from last year’s team, but fortunately we have other girls who are ready and willing to step up and take their place.”
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw last March.
This time Lane was the aggressor from the start, putting the Mustangs on their heels. Only the superb play of senior keeper Angel Biondo allowed the Mustangs to stay close.
In the third minute, Dunaway broke free and had the favorable angle going across her body from about 12 yards only to see Biondo make a spectacular diving stop.
“It was our first game, and naturally you are going to be nervous, and I still had the nerves there,” Dunaway said.
Biondo is a second-year starter. She is not exceptionally tall for a keeper. She compensates with excellent timing, instincts and the ability to ready plays.
“She made a number of great saves for us last year,” Hernandez said.
Biondo registered eight saves as the brightest light for the Mustangs in their opener.
“As a first game, we needed to come in with a good mentality,” Biondo said. “We graduated some good players from last year, but we have a good backline. We just need some more time together. I feel like once we get that time, and it is not going to take long, we are going to have a very good defense.
“Once we get it together I think we are going to be very good.”
The most impressive aspect for Lane’s performance was how thoroughly the Indians dominated the first half despite going into the teeth of winds that gusted up to 45 miles an hour.
In the ninth minute, Dunaway had another ball just push wide. Senior forward Kayla Dutton had a half-volley skip over the top of the bar off a corner kick.
“It was very hard to move at times, because the wind was so strong,” Garcia said. “We were able to switch the ball quickly and keep it moving on the ground.”
By contrast, Downers South (0-1-0) struggled to develop any consistent offensive rhythm. Junior midfielder Jordan Rose had a free kick from 28 yards that skipped wide right. The Mustangs had a couple of shots from distance.
Junior Brianna Love recorded two saves for the Indians (1-0-0).
Lane dictated tempo and controlled the shape of the game.
“Offensively we just did not show up tonight,” Hernandez said. “Give Lane credit, and I am sure first-game jitters were part of it. We have some returning players and we have some new players, some of whom are playing high school for the first time.”
Lane's Garcia broke through in the 22nd minute. Working the ball on the left wing with midfielder Johanna Bozic, she created sufficient space to launch a ball at Biondo.
“The first shot got deflected, but it came right back to me, and I saw that the goal was pretty much wide open,” Garcia said. “I was able to get that other touch and fortunately able to get it past that keeper, who was really good.”
She curved the ball beautifully inside the far post.
Downers Grove South has some very dangerous pieces of its own like Rose, who had 11 goals and three assists last year, and senior forward Nicole Fajardo, who finished with seven goals and four assists.
They never got untracked.
One of the reasons the Mustangs struggled to generate forward momentum with the ball was the disruptive qualities of the Lane defense. Sophomore Zehra Halilic is one of the city’s brightest young talents. She made all-conference in her first season.
She combines athleticism and toughness. Senior Alana Coffman, who alternates between the back and the midfield, brings a savvy and experience as well. Downers South could not solve the Indians’ back third.
Dunaway is now the acknowledged leader. A two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state selection, she typically deferred to older teammates. Now, she sets the tone. Dunaway and Garcia collaborated on the crucial second score.
In the 49th minute, Dunaway drove the ball down the left edge and slotted a perfectly timed ball that Garcia ran into with authority in putting away from about 12 yards inside the near post.
“That is something we have been working on a lot in practice with Grace,” Garcia said. “She gets the ball, and I know to look for her cross, and that is exactly how it happened.”
Downers South could not change the narrative. Biondo continued to impress with some highlight reel saves, including extending her body to deny a rocket ball from midfielder Camaron Niforos. An apparent third goal by Lane was disallowed by an offsides call.
“Unfortunately the performance tonight was what it was, but I think we will show more going forward,” Hernandez said. With the Mustangs returning nine starters from a team that finished 12-6-4, won a Class 3A regional and shared the West Suburban Gold title, Hernandez was clearly expecting more.
Lane has historically used its performance against top-flight suburban programs as a yardstick. Vale had to be pleased.
“We talked before the game that we had to be ready to play and be focused,” Vale said. The coach has shown an exceptional ability of exploiting match-ups and how to piece together the multiple combinations of players of equal ability.
“That is one of the hardest parts of coaching at any level, but especially high school girls,” Vale said. “They are ambitious and competitive, and they want to play. In addition to teaching strategy and concepts, we are trying to show that what we are doing out there is for the team.
“The unselfishness of this group really showed tonight.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK: Angel Biondo
D: Lauren Travis
D: Savannah Hanyzewski
D: Taylor Petring
D: Brynn Davis
MF: Maddie Raftery
MF: Jordan Rose
MF: Lauren Victorin
MF: Gabi Galvez
F: Paige Reichert
F: Nicole Fajardo
Lane
GK: Brianna Love
D: Alana Coffman
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Alexis Dempsey
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Sydney Varga
MF: Camaron Niforos
MF: Melissa Garcia
MF: Julie Medina
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Kayla Dutton
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Melissa Garcia, Lane, Jr., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Melissa Garcia (unassisted), 22nd minute
Second half
Lane—Garcia (Grace Dunaway), 49th minute
Junior midfielder's brace leads Indians to 2-0 win
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Change is the constant of high school soccer. Even with teams that return multiple players, the game is fluid, ever evolving. Even in the most familiar of circumstances, little stays the same.
City power Lane graduated eight players from last year’s team that won an unprecedented third-consecutive city soccer championship and reached a Class 3A regional final against Loyola, where they lost in double overtime.
Lane coach Michelle Vale has the luxury of positional flexibility and versatility that most coaches can only dream of. Lane is a program now typically able to replace graduation losses with fresh and emerging new talents.
Melissa Garcia embodied the Indians’ depth by making a spectacular varsity debut in scoring her first career goals as no. 19 Lane opened its new season with a convincing 2-0 victory over Downers Grove South on the blustering night on the North Side on Thursday.
“Lane is a good team,” Downers South coach Chris Hernandez said. “We played them last year. Compared to where they were last year and where they are now, they have improved.”
A junior midfielder, Garcia fit smoothly into the Indians’ interchangeable fabric. The Indians have maintained their dominance in the city through depth, skill and superior numbers.
A player like Garcia was allowed to develop her game at the lower level.
“I was very excited and nervous with this being my first game on the varsity,” Garcia said. “We have a lot of great players, and the girls have been very supportive, and I have been able to work hard and be part of the attack.”
For her accomplishment, Garcia earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction.
“It was great to see a player like Melissa, in her first varsity game, given a chance to shine the way that she did tonight,” Lane star Grace Dunaway said. “We lost a lot of good seniors from last year’s team, but fortunately we have other girls who are ready and willing to step up and take their place.”
The two teams played to a 1-1 draw last March.
This time Lane was the aggressor from the start, putting the Mustangs on their heels. Only the superb play of senior keeper Angel Biondo allowed the Mustangs to stay close.
In the third minute, Dunaway broke free and had the favorable angle going across her body from about 12 yards only to see Biondo make a spectacular diving stop.
“It was our first game, and naturally you are going to be nervous, and I still had the nerves there,” Dunaway said.
Biondo is a second-year starter. She is not exceptionally tall for a keeper. She compensates with excellent timing, instincts and the ability to ready plays.
“She made a number of great saves for us last year,” Hernandez said.
Biondo registered eight saves as the brightest light for the Mustangs in their opener.
“As a first game, we needed to come in with a good mentality,” Biondo said. “We graduated some good players from last year, but we have a good backline. We just need some more time together. I feel like once we get that time, and it is not going to take long, we are going to have a very good defense.
“Once we get it together I think we are going to be very good.”
The most impressive aspect for Lane’s performance was how thoroughly the Indians dominated the first half despite going into the teeth of winds that gusted up to 45 miles an hour.
In the ninth minute, Dunaway had another ball just push wide. Senior forward Kayla Dutton had a half-volley skip over the top of the bar off a corner kick.
“It was very hard to move at times, because the wind was so strong,” Garcia said. “We were able to switch the ball quickly and keep it moving on the ground.”
By contrast, Downers South (0-1-0) struggled to develop any consistent offensive rhythm. Junior midfielder Jordan Rose had a free kick from 28 yards that skipped wide right. The Mustangs had a couple of shots from distance.
Junior Brianna Love recorded two saves for the Indians (1-0-0).
Lane dictated tempo and controlled the shape of the game.
“Offensively we just did not show up tonight,” Hernandez said. “Give Lane credit, and I am sure first-game jitters were part of it. We have some returning players and we have some new players, some of whom are playing high school for the first time.”
Lane's Garcia broke through in the 22nd minute. Working the ball on the left wing with midfielder Johanna Bozic, she created sufficient space to launch a ball at Biondo.
“The first shot got deflected, but it came right back to me, and I saw that the goal was pretty much wide open,” Garcia said. “I was able to get that other touch and fortunately able to get it past that keeper, who was really good.”
She curved the ball beautifully inside the far post.
Downers Grove South has some very dangerous pieces of its own like Rose, who had 11 goals and three assists last year, and senior forward Nicole Fajardo, who finished with seven goals and four assists.
They never got untracked.
One of the reasons the Mustangs struggled to generate forward momentum with the ball was the disruptive qualities of the Lane defense. Sophomore Zehra Halilic is one of the city’s brightest young talents. She made all-conference in her first season.
She combines athleticism and toughness. Senior Alana Coffman, who alternates between the back and the midfield, brings a savvy and experience as well. Downers South could not solve the Indians’ back third.
Dunaway is now the acknowledged leader. A two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state selection, she typically deferred to older teammates. Now, she sets the tone. Dunaway and Garcia collaborated on the crucial second score.
In the 49th minute, Dunaway drove the ball down the left edge and slotted a perfectly timed ball that Garcia ran into with authority in putting away from about 12 yards inside the near post.
“That is something we have been working on a lot in practice with Grace,” Garcia said. “She gets the ball, and I know to look for her cross, and that is exactly how it happened.”
Downers South could not change the narrative. Biondo continued to impress with some highlight reel saves, including extending her body to deny a rocket ball from midfielder Camaron Niforos. An apparent third goal by Lane was disallowed by an offsides call.
“Unfortunately the performance tonight was what it was, but I think we will show more going forward,” Hernandez said. With the Mustangs returning nine starters from a team that finished 12-6-4, won a Class 3A regional and shared the West Suburban Gold title, Hernandez was clearly expecting more.
Lane has historically used its performance against top-flight suburban programs as a yardstick. Vale had to be pleased.
“We talked before the game that we had to be ready to play and be focused,” Vale said. The coach has shown an exceptional ability of exploiting match-ups and how to piece together the multiple combinations of players of equal ability.
“That is one of the hardest parts of coaching at any level, but especially high school girls,” Vale said. “They are ambitious and competitive, and they want to play. In addition to teaching strategy and concepts, we are trying to show that what we are doing out there is for the team.
“The unselfishness of this group really showed tonight.”
Starting lineups
Downers Grove South
GK: Angel Biondo
D: Lauren Travis
D: Savannah Hanyzewski
D: Taylor Petring
D: Brynn Davis
MF: Maddie Raftery
MF: Jordan Rose
MF: Lauren Victorin
MF: Gabi Galvez
F: Paige Reichert
F: Nicole Fajardo
Lane
GK: Brianna Love
D: Alana Coffman
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Alexis Dempsey
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Sydney Varga
MF: Camaron Niforos
MF: Melissa Garcia
MF: Julie Medina
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Kayla Dutton
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Melissa Garcia, Lane, Jr., MF
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Melissa Garcia (unassisted), 22nd minute
Second half
Lane—Garcia (Grace Dunaway), 49th minute