Lyons offense get its fill
in win over Glenbrook South
Lions' offense explodes in 8-0 victory
By Dave Owen
WESTERN SPRINGS – Lyons seems intent on following its great 2021 season with even better things.
The Lions upped their record to a perfect 6-0-0 Monday with a dazzling 8-0 win over Glenbrook South (4-6-0) in the 4th annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic second round.
If last season was a pizza, it would be an extra-large with all the toppings: a run to the finals in Class 3A. But with five-straight shutouts and an offense starting to click big time, 2022 is shaping up to be very tasty as well.
“A lot of the kids were with us last year,” Lions coach Bill Lanspeary said, “but we tell them every year is a new group. We're not last year. We're this year. And we're pretty darned good.
“It's a tough group. I like the makeup of the team right now for sure.”
One nice addition this season has been freshman Caroline Mortonson. And in a hard-fought first half, she was the difference-maker in helping the Lions to a 2-0 lead at the break.
Mortonson’s first impact came 36:48 before halftime. On a send from midfield by Katie O’Malley, Mortonson beat a Glenbrook South defender and the goalkeeper to the bouncing ball near the top of the box to chip a 20-yarder into the net for a 1-0 Lions lead.
“Our center back played a really good cross in behind,” Mortonson said, “and I just kicked it over the goalie. I was in between if I was going to get there (before the defender and keeper).”
Mortonson won that race, and then closed the first half with a deflating blow to the Titans’ hopes.
Taking a pass from Josie Pochocki 30 yards out from the goal, Mortonson raced between defenders and left-footed a left-side 18-yarder inside the right post to up the lead to 2-0.
With four goals on the young season and improving play each game, Mortonson is fitting in very well with a state-seasoned, veteran roster.
“Everybody’s really nice around me helping me fit in,” she said, “and it's been less intimidating like after the first game or so.
“I did not think I was going to play a lot. So it's been good.”
It’s been a pretty great freshman debut from a coaching viewpoint as well.
“One of our best coaching moves was having her come in as a freshman,” Lanspeary joked. “She's really coming on. She's dangerous up there, and she gives us somebody dangerous in the middle.”
MVP of the Match Mortonson’s first half goals overcame a solid first 40 minutes by the visiting Titans.
Along with effective defense on most Lyons attacks, Glenbrook south had a strong showing on set pieces from midfielder Anna Durow.
Durow’s first free kick from 45 yards in the 12th minute required a head-high save by Lyons goalkeeper Izzy Lee. Then in the 24th minute, Durow was even stronger with a 43-yard straight-on free kick that demanded a fingertip grab near the crossbar by Lee.
Glenbrook South had effective defense on most early Lyons attacks (including Heather Sundstrom’s excellent effort to deny a Mortonson threat in the seventh minute).
“We started off strong,” Durow said. “We knew they (the Lions) were a good team coming into this game. We started off really strong and really aggressive. We kind of lost it a bit towards the second half and kind of ran out of energy.
“You know how it is. It's 80 minutes of the game against a good team. It's hard. But I think we played well in the first half, and we just have to keep on building.”
Despite the final tally, Lanspeary for one was impressed with the Titans.
“I never saw this coming,” he said. “In the first 15 minutes they had us on our heels.
“That (Glenbrook South) is a good team. To win 8-0 is amazing. They were fast. They played well.”
But outside of Durow’s strikes and a 30-yard one-hop shot on goal by Lilly O’Rourke in the 37th minute, the first half chances were all Lyons.
And the opening salvo of the second half would create runaway momentum for the Lions.
Just 2:08 after the break, Mortonson took a nice pass upfield from O'Malley, burst in on left wing and sent a perfect cross to the front. Eleanor Musgrove did the rest, touching in the cross to give the Lions a 3-0 edge.
“The goal early in the second half I think changed things,” Lanspeary said. “It was a great play. As Caroline went up the sideline you could see Eleanor knew right where to go and made a great run. And Caroline's an unselfish player. She played a great ball in, and I think that really set the tone for the second half.”
The tone continued with 30:01 left to play. Off a Rielly Chesna throw-in, O’Malley maneuvered between two defenders on the run near the six to head the ball in for a 4-0 Lyons margin.
While Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels saw the Lions beginning to produce what would be a brilliant offensive half, his side faced increased attack challenges and fatigue.
“We're struggling to score,” Daniels said. “We're still searching for possession play, which we did a pretty good job of in the first half stringing some passes together. That's one of our goals to be confident and not panic, and have a sense of what to do with the ball. We're just having trouble finishing in the attacking third.”
And with two starters out with injuries and an elite opponent to face, the challenges grew too large.
“They (Lyons) are good defensively, and they're fast,” Daniels said. “They are probably the best team we've seen that attacks with speed and efficiency. They don't quit. We didn't either. We fought hard, but we didn't match up well with them.”
Durow seconded her coach’s praise of the Lions.
“This is the best team we've played,” she said. “We came off a loss to Loyola (3-0 on Saturday), but they're not near as good a team as this is.
“They're a really good possession team,” Durow added about Lyons “They know how to play the outside and be able to cross it in for somebody on the end to get it in the back of the net.
“Sometimes we just weren't fast enough to get back and stop that pass from happening or get on that mark and stop the goal. But they had some nice shots. Props to them.”
The Lions continued to deserve praise through a brilliant second half.
Musgrove added a new wrinkle to the attack with 26:10 left, sending a nice corner kick high off second half Glenbrook South goalkeeper Lyndsey Mack’s hands and into the far corner of the net to hike the lead to 5-0.
The corner was set up by a Niamh Griffin shot that Mack deflected just wide of the net.
“She had a shot the goalie got a foot on and just poked it wide,” Lanspeary said. “That was a nice shot by Niamh there.”
Musgrove’s nice set piece then made the chance pay off.
“I've scored a couple like that since I started playing soccer,” Musgrove said. “It's always super fun to score directly off the corner, because it's something that's super rare. But it was great. I love the support from all my teammates, and that was a great one for sure that I'll remember.”
The Lions weren’t finished with picture perfect finishes.
Less than three minutes after Musgrove’s perfect strike, O’Malley attacked left side and sent a cross to the front. Chandlar Lay’s touch shot deflected off a defender and inside the right post as the lead grew to 6-0.
The Lions then went to their bench, and the success didn’t stop.
With 17:26 to go, Sarah Schierl battled into the box for a chance and, after an initial takeaway, she won the ball back and arched a tough-angle 8-yard shot right of the goal into the upper left of the net.
“Sarah comes in and does a nice job for us at midfield,” Lanspeary said. “You don't see her up like that attacking too often, so I was thrilled for her to get a goal. She's normally more of a possession, move the ball along and connect passes player for us. I’m very happy for her.
“The best thing was as kids came out, hearing them cheer for the other kids getting in and scoring goals. That was great. Everybody supporting one another was awesome. It's good mojo for the team.”
The 7-0 lead halved the remaining time on the clock to 8:58, but the Lions added another goal with 4:26 left.
This time reserve Riley Wengerd drove in and crossed to Lay, whose low liner inside the right post closed the scoring and gave the Lions a trio of two-goal scorers (Musgrove, Mortonson and Lay) on the night.
“Caroline is nice to have (at forward),” Lanspeary said, “and Chandlar plays the same spot and had a great game tonight too doing a lot of the same stuff.”
Seven goals in 42 minutes of soccer against a quality opponent was a tribute to a near-perfect effort by the Lions. They had scored just three goals in their last two games, including a 1-0 double overtime win over conference foe Downers Grove North.
“We really finished all our chances (Monday),” Musgrove said. “I know in the past couple of games it's been a little slow, but in that second half we really opened up and created chances for one another. I think we were super calm in front of goal, and it showed up on the scoreboard.”
After an incredible 2021, the Lions have reloaded impressively.
“We have a lot of additions to the team,” Musgrove said, “and they've really stepped into their roles. We have a super strong backline with Kate Fulscher and Ava Pike and Brenna Israel, and we are all just coming together as a team. It’s so great to see these younger players fitting in so well with us.”
That defensive unit extended a shutout streak to nearly 500=consecutive minutes Tuesday.
“They’ve held strong, and I think they’re getting stronger,” Lanspeary said. “It's kind of a new backline this year. Kate and Ava were back there last year, and we have some new pieces back there. They're really jelling and playing well together.”
As they prepare to host Loyola in another Deep Dish test on Wednesday, the Lions hope everything falls in place as well as it did on a magical Monday.
“I think this was a turning point game for us,” Musgrove said, “because Glenbrook South was a good opponent. They really fought hard, and I think it was great for us to get out there, be aggressive and score as many goals as we did because they weren't an easy competitor. It just shows where our strengths lie and how good we are against harder teams.”
Glenbrook South next faces Lake Forest (2-5-0) on Wednesday, looking to rejuvenate an offense that scored eight goals during a 3-0-0 start to the season but has been shut out four times since.
“We need to work on our possession game for sure,” Durow said. “We also need to work on taking more shots and getting those shots open on our feet. We're a good shooting team, but we don't take enough shots.”
Said Daniels: “We're still growing and learning. But we were outmatched today.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook South
GK Bella Christ
D Christina Papadatos
D Heather Sundstrom
D Caitlyn Antman
D Adyson Kleman
M Meghan Noe
M Anna Durow
M Lilly O’Rourke
M Bella Gemignani
M Ashley Ciss
F Audrey Langenbach
Lyons
GK Izzy Lee
D Ava Pike
D Kate Fulscher
D Brennan Israel
D Caroline McKenna
M Rielly Chesna
M Izzi Wirtz
M Josie Pochocki
M Eleanor Musgrove
F Caroline Mortonson
F Katie O’Malley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Caroline Mortonson, fr. F, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons: Caroline Mortonson (Katie O’Malley), 4’
Lyons: Mortonson (Josie Pochocki), 39’
Second half
Lyons: Eleanor Musgrove (Mortonson), 43’
Lyons: O’Malley (Rielly Chesna), 50’
Lyons: Musgrove (corner kick), 54’
Lyons: Chandlar Lay (O’Malley), 57’
Lyons: Sarah Schierl, 63’
Lyons: Lay (Riley Wengerd), 76’
in win over Glenbrook South
Lions' offense explodes in 8-0 victory
By Dave Owen
WESTERN SPRINGS – Lyons seems intent on following its great 2021 season with even better things.
The Lions upped their record to a perfect 6-0-0 Monday with a dazzling 8-0 win over Glenbrook South (4-6-0) in the 4th annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic second round.
If last season was a pizza, it would be an extra-large with all the toppings: a run to the finals in Class 3A. But with five-straight shutouts and an offense starting to click big time, 2022 is shaping up to be very tasty as well.
“A lot of the kids were with us last year,” Lions coach Bill Lanspeary said, “but we tell them every year is a new group. We're not last year. We're this year. And we're pretty darned good.
“It's a tough group. I like the makeup of the team right now for sure.”
One nice addition this season has been freshman Caroline Mortonson. And in a hard-fought first half, she was the difference-maker in helping the Lions to a 2-0 lead at the break.
Mortonson’s first impact came 36:48 before halftime. On a send from midfield by Katie O’Malley, Mortonson beat a Glenbrook South defender and the goalkeeper to the bouncing ball near the top of the box to chip a 20-yarder into the net for a 1-0 Lions lead.
“Our center back played a really good cross in behind,” Mortonson said, “and I just kicked it over the goalie. I was in between if I was going to get there (before the defender and keeper).”
Mortonson won that race, and then closed the first half with a deflating blow to the Titans’ hopes.
Taking a pass from Josie Pochocki 30 yards out from the goal, Mortonson raced between defenders and left-footed a left-side 18-yarder inside the right post to up the lead to 2-0.
With four goals on the young season and improving play each game, Mortonson is fitting in very well with a state-seasoned, veteran roster.
“Everybody’s really nice around me helping me fit in,” she said, “and it's been less intimidating like after the first game or so.
“I did not think I was going to play a lot. So it's been good.”
It’s been a pretty great freshman debut from a coaching viewpoint as well.
“One of our best coaching moves was having her come in as a freshman,” Lanspeary joked. “She's really coming on. She's dangerous up there, and she gives us somebody dangerous in the middle.”
MVP of the Match Mortonson’s first half goals overcame a solid first 40 minutes by the visiting Titans.
Along with effective defense on most Lyons attacks, Glenbrook south had a strong showing on set pieces from midfielder Anna Durow.
Durow’s first free kick from 45 yards in the 12th minute required a head-high save by Lyons goalkeeper Izzy Lee. Then in the 24th minute, Durow was even stronger with a 43-yard straight-on free kick that demanded a fingertip grab near the crossbar by Lee.
Glenbrook South had effective defense on most early Lyons attacks (including Heather Sundstrom’s excellent effort to deny a Mortonson threat in the seventh minute).
“We started off strong,” Durow said. “We knew they (the Lions) were a good team coming into this game. We started off really strong and really aggressive. We kind of lost it a bit towards the second half and kind of ran out of energy.
“You know how it is. It's 80 minutes of the game against a good team. It's hard. But I think we played well in the first half, and we just have to keep on building.”
Despite the final tally, Lanspeary for one was impressed with the Titans.
“I never saw this coming,” he said. “In the first 15 minutes they had us on our heels.
“That (Glenbrook South) is a good team. To win 8-0 is amazing. They were fast. They played well.”
But outside of Durow’s strikes and a 30-yard one-hop shot on goal by Lilly O’Rourke in the 37th minute, the first half chances were all Lyons.
And the opening salvo of the second half would create runaway momentum for the Lions.
Just 2:08 after the break, Mortonson took a nice pass upfield from O'Malley, burst in on left wing and sent a perfect cross to the front. Eleanor Musgrove did the rest, touching in the cross to give the Lions a 3-0 edge.
“The goal early in the second half I think changed things,” Lanspeary said. “It was a great play. As Caroline went up the sideline you could see Eleanor knew right where to go and made a great run. And Caroline's an unselfish player. She played a great ball in, and I think that really set the tone for the second half.”
The tone continued with 30:01 left to play. Off a Rielly Chesna throw-in, O’Malley maneuvered between two defenders on the run near the six to head the ball in for a 4-0 Lyons margin.
While Glenbrook South coach Mark Daniels saw the Lions beginning to produce what would be a brilliant offensive half, his side faced increased attack challenges and fatigue.
“We're struggling to score,” Daniels said. “We're still searching for possession play, which we did a pretty good job of in the first half stringing some passes together. That's one of our goals to be confident and not panic, and have a sense of what to do with the ball. We're just having trouble finishing in the attacking third.”
And with two starters out with injuries and an elite opponent to face, the challenges grew too large.
“They (Lyons) are good defensively, and they're fast,” Daniels said. “They are probably the best team we've seen that attacks with speed and efficiency. They don't quit. We didn't either. We fought hard, but we didn't match up well with them.”
Durow seconded her coach’s praise of the Lions.
“This is the best team we've played,” she said. “We came off a loss to Loyola (3-0 on Saturday), but they're not near as good a team as this is.
“They're a really good possession team,” Durow added about Lyons “They know how to play the outside and be able to cross it in for somebody on the end to get it in the back of the net.
“Sometimes we just weren't fast enough to get back and stop that pass from happening or get on that mark and stop the goal. But they had some nice shots. Props to them.”
The Lions continued to deserve praise through a brilliant second half.
Musgrove added a new wrinkle to the attack with 26:10 left, sending a nice corner kick high off second half Glenbrook South goalkeeper Lyndsey Mack’s hands and into the far corner of the net to hike the lead to 5-0.
The corner was set up by a Niamh Griffin shot that Mack deflected just wide of the net.
“She had a shot the goalie got a foot on and just poked it wide,” Lanspeary said. “That was a nice shot by Niamh there.”
Musgrove’s nice set piece then made the chance pay off.
“I've scored a couple like that since I started playing soccer,” Musgrove said. “It's always super fun to score directly off the corner, because it's something that's super rare. But it was great. I love the support from all my teammates, and that was a great one for sure that I'll remember.”
The Lions weren’t finished with picture perfect finishes.
Less than three minutes after Musgrove’s perfect strike, O’Malley attacked left side and sent a cross to the front. Chandlar Lay’s touch shot deflected off a defender and inside the right post as the lead grew to 6-0.
The Lions then went to their bench, and the success didn’t stop.
With 17:26 to go, Sarah Schierl battled into the box for a chance and, after an initial takeaway, she won the ball back and arched a tough-angle 8-yard shot right of the goal into the upper left of the net.
“Sarah comes in and does a nice job for us at midfield,” Lanspeary said. “You don't see her up like that attacking too often, so I was thrilled for her to get a goal. She's normally more of a possession, move the ball along and connect passes player for us. I’m very happy for her.
“The best thing was as kids came out, hearing them cheer for the other kids getting in and scoring goals. That was great. Everybody supporting one another was awesome. It's good mojo for the team.”
The 7-0 lead halved the remaining time on the clock to 8:58, but the Lions added another goal with 4:26 left.
This time reserve Riley Wengerd drove in and crossed to Lay, whose low liner inside the right post closed the scoring and gave the Lions a trio of two-goal scorers (Musgrove, Mortonson and Lay) on the night.
“Caroline is nice to have (at forward),” Lanspeary said, “and Chandlar plays the same spot and had a great game tonight too doing a lot of the same stuff.”
Seven goals in 42 minutes of soccer against a quality opponent was a tribute to a near-perfect effort by the Lions. They had scored just three goals in their last two games, including a 1-0 double overtime win over conference foe Downers Grove North.
“We really finished all our chances (Monday),” Musgrove said. “I know in the past couple of games it's been a little slow, but in that second half we really opened up and created chances for one another. I think we were super calm in front of goal, and it showed up on the scoreboard.”
After an incredible 2021, the Lions have reloaded impressively.
“We have a lot of additions to the team,” Musgrove said, “and they've really stepped into their roles. We have a super strong backline with Kate Fulscher and Ava Pike and Brenna Israel, and we are all just coming together as a team. It’s so great to see these younger players fitting in so well with us.”
That defensive unit extended a shutout streak to nearly 500=consecutive minutes Tuesday.
“They’ve held strong, and I think they’re getting stronger,” Lanspeary said. “It's kind of a new backline this year. Kate and Ava were back there last year, and we have some new pieces back there. They're really jelling and playing well together.”
As they prepare to host Loyola in another Deep Dish test on Wednesday, the Lions hope everything falls in place as well as it did on a magical Monday.
“I think this was a turning point game for us,” Musgrove said, “because Glenbrook South was a good opponent. They really fought hard, and I think it was great for us to get out there, be aggressive and score as many goals as we did because they weren't an easy competitor. It just shows where our strengths lie and how good we are against harder teams.”
Glenbrook South next faces Lake Forest (2-5-0) on Wednesday, looking to rejuvenate an offense that scored eight goals during a 3-0-0 start to the season but has been shut out four times since.
“We need to work on our possession game for sure,” Durow said. “We also need to work on taking more shots and getting those shots open on our feet. We're a good shooting team, but we don't take enough shots.”
Said Daniels: “We're still growing and learning. But we were outmatched today.”
Starting lineups
Glenbrook South
GK Bella Christ
D Christina Papadatos
D Heather Sundstrom
D Caitlyn Antman
D Adyson Kleman
M Meghan Noe
M Anna Durow
M Lilly O’Rourke
M Bella Gemignani
M Ashley Ciss
F Audrey Langenbach
Lyons
GK Izzy Lee
D Ava Pike
D Kate Fulscher
D Brennan Israel
D Caroline McKenna
M Rielly Chesna
M Izzi Wirtz
M Josie Pochocki
M Eleanor Musgrove
F Caroline Mortonson
F Katie O’Malley
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Caroline Mortonson, fr. F, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons: Caroline Mortonson (Katie O’Malley), 4’
Lyons: Mortonson (Josie Pochocki), 39’
Second half
Lyons: Eleanor Musgrove (Mortonson), 43’
Lyons: O’Malley (Rielly Chesna), 50’
Lyons: Musgrove (corner kick), 54’
Lyons: Chandlar Lay (O’Malley), 57’
Lyons: Sarah Schierl, 63’
Lyons: Lay (Riley Wengerd), 76’