Hinsdale Central edges rival Lyons in PKs
Red Devils reclaim Silver Brick travelling trophy
By Curt Herron
WESTERN SPRINGS -- As Hinsdale Central's players posed for pictures at midfield, host Lyons looked on with obvious dejection.
The Red Devils were celebrating like they had just hit the mother lode as they paraded their newly regained prized possession around. It was no gold bar but rather a brick that's been painted silver with a bunch of scores written on it.
That was the scene on Tuesday at Bennett Stadium following 100 minutes of play and a shootout between the longtime West Suburban Conference Silver Division rivals. It was clear why Hinsdale Central was so excited about the victory that allowed it to possess the silver brick trophy again.
The Red Devils had just snapped a five-year losing streak of one-goal defeats against Lyons and did so by recording a late goal in regulation and playing down a man while battling through extra play before making all four of their penalties and thwarting one of the host's attempts to give them the upper hand.
It seems likely that the outcome of the match, which was played in front of the large and boisterous audience of more than 500 people, will provide a lot of inspiration for Hinsdale Central. The result will no doubt instill additional motivation for Lyons, which saw its 14-game conference win streak that dated back to 2018, come to an end.
"There was a big crowd, and both teams played very well," Lions coach Paul Labbato said. "Hinsdale had a man down so they really worked hard to maintain the 2-2 game and then to try to pull that into maybe PKs.
“But to be fair, I felt like in the second overtime that even a man down, they really pushed at us to get a goal, and we really didn't come down on that end of the field very much.
“So they deserve congratulations. They worked very hard."
As for the bigger picture, the Lions coach is understandably pleased by what he's seen thus far from his squad, which is now 8-3-1 and 1-1 in the WSC Silver. Lyons will continue to be tested this weekend against Libertyville and Benet in the new Premier Invitational at Morton.
Lyons is ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. One of its defeats came against Boylan, which is the top-ranked team in the site's Illinois 10 poll, in the PepsiCo Showdown on September 12. The other loss came against New Trier on September 4 in the championship match of the Northside College Showcase, another match that was resolved by penalties.
"This group really works hard," Labbato said of his team. "Our captains really pull our team together. There's tremendous leadership out of them. I know that we can bounce back and will bounce back from something like this because the senior leadership is so strong.
"We play Benet and Libertyville on the weekend, so those are big matches that we're going to have to deal with. We're going to have to rebound. When you play three good teams in a row, if you don't mentally get better from something like this, then you'll find yourselves 0-3 after the weekend."
Lyons senior Jackson Sullivan, who shared captain duties along with classmates Aidan Hilling and Ryan Herchenroether, was disappointed about the outcome but is upbeat about what his team has done so far and what they may be able to accomplish the rest of the way.
"It was amazing to get all of those people out, but it's a shame that we couldn't get the result that we were looking for," Sullivan said. "But I'm proud of how all of the boys played their hearts out.
“The effort on this team is so different from almost any team that I've ever been on. All of these boys, whether they're playing bad or playing amazing, they will leave everything on the field.
“Grit is a word that we like to use. It's just the pure determination and heart of every single kid that steps on the field.
"You can see how upset a lot of our players were, including myself, and we're going to use this as fuel. We're going to make sure that we don't feel like this again. It stings now, but it's a great learning experience. We know what we have to do, and now we know that we have to execute."
While there was obviously good play throughout the field, one of the highlights of the evening was the play of the two senior keepers, Lyons' Luke Stockbridge and Hinsdale Central's Thatcher Petersen.
While both faced a variety of serious threats, the latter definitely was busier in handling his duties.
Petersen also came up big in the shootout. He thwarted the Lions' second attempt. Hinsdale Central (5-2-1, 2-0) shot first, and Dawson Steere connected for the visitors before Hilling scored to even things.
Sam Najjar gave the Red Devils a 2-1 edge and Petersen made a stop right after that. Sami Raslan put the visitors up 3-1 advantage before the third Lions' try hit the post. Thomas Renehan capped things off for Hinsdale Central to end the match.
"I'd never beaten them before, so it was really exciting to play this," said Petersen, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his play.
"We had to work as a whole team, and I had to keep my team's spirit up and not let them falter or yell at each other. We all had a lot of passion about beating Lyons, and we were very excited for this game. There was a big buildup to it.
"We're very supportive of each other, and we push each other to work very hard. We push each other to keep going forward without going backwards."
After an apparent Lyons goal was disallowed shortly before the final whistle of regulation time, the hosts had two good opportunities in the first overtime. While a corner kick by Hilling and a throw-in from Sullivan both entered the box, they resulted in no threatening shots. The Red Devils did get off an attempt from Najjar that was halted.
Lyons' Liam Carolan fired a liner, and Hilling was denied on a free kick in the second overtime. Hinsdale Central created opportunities of their own on a series of throw-ins from Steere and Renehan.
The Red Devils opened the scoring in the early going and ended it in the late stages. Lyons recorded its two goals just before and just after the break.
Hinsdale Central tied it at 2-2 in the 70th minute when a foul was called in the box and Steere converted the penalty.
Lyons’ Finn Mahaney sent in a free kick that was broken up. After Petersen got shaken up and was briefly replaced, Anthony Curran also sent a shot his way in one of the final good chances before the drama of the closing seconds of regulation.
The hosts took a 2-1 lead in the 41st minute after a corner kick by Hilling.
Hinsdale Central had several good second half chances before the late goal with Steere and Luke Anderson providing the best efforts.
Lyons looked like they might have connected in the 54th minute, but the referee ruled otherwise.
The game was knotted at 1-1 in the 34th minute when Lyons’ Hilling sent a pass to Carolan, who worked his way past defenders, After Petersen came out to challenge, he fired in an open slot for the goal.
Hinsdale Central started the scoring in the fifth minute when Jack Finley got open in front of the net and connected. The Lions responded with threatening attempts from Will Swicionis and Hilling.
The match ping-ponged back to the other side of the pitch and required Stockbridge to punch away a long free kick from Steere.
Hilling later countered with a series of free kicks and corner kicks that were on the mark.
"We shared more than our fair share of stories with the guys," said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins of the rivalry. "I think the stories gave them some perspective on history, and the way that the games have gone in the past.
“But the one thing that will stand up the most with this one is going down a man for at least halfway through the second half and two overtimes. It's hard enough to beat Lyons with 11, so to beat them with 10 says a lot about our guys.
"We said today that regardless of what happened we would come out winning because of the effort, the enthusiasm and the work that they put in. Playing against a team like Lyons, there's no way that you don't benefit from playing, because they're well coached, well organized and very talented.
“That's an experience that we appreciate in this conference. In my mind, we have the best soccer conference around, so in every game you're tested. Playing Lyons is just another opportunity to get a great game in. And Thatcher once again gives our guys the confidence in the back and demonstrates his skill. He obviously showed that with his big save in the PKs."
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
G Thatcher Petersen
D Dawson Steere
D Cyrus Fallah
D Cody McKay
D Shiven Shah
M Dayton DiTomasso
M Sami Raslan
M Faaris Hanif
M Sam Najjar
F Jack Finley
F Luke Anderson
Lyons
G Luke Stockbridge
D Colin Sullivan
D Fisher Daniels
D Dom Panopoulos
D Jackson Sullivan
M Aidan Hilling
M Ryan Herchenroether
M Anthony Curran
M Will Swicionis
F Zach Steck
F Finn Mahaney
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Thatcher Petersen, sr., GK, Hinsdale Central
Scoring summary
First half
H: Finley (unassisted), 5th minute
L: Carolan (Hilling), 34th minute
Second half
L: Hilling (unassisted), 41st minute
H: Steere PK, 70th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
H: Steere (1-0), Najjar (2-1), Raslan (3-1), Renehan (4-1)
L: Hilling (1-1)
Red Devils reclaim Silver Brick travelling trophy
By Curt Herron
WESTERN SPRINGS -- As Hinsdale Central's players posed for pictures at midfield, host Lyons looked on with obvious dejection.
The Red Devils were celebrating like they had just hit the mother lode as they paraded their newly regained prized possession around. It was no gold bar but rather a brick that's been painted silver with a bunch of scores written on it.
That was the scene on Tuesday at Bennett Stadium following 100 minutes of play and a shootout between the longtime West Suburban Conference Silver Division rivals. It was clear why Hinsdale Central was so excited about the victory that allowed it to possess the silver brick trophy again.
The Red Devils had just snapped a five-year losing streak of one-goal defeats against Lyons and did so by recording a late goal in regulation and playing down a man while battling through extra play before making all four of their penalties and thwarting one of the host's attempts to give them the upper hand.
It seems likely that the outcome of the match, which was played in front of the large and boisterous audience of more than 500 people, will provide a lot of inspiration for Hinsdale Central. The result will no doubt instill additional motivation for Lyons, which saw its 14-game conference win streak that dated back to 2018, come to an end.
"There was a big crowd, and both teams played very well," Lions coach Paul Labbato said. "Hinsdale had a man down so they really worked hard to maintain the 2-2 game and then to try to pull that into maybe PKs.
“But to be fair, I felt like in the second overtime that even a man down, they really pushed at us to get a goal, and we really didn't come down on that end of the field very much.
“So they deserve congratulations. They worked very hard."
As for the bigger picture, the Lions coach is understandably pleased by what he's seen thus far from his squad, which is now 8-3-1 and 1-1 in the WSC Silver. Lyons will continue to be tested this weekend against Libertyville and Benet in the new Premier Invitational at Morton.
Lyons is ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. One of its defeats came against Boylan, which is the top-ranked team in the site's Illinois 10 poll, in the PepsiCo Showdown on September 12. The other loss came against New Trier on September 4 in the championship match of the Northside College Showcase, another match that was resolved by penalties.
"This group really works hard," Labbato said of his team. "Our captains really pull our team together. There's tremendous leadership out of them. I know that we can bounce back and will bounce back from something like this because the senior leadership is so strong.
"We play Benet and Libertyville on the weekend, so those are big matches that we're going to have to deal with. We're going to have to rebound. When you play three good teams in a row, if you don't mentally get better from something like this, then you'll find yourselves 0-3 after the weekend."
Lyons senior Jackson Sullivan, who shared captain duties along with classmates Aidan Hilling and Ryan Herchenroether, was disappointed about the outcome but is upbeat about what his team has done so far and what they may be able to accomplish the rest of the way.
"It was amazing to get all of those people out, but it's a shame that we couldn't get the result that we were looking for," Sullivan said. "But I'm proud of how all of the boys played their hearts out.
“The effort on this team is so different from almost any team that I've ever been on. All of these boys, whether they're playing bad or playing amazing, they will leave everything on the field.
“Grit is a word that we like to use. It's just the pure determination and heart of every single kid that steps on the field.
"You can see how upset a lot of our players were, including myself, and we're going to use this as fuel. We're going to make sure that we don't feel like this again. It stings now, but it's a great learning experience. We know what we have to do, and now we know that we have to execute."
While there was obviously good play throughout the field, one of the highlights of the evening was the play of the two senior keepers, Lyons' Luke Stockbridge and Hinsdale Central's Thatcher Petersen.
While both faced a variety of serious threats, the latter definitely was busier in handling his duties.
Petersen also came up big in the shootout. He thwarted the Lions' second attempt. Hinsdale Central (5-2-1, 2-0) shot first, and Dawson Steere connected for the visitors before Hilling scored to even things.
Sam Najjar gave the Red Devils a 2-1 edge and Petersen made a stop right after that. Sami Raslan put the visitors up 3-1 advantage before the third Lions' try hit the post. Thomas Renehan capped things off for Hinsdale Central to end the match.
"I'd never beaten them before, so it was really exciting to play this," said Petersen, who earned Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors for his play.
"We had to work as a whole team, and I had to keep my team's spirit up and not let them falter or yell at each other. We all had a lot of passion about beating Lyons, and we were very excited for this game. There was a big buildup to it.
"We're very supportive of each other, and we push each other to work very hard. We push each other to keep going forward without going backwards."
After an apparent Lyons goal was disallowed shortly before the final whistle of regulation time, the hosts had two good opportunities in the first overtime. While a corner kick by Hilling and a throw-in from Sullivan both entered the box, they resulted in no threatening shots. The Red Devils did get off an attempt from Najjar that was halted.
Lyons' Liam Carolan fired a liner, and Hilling was denied on a free kick in the second overtime. Hinsdale Central created opportunities of their own on a series of throw-ins from Steere and Renehan.
The Red Devils opened the scoring in the early going and ended it in the late stages. Lyons recorded its two goals just before and just after the break.
Hinsdale Central tied it at 2-2 in the 70th minute when a foul was called in the box and Steere converted the penalty.
Lyons’ Finn Mahaney sent in a free kick that was broken up. After Petersen got shaken up and was briefly replaced, Anthony Curran also sent a shot his way in one of the final good chances before the drama of the closing seconds of regulation.
The hosts took a 2-1 lead in the 41st minute after a corner kick by Hilling.
Hinsdale Central had several good second half chances before the late goal with Steere and Luke Anderson providing the best efforts.
Lyons looked like they might have connected in the 54th minute, but the referee ruled otherwise.
The game was knotted at 1-1 in the 34th minute when Lyons’ Hilling sent a pass to Carolan, who worked his way past defenders, After Petersen came out to challenge, he fired in an open slot for the goal.
Hinsdale Central started the scoring in the fifth minute when Jack Finley got open in front of the net and connected. The Lions responded with threatening attempts from Will Swicionis and Hilling.
The match ping-ponged back to the other side of the pitch and required Stockbridge to punch away a long free kick from Steere.
Hilling later countered with a series of free kicks and corner kicks that were on the mark.
"We shared more than our fair share of stories with the guys," said Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins of the rivalry. "I think the stories gave them some perspective on history, and the way that the games have gone in the past.
“But the one thing that will stand up the most with this one is going down a man for at least halfway through the second half and two overtimes. It's hard enough to beat Lyons with 11, so to beat them with 10 says a lot about our guys.
"We said today that regardless of what happened we would come out winning because of the effort, the enthusiasm and the work that they put in. Playing against a team like Lyons, there's no way that you don't benefit from playing, because they're well coached, well organized and very talented.
“That's an experience that we appreciate in this conference. In my mind, we have the best soccer conference around, so in every game you're tested. Playing Lyons is just another opportunity to get a great game in. And Thatcher once again gives our guys the confidence in the back and demonstrates his skill. He obviously showed that with his big save in the PKs."
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
G Thatcher Petersen
D Dawson Steere
D Cyrus Fallah
D Cody McKay
D Shiven Shah
M Dayton DiTomasso
M Sami Raslan
M Faaris Hanif
M Sam Najjar
F Jack Finley
F Luke Anderson
Lyons
G Luke Stockbridge
D Colin Sullivan
D Fisher Daniels
D Dom Panopoulos
D Jackson Sullivan
M Aidan Hilling
M Ryan Herchenroether
M Anthony Curran
M Will Swicionis
F Zach Steck
F Finn Mahaney
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Thatcher Petersen, sr., GK, Hinsdale Central
Scoring summary
First half
H: Finley (unassisted), 5th minute
L: Carolan (Hilling), 34th minute
Second half
L: Hilling (unassisted), 41st minute
H: Steere PK, 70th minute
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
H: Steere (1-0), Najjar (2-1), Raslan (3-1), Renehan (4-1)
L: Hilling (1-1)