'Executive decision' produces late HC win
Lyman's prescient choice yields difference-maker in 1-0 win
By Dave Owen
LAGRANGE PARK – While the third game of the season is too early for panic buttons, the sense of urgency button was another matter for Hinsdale Central at Nazareth on Tuesday.
Fortunately for the Red Devils (1-1-1), senior midfielder Caroline Lyman was more than up to the challenge.
With her team locked in a 0-0 tie with the host Roadrunners (1-2-1), Lyman turned a heads-up hustle play into the game-winner in the Red Devils’ 1-0 win.
Intercepting a pass left of the net moments after a Nazareth goal kick, Lyman sidestepped charging Roadrunners goalkeeper Gillian Alberto and lined a 15-yard shot inside the right post with just 4:47 left in regulation.
“I saw that she (the Nazareth fullback) was going to pass it back to the goalie, and I knew there was five minutes left,” said Lyman, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “I needed to make an executive decision and just go for it.
“I knew that was the time to take a chance, otherwise it (the game) would end in a tie, and we were really looking for the win today. We all had that mentality. We thought it would be great to get a win against such a great program.”
Just 30 seconds before her goal, Lyman had been incredibly robbed of a goal when her 25-yard drive seemingly destined for a spot inside the right post was deflected just wide by a diving Alberto.
“Gillian was phenomenal,” Nazareth coach Diego Garcia said. “This is the first time she’s really gotten minutes, and I can tell you it won’t be the last. She saved us. Me personally, I’m thinking ‘That’s going in.’ She came out of nowhere, like Superman.”
But Lyman recovered with her own super moment seconds later.
“All that hard work throughout the game,” Lyman said, “of possessing the ball and doing a good job of keeping it on the ground and playing our soccer, it wouldn’t mean anything unless we were able to get the result.
“We all were putting in all our effort the whole time. All the forwards and midfielders kind of came together.”
The Red Devils’ breakthrough capped a three-minute span of relentless heat on the Roadrunners.
The sequence began with a bang at 7:55 to go, when Sammy Guido’s 32-yard free kick grazed off the crossbar.
Alberto followed 50 seconds later with a save on a Alyssa Moncrief shot, which she followed with a block and control of a Sarah Cernugel right side attempt with 6:45 left.
Guido followed with 5:50 to play, sending a 28-yard free kick just over the crossbar. Then after Lyman was robbed at 5:20 and the ensuing corner kick chance ended with a Grace Kalis shot on goal through a crowd in front, the boiling point finally came.
“Our goalkeeper hesitated (on the goal kick) and gave a pass out to our fullback,” Garcia said. “Our fullback tried to play it back, and it was too short of a pass. And their girl (Lyman) came in and put it in the back of the net. It was good for Hinsdale Central -- they were pressuring, and they always have a good team.”
The Red Devils had preceded Tuesday’s battle with a season-opening 0-0 tie at Plainfield North and a 2-0 loss Saturday to Wheaton Warrenville South, which is ranked no. 13 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“I don’t care how it came, we just needed a goal,” Hinsdale Central first-year coach Tony Medonia said. “It was a great finish.
“Once we realized you have to take a touch on the ball and find a pass, then we were a little better (late in the game). But before we realized that… we just had to keep it simple, that’s all it was. A little bit of a state-of-mind thing.”
But between grit, perseverance and great depth, the Red Devils endured.
“Anyone can come on the field, and I feel we’re just as strong as we were with the starting lineup,” Hinsdale Central senior defender Sam Moriarty said.
Added Medonia: “We have a lot of players on this team who can play. So every starting lineup and sub is looking different. We’re still trying to find the right combination.”
That quest for the right mix produced several strong performances Tuesday.
“I was happy with Sarah Cernugel (off the bench),” Medonia said, “and our sophomore Lauren Oleferchik who started the game and then finished the last five minutes. Caroline, Grace (Kalis) and all the seniors were great out there, and I’d also mention Elle Jenkins and Jane Bibby. They came in and got after it.”
For different reasons, Tuesday also evolved into a great display of Nazareth’s depth.
“Four of my starters are away at a retreat,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to say this (loss) doesn’t matter, but it is early in the season, and it’s a good building experience.”
Nazareth defender Grace Heery excelled in keeping the shorthanded Roadrunners on track. She had a big part in the game’s first two quality chances. Her corner kick was headed wide right by Lizzie Cipra in the fifth minute, then the junior's 30-yard free kick just over the crossbar in the 12th minute.
“A lot of our players had to step up today, and they did really well,” Heery said. “Some of our center midfielders have never played that position before, and they stepped up today.”
The Red Devils responded to Nazareth’s early offensive push with a strong finish to the first half.
One near breakthrough came in the 16th minute of the match. Off a Lyman free kick from 33 yards, Nazareth first half goalkeeper Blair made a point-blank save on a Kalis shot at the left post. Then on the ensuing scramble in front for the rebound, Heery made a goal-saving block to maintain the 0-0 tie.
“Grace is something else,” Garcia said. “Especially with her being a junior, I’m excited her for another year after this.”
Just two minutes later, a Jackie Blake corner kick produced another Hinsdale Central chance. But the resulting 12-yard Bibby shot was deflected wide by Blair.
Denying the Red Devils’attack for most of the day was a matter of both actions and words.
“Be loud, keep talking, keep everyone informed,” Heery said. “You have to know what’s going on at all times.”
“There’s a lot of communication in the back. Our back is running the field right now. We have a really strong back – (defender and co-captain) Grace (D’Onofrio) and I are back there. We’re loud, and you have to have that personality. And we’re working together.
“We have sort of a young team in the center of the field, so trying to get them to acclimate to their new positions and working with each other is going pretty well.”
The first half ended with quality Red Devils’ defense.
In the 24th minute, Moriarty nicely denied a strong attack by Cipra with a nice 1-v.-1 block of Cipra’s 18-yard shot. Then less than a minute later, goalkeeper Taylor Ward made a sliding stop to reject a Mia Gurka right side rush and end line cross to the crease.
“We were definitely talking a lot,” Moriarty said of the defensive effort. “That’s something we’ve been working on all of our practices and games so far. We were communicating, stepping up.
“We talk in practice a lot about trusting each other, and I think that was a big component of it. And not just the backline but going all the way through the midfield and up to the forwards.”
Hinsdale Central’s offensive attack asserted itself with a five-minute stretch of solid possession late in the first half. Two Guido shots in the final 5:40 of the half (including a 23-yarder just over the net) were part of the result.
The Red Devils were back on the offensive after the half, highlighted by an Olivia Rayis 36-yard free kick with 34:30 left to play that led to a Lyman chance (denied by a leaping Alberto deflection of Lyman’s cross to the crease).
But Hinsdale Central’s increasing control of the second half didn’t come without some big challenges.
After a foul with 18:45 left, Heery’s well-struck 41-yard free kick forced Ward to come off her line to attempt a sliding catch. The ball spun loose on her catch attempt, but defender Sophie Simmons (a non-starter Tuesday) came up big with a block 10 yards out of Cipra’s open net rebound attempt.
Less than a minute later, Ward made the save on a back-to-the goal Cipra header try off another Heery free kick (this time from 35 yards).
The Red Devils responded with a flurry of threats, beginning with Alberto’s high save on a 22-yard Blake shot with 14:30 left.
Ten minutes later, Lyman’s hustle play finally produced Hinsdale Central’s memorable first goal of 2019.
“I’m confident in our forwards,” Moriarty said. “We’ve been working on shooting and scoring the last couple of practices, so we were really going for that today.
“It was tough our first two games to not get the results that we wanted, but this game I felt we were controlling a lot of the possession and feeling really strong. I feel it’s just a good sign for the rest of the season. We got this first win, and that should get us going for these next couple of games.”
Having finally grabbed a 1-0 lead, Hinsdale Central had to rely on its defense to deny a final Nazareth push.
Ward made catches on Roadrunners shots with 4:30 and 2:40 left. Then a long right side send produced a Holly Skrip end line run with 2:05 to go, which ended with Ward’s diving block of the cross to the front and an ensuing clear.
Finally with 40 seconds left, Moriarty’s send upfield from 35 yards halted Nazareth’s final bid to stir up a last rush.
The Red Devils now begin an 11-day spring break before returning to action March 30 against Batavia. When games resume, offense will be the focus.
“High, wide and not so handsome,” Modenia joked of the Red Devils’ early season scoring woes. “It’s the final touch, whether it’s a pass or a shot. And we need to clean that up if we want to do more.”
But strong finishes like Tuesday’s are a very nice first step.
“We were looking for a win to kind of be able to get on a roll,” Lyman said. “The last couple of games it was kind of hard to get into a groove. We were all looking to do that and set a good tone for the rest of the season.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK- Taylor Ward
D- Lauren Oleferchik
D- Sam Moruarty
D- Emily Bagnall
D- Olivia Rayis
M- Sammy Guido
M- Lindsey May
M- Caroline Lyman
M- Jane Bibby
F- Grace Kalis
F- Jackie Blake
Nazareth
GK- Sarah Blair
D- Grace D’Onofrio
D- Grace Heery
D- Kathleen Gerth
D- Holly Skrip
M- Lizzie Cipra
M- Gabriella DiBrizzi
M- Adriana Berrutti
M- Gianna DiFoggio
F- Juliana Iacono
F- Klavdia Georges
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Caroline Lyman, sr. MF, Hinsdale Central
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
HC – Lyman (unassisted), 76th minute
Lyman's prescient choice yields difference-maker in 1-0 win
By Dave Owen
LAGRANGE PARK – While the third game of the season is too early for panic buttons, the sense of urgency button was another matter for Hinsdale Central at Nazareth on Tuesday.
Fortunately for the Red Devils (1-1-1), senior midfielder Caroline Lyman was more than up to the challenge.
With her team locked in a 0-0 tie with the host Roadrunners (1-2-1), Lyman turned a heads-up hustle play into the game-winner in the Red Devils’ 1-0 win.
Intercepting a pass left of the net moments after a Nazareth goal kick, Lyman sidestepped charging Roadrunners goalkeeper Gillian Alberto and lined a 15-yard shot inside the right post with just 4:47 left in regulation.
“I saw that she (the Nazareth fullback) was going to pass it back to the goalie, and I knew there was five minutes left,” said Lyman, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “I needed to make an executive decision and just go for it.
“I knew that was the time to take a chance, otherwise it (the game) would end in a tie, and we were really looking for the win today. We all had that mentality. We thought it would be great to get a win against such a great program.”
Just 30 seconds before her goal, Lyman had been incredibly robbed of a goal when her 25-yard drive seemingly destined for a spot inside the right post was deflected just wide by a diving Alberto.
“Gillian was phenomenal,” Nazareth coach Diego Garcia said. “This is the first time she’s really gotten minutes, and I can tell you it won’t be the last. She saved us. Me personally, I’m thinking ‘That’s going in.’ She came out of nowhere, like Superman.”
But Lyman recovered with her own super moment seconds later.
“All that hard work throughout the game,” Lyman said, “of possessing the ball and doing a good job of keeping it on the ground and playing our soccer, it wouldn’t mean anything unless we were able to get the result.
“We all were putting in all our effort the whole time. All the forwards and midfielders kind of came together.”
The Red Devils’ breakthrough capped a three-minute span of relentless heat on the Roadrunners.
The sequence began with a bang at 7:55 to go, when Sammy Guido’s 32-yard free kick grazed off the crossbar.
Alberto followed 50 seconds later with a save on a Alyssa Moncrief shot, which she followed with a block and control of a Sarah Cernugel right side attempt with 6:45 left.
Guido followed with 5:50 to play, sending a 28-yard free kick just over the crossbar. Then after Lyman was robbed at 5:20 and the ensuing corner kick chance ended with a Grace Kalis shot on goal through a crowd in front, the boiling point finally came.
“Our goalkeeper hesitated (on the goal kick) and gave a pass out to our fullback,” Garcia said. “Our fullback tried to play it back, and it was too short of a pass. And their girl (Lyman) came in and put it in the back of the net. It was good for Hinsdale Central -- they were pressuring, and they always have a good team.”
The Red Devils had preceded Tuesday’s battle with a season-opening 0-0 tie at Plainfield North and a 2-0 loss Saturday to Wheaton Warrenville South, which is ranked no. 13 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“I don’t care how it came, we just needed a goal,” Hinsdale Central first-year coach Tony Medonia said. “It was a great finish.
“Once we realized you have to take a touch on the ball and find a pass, then we were a little better (late in the game). But before we realized that… we just had to keep it simple, that’s all it was. A little bit of a state-of-mind thing.”
But between grit, perseverance and great depth, the Red Devils endured.
“Anyone can come on the field, and I feel we’re just as strong as we were with the starting lineup,” Hinsdale Central senior defender Sam Moriarty said.
Added Medonia: “We have a lot of players on this team who can play. So every starting lineup and sub is looking different. We’re still trying to find the right combination.”
That quest for the right mix produced several strong performances Tuesday.
“I was happy with Sarah Cernugel (off the bench),” Medonia said, “and our sophomore Lauren Oleferchik who started the game and then finished the last five minutes. Caroline, Grace (Kalis) and all the seniors were great out there, and I’d also mention Elle Jenkins and Jane Bibby. They came in and got after it.”
For different reasons, Tuesday also evolved into a great display of Nazareth’s depth.
“Four of my starters are away at a retreat,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to say this (loss) doesn’t matter, but it is early in the season, and it’s a good building experience.”
Nazareth defender Grace Heery excelled in keeping the shorthanded Roadrunners on track. She had a big part in the game’s first two quality chances. Her corner kick was headed wide right by Lizzie Cipra in the fifth minute, then the junior's 30-yard free kick just over the crossbar in the 12th minute.
“A lot of our players had to step up today, and they did really well,” Heery said. “Some of our center midfielders have never played that position before, and they stepped up today.”
The Red Devils responded to Nazareth’s early offensive push with a strong finish to the first half.
One near breakthrough came in the 16th minute of the match. Off a Lyman free kick from 33 yards, Nazareth first half goalkeeper Blair made a point-blank save on a Kalis shot at the left post. Then on the ensuing scramble in front for the rebound, Heery made a goal-saving block to maintain the 0-0 tie.
“Grace is something else,” Garcia said. “Especially with her being a junior, I’m excited her for another year after this.”
Just two minutes later, a Jackie Blake corner kick produced another Hinsdale Central chance. But the resulting 12-yard Bibby shot was deflected wide by Blair.
Denying the Red Devils’attack for most of the day was a matter of both actions and words.
“Be loud, keep talking, keep everyone informed,” Heery said. “You have to know what’s going on at all times.”
“There’s a lot of communication in the back. Our back is running the field right now. We have a really strong back – (defender and co-captain) Grace (D’Onofrio) and I are back there. We’re loud, and you have to have that personality. And we’re working together.
“We have sort of a young team in the center of the field, so trying to get them to acclimate to their new positions and working with each other is going pretty well.”
The first half ended with quality Red Devils’ defense.
In the 24th minute, Moriarty nicely denied a strong attack by Cipra with a nice 1-v.-1 block of Cipra’s 18-yard shot. Then less than a minute later, goalkeeper Taylor Ward made a sliding stop to reject a Mia Gurka right side rush and end line cross to the crease.
“We were definitely talking a lot,” Moriarty said of the defensive effort. “That’s something we’ve been working on all of our practices and games so far. We were communicating, stepping up.
“We talk in practice a lot about trusting each other, and I think that was a big component of it. And not just the backline but going all the way through the midfield and up to the forwards.”
Hinsdale Central’s offensive attack asserted itself with a five-minute stretch of solid possession late in the first half. Two Guido shots in the final 5:40 of the half (including a 23-yarder just over the net) were part of the result.
The Red Devils were back on the offensive after the half, highlighted by an Olivia Rayis 36-yard free kick with 34:30 left to play that led to a Lyman chance (denied by a leaping Alberto deflection of Lyman’s cross to the crease).
But Hinsdale Central’s increasing control of the second half didn’t come without some big challenges.
After a foul with 18:45 left, Heery’s well-struck 41-yard free kick forced Ward to come off her line to attempt a sliding catch. The ball spun loose on her catch attempt, but defender Sophie Simmons (a non-starter Tuesday) came up big with a block 10 yards out of Cipra’s open net rebound attempt.
Less than a minute later, Ward made the save on a back-to-the goal Cipra header try off another Heery free kick (this time from 35 yards).
The Red Devils responded with a flurry of threats, beginning with Alberto’s high save on a 22-yard Blake shot with 14:30 left.
Ten minutes later, Lyman’s hustle play finally produced Hinsdale Central’s memorable first goal of 2019.
“I’m confident in our forwards,” Moriarty said. “We’ve been working on shooting and scoring the last couple of practices, so we were really going for that today.
“It was tough our first two games to not get the results that we wanted, but this game I felt we were controlling a lot of the possession and feeling really strong. I feel it’s just a good sign for the rest of the season. We got this first win, and that should get us going for these next couple of games.”
Having finally grabbed a 1-0 lead, Hinsdale Central had to rely on its defense to deny a final Nazareth push.
Ward made catches on Roadrunners shots with 4:30 and 2:40 left. Then a long right side send produced a Holly Skrip end line run with 2:05 to go, which ended with Ward’s diving block of the cross to the front and an ensuing clear.
Finally with 40 seconds left, Moriarty’s send upfield from 35 yards halted Nazareth’s final bid to stir up a last rush.
The Red Devils now begin an 11-day spring break before returning to action March 30 against Batavia. When games resume, offense will be the focus.
“High, wide and not so handsome,” Modenia joked of the Red Devils’ early season scoring woes. “It’s the final touch, whether it’s a pass or a shot. And we need to clean that up if we want to do more.”
But strong finishes like Tuesday’s are a very nice first step.
“We were looking for a win to kind of be able to get on a roll,” Lyman said. “The last couple of games it was kind of hard to get into a groove. We were all looking to do that and set a good tone for the rest of the season.”
Starting lineups
Hinsdale Central
GK- Taylor Ward
D- Lauren Oleferchik
D- Sam Moruarty
D- Emily Bagnall
D- Olivia Rayis
M- Sammy Guido
M- Lindsey May
M- Caroline Lyman
M- Jane Bibby
F- Grace Kalis
F- Jackie Blake
Nazareth
GK- Sarah Blair
D- Grace D’Onofrio
D- Grace Heery
D- Kathleen Gerth
D- Holly Skrip
M- Lizzie Cipra
M- Gabriella DiBrizzi
M- Adriana Berrutti
M- Gianna DiFoggio
F- Juliana Iacono
F- Klavdia Georges
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Caroline Lyman, sr. MF, Hinsdale Central
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
HC – Lyman (unassisted), 76th minute