Lane listens, finds play to top Payton
Halftime adjustments yield goal; Indians remain perfect in Premier
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- The beautiful game is a wonder to behold -- and pretty much impossible to always understand or fully grasp.
What other explanation than to see Lane blitz Payton with beautiful forays and deep end runs only to be stymied by the Grizzlies’ superb senior keeper Hannah Lynn. The first half performance was certainly bolstered by playing with the wind.
It was just the jolt the leg-weary Indians needed.
At the break, the game was scoreless. Payton had excitement. The psychological advantage appeared theirs.
“At the beginning of the game, to be honest, I was not sure that we could beat them,” Payton midfielder Ella Marden said. “When it was still zero-zero at the half, and we had the wind to start the second half, I felt good. I started to think it was possible we just might win.”
Lane proceeded to upend the narrative with a dazzling scoring sequence into the teeth of the wind against the gut of the Grizzlies’ defense and Lynn’s superb final stop.
Lane midfielder Carlye Makuch drove the ball into the middle and flared a sharp ball down the right end to a streaking Jazzmin Jordan.
Jordan beat her defender and delivered a pin-perfect cross that Ayla Guvener finished with a one-touch inside the near post in the 46th minute in Lane’s 1-0 victory in Chicago Public League Premier Division play Wednesday at Lincoln Park South Turf Field.
“We felt we could run them off,” said Jordan, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “In the first half we struggled getting the ball up. At halftime we talked about how we had to try to play the ball out wider and play the whole field more. As soon as I saw Carlye with the ball, I immediately ran through the line.
“I knew a defender was coming at me, and I had to give it up and Ayla was in the right place at the right time.”
Ayla Guvener scored her second goal of the year in her second-straight game with a score. She scored the Indians’ goal in their difficult 2-1 loss against no. 21 Glenbrook South Tuesday night.
The Payton contest marked Lane’s third game in three days.
“It was probably both,” she said of the psychological and physical duress of playing three games in three days. “Probably a little bit more physically demanding. I think you saw we were exhausted out there at times.”
Lane (3-3-1, 3-0-0) dominated possession and shot attempts in the first half. Lynn was the neutralizer. The savvy, skilled four-year starter recorded seven of her 11 saves in the first half. She made a spectacular diving stop off a shot by Sydney Varga.
She made two great body saves against Lane’s elite scorer Grace Dunaway. Indians’ two-way star Izzy Oganovich, shifting up from her position in the back, twice made strong shots on goal. One sailed just over the top of the post.
“My mentality is just do anything necessary to keep the ball out of the back of the net,” Lynn said. Demonstrative and capable, she is Payton’s coach on the field, ordering subtle changes and making players aware of Lane’s tactics and approach. With five sophomores and one freshman starting, Payton is a talented young team looking for leadership and to be molded.
The most glittering young talent, sophomore midfielder Hayley Owens, again showed her considerable passing skills. Payton (4-2-1, 0-2-0) showed resilience and toughness. The team had the harsh memory of a 5-0 loss from a year ago. That was motivation enough.
“We made some bad mistakes in that game, and that really hurt us,” Lynn said. “We put up a good fight, which is good to see. I thought we really came together as a team and played well. Lane has a lot of great players, and they definitely created a lot of problems for us and made hard runs to every ball. I was very proud of how we played disciplined, hard defense.”
Playing with the wind in the second half, Payton senior midfielder Fiona O’Brien made several compelling deep runs. Marden was also a capable presence. She generated one of the Grizzlies’ best scoring chances, a ball from the right edge from about 19 yards in the 55th minute that Lane keeper Maggie Grossman speared.
“I wish I kicked it harder,” Marden said. “The opportunity was there, and the shot was open to me, and I wanted to take it. Looking back I wish I played it more to the corner and forced their keeper to move. It was a hard shot, but right at her.”
Coming off a difficult 2-0 Premier loss to Young on Monday, Payton showed subtle improvement. Their passing and runs were more synchronized and meaningful in the second half.
“I felt like in the second half we were able to keep the ball more on the ground instead of just kicking it,” Marden said.
The game marked a validation for Lane coach Michelle Vale. She pointed to this brutal week -- the three-day stretch of games followed by a first round PepsiCo game against no. 16 Fenwick on Saturday.
“Mentally we are in a much better place because of all the games we played this week,” Vale said. “At the start of the year we had a lot of distractions. We had injuries. We had other commitments. Now, we are in a good place and that is what carried us through three days of very tough competition.”
Knowing the versatility, depth and positional flexibility Lane possesses invited Vale to construct the toughest schedule possible.
“We have a lot of talent on this team, and when I put in a player in I can expect them to perform.”
What was particularly gratifying for Vale was the game-winning sequence developed out of the halftime talk and the adjustments she made.
“We talked about playing the ball wider and getting the ball into position to make the cross,” she said. “Our players rose to the challenge.”
Ayla Guvener, the twin sister of midfielder Ayser Guvener, is a whirling dervish who darted between the taller Payton defender to make a great play on the ball.
“I saw Jazz make her run and she made a great touch and I sort of beat my defender inside,” Ayla Guvener said.
Lane’s three victories on the year have come in conference play. The team has shown it is capable of playing with any program. The PepsiCo Showdown is another opportunity to showcase their depth, experience and young skilled players.
“We have a lot of talent, and people who can play a lot of different positions,” Ayla Guvener said. “We just want to keep the momentum going.”
Taking up her line, Jordan remarked: “We are definitely ready.”
Payton is far from broken. The Grizzlies see growth and possibility. Playing the two best Premier teams two days apart only illustrated the team’s promise.
“I am very excited to see how the rest of the season is going to play out,” Lynn said.
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Ella Marden
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emilia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Kinuku Mrozik
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Izzy Oganovich
MF: Ayser Guvener
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
MF: Carlye Makuch
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Ayla Guvener
MVP of the match: Jazzmin Jordan, Lane, jr., MF
Scoring summary
Second half
Lane—Ayla Guvener (Jazzmin Jordan), 46th minute
Halftime adjustments yield goal; Indians remain perfect in Premier
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- The beautiful game is a wonder to behold -- and pretty much impossible to always understand or fully grasp.
What other explanation than to see Lane blitz Payton with beautiful forays and deep end runs only to be stymied by the Grizzlies’ superb senior keeper Hannah Lynn. The first half performance was certainly bolstered by playing with the wind.
It was just the jolt the leg-weary Indians needed.
At the break, the game was scoreless. Payton had excitement. The psychological advantage appeared theirs.
“At the beginning of the game, to be honest, I was not sure that we could beat them,” Payton midfielder Ella Marden said. “When it was still zero-zero at the half, and we had the wind to start the second half, I felt good. I started to think it was possible we just might win.”
Lane proceeded to upend the narrative with a dazzling scoring sequence into the teeth of the wind against the gut of the Grizzlies’ defense and Lynn’s superb final stop.
Lane midfielder Carlye Makuch drove the ball into the middle and flared a sharp ball down the right end to a streaking Jazzmin Jordan.
Jordan beat her defender and delivered a pin-perfect cross that Ayla Guvener finished with a one-touch inside the near post in the 46th minute in Lane’s 1-0 victory in Chicago Public League Premier Division play Wednesday at Lincoln Park South Turf Field.
“We felt we could run them off,” said Jordan, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match. “In the first half we struggled getting the ball up. At halftime we talked about how we had to try to play the ball out wider and play the whole field more. As soon as I saw Carlye with the ball, I immediately ran through the line.
“I knew a defender was coming at me, and I had to give it up and Ayla was in the right place at the right time.”
Ayla Guvener scored her second goal of the year in her second-straight game with a score. She scored the Indians’ goal in their difficult 2-1 loss against no. 21 Glenbrook South Tuesday night.
The Payton contest marked Lane’s third game in three days.
“It was probably both,” she said of the psychological and physical duress of playing three games in three days. “Probably a little bit more physically demanding. I think you saw we were exhausted out there at times.”
Lane (3-3-1, 3-0-0) dominated possession and shot attempts in the first half. Lynn was the neutralizer. The savvy, skilled four-year starter recorded seven of her 11 saves in the first half. She made a spectacular diving stop off a shot by Sydney Varga.
She made two great body saves against Lane’s elite scorer Grace Dunaway. Indians’ two-way star Izzy Oganovich, shifting up from her position in the back, twice made strong shots on goal. One sailed just over the top of the post.
“My mentality is just do anything necessary to keep the ball out of the back of the net,” Lynn said. Demonstrative and capable, she is Payton’s coach on the field, ordering subtle changes and making players aware of Lane’s tactics and approach. With five sophomores and one freshman starting, Payton is a talented young team looking for leadership and to be molded.
The most glittering young talent, sophomore midfielder Hayley Owens, again showed her considerable passing skills. Payton (4-2-1, 0-2-0) showed resilience and toughness. The team had the harsh memory of a 5-0 loss from a year ago. That was motivation enough.
“We made some bad mistakes in that game, and that really hurt us,” Lynn said. “We put up a good fight, which is good to see. I thought we really came together as a team and played well. Lane has a lot of great players, and they definitely created a lot of problems for us and made hard runs to every ball. I was very proud of how we played disciplined, hard defense.”
Playing with the wind in the second half, Payton senior midfielder Fiona O’Brien made several compelling deep runs. Marden was also a capable presence. She generated one of the Grizzlies’ best scoring chances, a ball from the right edge from about 19 yards in the 55th minute that Lane keeper Maggie Grossman speared.
“I wish I kicked it harder,” Marden said. “The opportunity was there, and the shot was open to me, and I wanted to take it. Looking back I wish I played it more to the corner and forced their keeper to move. It was a hard shot, but right at her.”
Coming off a difficult 2-0 Premier loss to Young on Monday, Payton showed subtle improvement. Their passing and runs were more synchronized and meaningful in the second half.
“I felt like in the second half we were able to keep the ball more on the ground instead of just kicking it,” Marden said.
The game marked a validation for Lane coach Michelle Vale. She pointed to this brutal week -- the three-day stretch of games followed by a first round PepsiCo game against no. 16 Fenwick on Saturday.
“Mentally we are in a much better place because of all the games we played this week,” Vale said. “At the start of the year we had a lot of distractions. We had injuries. We had other commitments. Now, we are in a good place and that is what carried us through three days of very tough competition.”
Knowing the versatility, depth and positional flexibility Lane possesses invited Vale to construct the toughest schedule possible.
“We have a lot of talent on this team, and when I put in a player in I can expect them to perform.”
What was particularly gratifying for Vale was the game-winning sequence developed out of the halftime talk and the adjustments she made.
“We talked about playing the ball wider and getting the ball into position to make the cross,” she said. “Our players rose to the challenge.”
Ayla Guvener, the twin sister of midfielder Ayser Guvener, is a whirling dervish who darted between the taller Payton defender to make a great play on the ball.
“I saw Jazz make her run and she made a great touch and I sort of beat my defender inside,” Ayla Guvener said.
Lane’s three victories on the year have come in conference play. The team has shown it is capable of playing with any program. The PepsiCo Showdown is another opportunity to showcase their depth, experience and young skilled players.
“We have a lot of talent, and people who can play a lot of different positions,” Ayla Guvener said. “We just want to keep the momentum going.”
Taking up her line, Jordan remarked: “We are definitely ready.”
Payton is far from broken. The Grizzlies see growth and possibility. Playing the two best Premier teams two days apart only illustrated the team’s promise.
“I am very excited to see how the rest of the season is going to play out,” Lynn said.
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Ella Marden
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emilia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Kinuku Mrozik
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Izzy Oganovich
MF: Ayser Guvener
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
MF: Carlye Makuch
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Ayla Guvener
MVP of the match: Jazzmin Jordan, Lane, jr., MF
Scoring summary
Second half
Lane—Ayla Guvener (Jazzmin Jordan), 46th minute