Lemont survives battle vs. Providence
2-0 win puts Indians in reach of 3d-straight sectional title
By Dave Owen
PARK FOREST – Despite the appearance, the sectional semifinal was no picnic in the park for second-seeded Lemont.
Playing on a narrow, rolling field probably better fit for a backyard barbecue (with high grass and no clock or scoreboard), Lemont, ranked 15th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, endured that and other would-be obstacles to produce goals late in each half and defeat Providence 2-0 Wednesday at Rich East.
The Indians (20-4-1) advance to face top-seed Joliet Catholic in Friday’s 4:30 p.m. sectional final.
“The field was really hard to play on,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “It’s soft; it’s narrow; it’s uneven. What other adjective can I use to describe it? It’s hard to keep the ball, because it’s so congested and compacted.
“You try to simulate the width of the field, but this grass is way longer and the field is way softer than we practice on. So it’s hard.”
Providence coach Dan Potempa had his own take, complete with what seemed like an unintentional pun.
“It definitely slowed the game down, which if anything leveled the playing field,” said Potempa, whose team (7-13-2) saw its strong late season surge end for the second-straight year at sectionals against Lemont.
“It may have been a little different game on a different field, but they (Lemont) had to play on the same field as us.”
Goals in the final 10 minutes of each half by sophomores Kailey Wasyliw and Tori Silvar ultimately allowed Lemont to change the landscape of the game.
“This field is pretty difficult to play on, because there are many hills and stuff,” Silvar said. “But as a team we needed to work together, figure it out and adjust to it so that we can play how we usually play.”
If that adjustment wasn’t enough, Mother Nature threw one more curve.
“We trained yesterday, and I was wearing a ski cap and gloves,” Prangen said. “Today it’s 80 degrees, so that transition is a big switch. You have no time to acclimate to playing in it.”
Beyond playing conditions, the game on the pitch quickly evolved into a day of Lemont scoring threats and strong defense by both sides.
Five minutes in, Erin Crispo tipped a Michaela Egan send away from Providence goalkeeper Kayla Ambrose towards the right side. But Crispo sent her eventual tough-angle shot attempt wide of frame.
That theme of unfulfilled chances continued for the next 15 minutes of play: a Silvar corner kick that just missed connection with Danielle Irwin’s back-post run; Ambrose’s save of an Egan 30-yard free kick; and Crispo’s straight-on shot over the net off a Trinity Hatton midfield free kick.
A huge chance then came in the 25th minute, when Lemont quickly turned defense into offense.
Katie Knutte made a great offensive-end steal from a Providence defender and broke in on goal but had her shot deflected left of the net and a rebound bid cleared from the box.
With the first half wind at its backs, third-seeded Providence produced an 18th-minute bid when Maria Spesia’s counterattack against three defenders ended with a 15-yard shot and low save by Lemont goalkeeper Grace Kucharski.
But outside of that and a grass-slowed 16-yard shot by Sierra Vidican, the Lemont defense limited threats.
In the first 25 minutes, steals by Maddy Counsil, Knutte, Hatton and Sofia Villarreal and a combined clear of a Providence corner kick by Irwin and Villarreal were among the plays that kept the Celtics at bay.
“We’ve been working all year on 1-v.-1 defending,” Hatton said. “I think we came out a little sloppy, because we haven’t had a big challenge so far in the playoffs. But once we started getting to it, setting the tone and keeping our feet, I think that we kept them (Providence) very under control.”
Said Prangen: “Our defenders I thought defended really well, and Erin Crispo showed why she’s a good player for us. She was dangerous the whole time.”
Kucharski’s catch of a Brooke Geary corner kick in the 30th minute preceded Crispo’s biggest moment of the first half.
In the 31st minute, Crispo’s left-side attack and pass set up Kailey Wasyliw for a 1-v.-1 chance on right wing. Wasyliw didn’t miss, lining a 15-yard shot into the upper-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Lemont lead.
“I was making a run, and I saw Erin with the ball,” said Wasyliw. “She passed it through, and I took a touch outside to the right, and I aimed to the top left corner.”
In the final five minutes of the first half, Lemont’s Counsil had a shot blocked in front off a Knutte cross. Providence's bids in that stretch were a Vidican 18-yard one-timer just over the crossbar (36th minute) and a corner kick cleared by Silvar (38th minute).
Up 1-0 and with the wind in its favor for the second half, Lemont had to work to clinch the win.
In the first 20 minutes of the half, Lemont had a 6-0 edge in corner kicks but an Irwin header over the net the closest the Indians came to a payoff.
Ambrose would come off her line to grab two other close-up throw-ins. And in the 62nd minute, a Wasyliw 50-50 win inside midfield led to a Crispo chance in the box that was denied by Providence senior defender Regan Sauer.
“If we finish our chances we would have put the game away a heck of a lot earlier,” Prangen said. “It’s frustrating because it’s 1-0, and we’re keeping them in the game. They’re one good shot away, or a PK or a hand ball.”
That scenario nearly played out in the 63rd minute.
After Providence’s Cameron Korhorn was fouled, Lindsay Graham’s ensuing 20-yard free kick was vetoed by a key diving save at the left post by Kucharski.
“That (save) was huge,” Prangen said. “They probably had one or two good chances on frame, and that was a difficult one. Grace hadn’t touched the ball much all day long, so she’s got to be prepared to deal with that. And she handled it very well. She didn’t give up the rebound and stuffed that chance.
“That was their one real chance. And Grace has been great all year, so we expect her to make a save like that.”
The next seven minutes produced dueling chances, starting with Crispo’s left-side rush and 10-yard shot over the net. That was followed by Kucharski’s low catch of a Graham 25-yard shot.
“This time of year when you don’t finish games off, those come back to bite you,” Prangen said. “So that second goal was gigantic for us.”
Silvar’s big-time individual effort with eight minutes to play made it happen, providing Lemont with a huge amount of breathing room.
Battling two defenders at the top of the box, Silvar won the ball and lined a perfectly struck 18-yard shot just under the crossbar to put Lemont up 2-0.
“I was trying to put it down the line, but there were two people on me,” Silvar said, “so I was just trying to do my best, because I knew that we needed a second goal. When I hit it, I just wished for the best. And luckily it went in.”
Between the postseason stage and extra effort, it was a huge goal.
“Work rate(-wise), that’s probably one of the hardest I’ve had to work to get the finish,” Silvar said. “I’ve had other goals that were nice, but that was the best I’d say.”
Said Prangen: “It was a good hit. Tori fought hard for that, and she had a good rip on that.
“I would have liked to see us put more stuff on frame. That would have been nice, but that relieved all the pressure.”
With the margin now 2-0, Providence’s final decent scoring bid came three minutes later. After an initial Knutte block, Vidican’s long rebound went wide of the right post.
“We’ve struggled to score all year; that’s been our weakness,” Potempa said. “I was hoping we could keep them out of the net and maybe sneak one in here or there, but they (Lemont) are strong on the ball.
“They’re a strong team. They wanted it, and they were able to finish, and we weren’t. But I think we gave them a good game.”
Playing a brutal regular season schedule, Providence rode a strong senior class to postseason success.
“Two and three years ago we lost (in regionals) to teams we probably should have beat,” Potempa said. “And these seniors really took that as a personal challenge -- ‘We’re going to win regionals and go on to sectionals.’ And we did the last two years.
“That was because of them saying ‘We’re going to change the tide, get to sectionals and get a chance out there.’ They really pushed through with their work in the offseason and leadership. They did a great job.”
Great work in the postseason has been a decade-long norm at Lemont. And a lineup featuring five key sophomores and just four senior starters is carrying on the tradition.
“At first it was intimidating,” Hatton said of the sophomore-heavy lineup, “but our seniors have made it so almost like family friendly. We’ve all become so close; we’re all so together. We all commit to each other. That’s the biggest thing that we do.”
Respect for the elders and program tradition is always the main focus.
“I feel like the tradition is always going on,” Wasyliw said. “It’s a lot of pressure keeping it up with the sectionals we’ve won already. We’d like to keep up the tradition and not let down the past.”
Said Silvar: “We needed this one. Our team works hard every day, and we knew the importance of this game for our seniors especially. We play for our seniors. And just like today, we need to win Friday for our seniors.”
Joliet Catholic (16-1-0) will provide a major test.
“They are a very good side, and they’re having a great year,” Prangen said. “They have two really good forwards, good midfield and great defense. Plus they had a 7-0 game (Tuesday’s win over Tinley Park), a much easier time than we did.
“(We will need) a lot of composure, organization and work rate, finishing our chances and limiting their chances,” Prangen added. “I hope we can get a turnaround in a day and be ready to play.”
If history holds, Lemont should be ready.
“Play aggressive and finish our chances on goal,” Wasyliw said of Friday’s keys. “We’re pretty excited. We can’t wait to play Joliet Catholic and have some really good competition.”
Starting lineups
Providence
GK: Kayla Ambrose
D: Maeve Houlihan
D: Regan Sauer
D: Jillian Janovyak
D: Brooke Geary
M: Maria Spesia
M: Lindsay Graham
M: Cameron Korhorn
M: Brianna Geary
F: Sierra Vidican
F: Kailey Wolniakowski
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Sofia Villarreal
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Anna Borzecki
D: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Tori Silvar
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Kailey Wasyliw, so. F, Lemont
Tori Silvar, so. F, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
L- Kailey Wasyliw (Erin Crispo), 31st minute
Second half
L- Tori Silvar, 72nd minute
2-0 win puts Indians in reach of 3d-straight sectional title
By Dave Owen
PARK FOREST – Despite the appearance, the sectional semifinal was no picnic in the park for second-seeded Lemont.
Playing on a narrow, rolling field probably better fit for a backyard barbecue (with high grass and no clock or scoreboard), Lemont, ranked 15th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, endured that and other would-be obstacles to produce goals late in each half and defeat Providence 2-0 Wednesday at Rich East.
The Indians (20-4-1) advance to face top-seed Joliet Catholic in Friday’s 4:30 p.m. sectional final.
“The field was really hard to play on,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “It’s soft; it’s narrow; it’s uneven. What other adjective can I use to describe it? It’s hard to keep the ball, because it’s so congested and compacted.
“You try to simulate the width of the field, but this grass is way longer and the field is way softer than we practice on. So it’s hard.”
Providence coach Dan Potempa had his own take, complete with what seemed like an unintentional pun.
“It definitely slowed the game down, which if anything leveled the playing field,” said Potempa, whose team (7-13-2) saw its strong late season surge end for the second-straight year at sectionals against Lemont.
“It may have been a little different game on a different field, but they (Lemont) had to play on the same field as us.”
Goals in the final 10 minutes of each half by sophomores Kailey Wasyliw and Tori Silvar ultimately allowed Lemont to change the landscape of the game.
“This field is pretty difficult to play on, because there are many hills and stuff,” Silvar said. “But as a team we needed to work together, figure it out and adjust to it so that we can play how we usually play.”
If that adjustment wasn’t enough, Mother Nature threw one more curve.
“We trained yesterday, and I was wearing a ski cap and gloves,” Prangen said. “Today it’s 80 degrees, so that transition is a big switch. You have no time to acclimate to playing in it.”
Beyond playing conditions, the game on the pitch quickly evolved into a day of Lemont scoring threats and strong defense by both sides.
Five minutes in, Erin Crispo tipped a Michaela Egan send away from Providence goalkeeper Kayla Ambrose towards the right side. But Crispo sent her eventual tough-angle shot attempt wide of frame.
That theme of unfulfilled chances continued for the next 15 minutes of play: a Silvar corner kick that just missed connection with Danielle Irwin’s back-post run; Ambrose’s save of an Egan 30-yard free kick; and Crispo’s straight-on shot over the net off a Trinity Hatton midfield free kick.
A huge chance then came in the 25th minute, when Lemont quickly turned defense into offense.
Katie Knutte made a great offensive-end steal from a Providence defender and broke in on goal but had her shot deflected left of the net and a rebound bid cleared from the box.
With the first half wind at its backs, third-seeded Providence produced an 18th-minute bid when Maria Spesia’s counterattack against three defenders ended with a 15-yard shot and low save by Lemont goalkeeper Grace Kucharski.
But outside of that and a grass-slowed 16-yard shot by Sierra Vidican, the Lemont defense limited threats.
In the first 25 minutes, steals by Maddy Counsil, Knutte, Hatton and Sofia Villarreal and a combined clear of a Providence corner kick by Irwin and Villarreal were among the plays that kept the Celtics at bay.
“We’ve been working all year on 1-v.-1 defending,” Hatton said. “I think we came out a little sloppy, because we haven’t had a big challenge so far in the playoffs. But once we started getting to it, setting the tone and keeping our feet, I think that we kept them (Providence) very under control.”
Said Prangen: “Our defenders I thought defended really well, and Erin Crispo showed why she’s a good player for us. She was dangerous the whole time.”
Kucharski’s catch of a Brooke Geary corner kick in the 30th minute preceded Crispo’s biggest moment of the first half.
In the 31st minute, Crispo’s left-side attack and pass set up Kailey Wasyliw for a 1-v.-1 chance on right wing. Wasyliw didn’t miss, lining a 15-yard shot into the upper-left corner of the net for a 1-0 Lemont lead.
“I was making a run, and I saw Erin with the ball,” said Wasyliw. “She passed it through, and I took a touch outside to the right, and I aimed to the top left corner.”
In the final five minutes of the first half, Lemont’s Counsil had a shot blocked in front off a Knutte cross. Providence's bids in that stretch were a Vidican 18-yard one-timer just over the crossbar (36th minute) and a corner kick cleared by Silvar (38th minute).
Up 1-0 and with the wind in its favor for the second half, Lemont had to work to clinch the win.
In the first 20 minutes of the half, Lemont had a 6-0 edge in corner kicks but an Irwin header over the net the closest the Indians came to a payoff.
Ambrose would come off her line to grab two other close-up throw-ins. And in the 62nd minute, a Wasyliw 50-50 win inside midfield led to a Crispo chance in the box that was denied by Providence senior defender Regan Sauer.
“If we finish our chances we would have put the game away a heck of a lot earlier,” Prangen said. “It’s frustrating because it’s 1-0, and we’re keeping them in the game. They’re one good shot away, or a PK or a hand ball.”
That scenario nearly played out in the 63rd minute.
After Providence’s Cameron Korhorn was fouled, Lindsay Graham’s ensuing 20-yard free kick was vetoed by a key diving save at the left post by Kucharski.
“That (save) was huge,” Prangen said. “They probably had one or two good chances on frame, and that was a difficult one. Grace hadn’t touched the ball much all day long, so she’s got to be prepared to deal with that. And she handled it very well. She didn’t give up the rebound and stuffed that chance.
“That was their one real chance. And Grace has been great all year, so we expect her to make a save like that.”
The next seven minutes produced dueling chances, starting with Crispo’s left-side rush and 10-yard shot over the net. That was followed by Kucharski’s low catch of a Graham 25-yard shot.
“This time of year when you don’t finish games off, those come back to bite you,” Prangen said. “So that second goal was gigantic for us.”
Silvar’s big-time individual effort with eight minutes to play made it happen, providing Lemont with a huge amount of breathing room.
Battling two defenders at the top of the box, Silvar won the ball and lined a perfectly struck 18-yard shot just under the crossbar to put Lemont up 2-0.
“I was trying to put it down the line, but there were two people on me,” Silvar said, “so I was just trying to do my best, because I knew that we needed a second goal. When I hit it, I just wished for the best. And luckily it went in.”
Between the postseason stage and extra effort, it was a huge goal.
“Work rate(-wise), that’s probably one of the hardest I’ve had to work to get the finish,” Silvar said. “I’ve had other goals that were nice, but that was the best I’d say.”
Said Prangen: “It was a good hit. Tori fought hard for that, and she had a good rip on that.
“I would have liked to see us put more stuff on frame. That would have been nice, but that relieved all the pressure.”
With the margin now 2-0, Providence’s final decent scoring bid came three minutes later. After an initial Knutte block, Vidican’s long rebound went wide of the right post.
“We’ve struggled to score all year; that’s been our weakness,” Potempa said. “I was hoping we could keep them out of the net and maybe sneak one in here or there, but they (Lemont) are strong on the ball.
“They’re a strong team. They wanted it, and they were able to finish, and we weren’t. But I think we gave them a good game.”
Playing a brutal regular season schedule, Providence rode a strong senior class to postseason success.
“Two and three years ago we lost (in regionals) to teams we probably should have beat,” Potempa said. “And these seniors really took that as a personal challenge -- ‘We’re going to win regionals and go on to sectionals.’ And we did the last two years.
“That was because of them saying ‘We’re going to change the tide, get to sectionals and get a chance out there.’ They really pushed through with their work in the offseason and leadership. They did a great job.”
Great work in the postseason has been a decade-long norm at Lemont. And a lineup featuring five key sophomores and just four senior starters is carrying on the tradition.
“At first it was intimidating,” Hatton said of the sophomore-heavy lineup, “but our seniors have made it so almost like family friendly. We’ve all become so close; we’re all so together. We all commit to each other. That’s the biggest thing that we do.”
Respect for the elders and program tradition is always the main focus.
“I feel like the tradition is always going on,” Wasyliw said. “It’s a lot of pressure keeping it up with the sectionals we’ve won already. We’d like to keep up the tradition and not let down the past.”
Said Silvar: “We needed this one. Our team works hard every day, and we knew the importance of this game for our seniors especially. We play for our seniors. And just like today, we need to win Friday for our seniors.”
Joliet Catholic (16-1-0) will provide a major test.
“They are a very good side, and they’re having a great year,” Prangen said. “They have two really good forwards, good midfield and great defense. Plus they had a 7-0 game (Tuesday’s win over Tinley Park), a much easier time than we did.
“(We will need) a lot of composure, organization and work rate, finishing our chances and limiting their chances,” Prangen added. “I hope we can get a turnaround in a day and be ready to play.”
If history holds, Lemont should be ready.
“Play aggressive and finish our chances on goal,” Wasyliw said of Friday’s keys. “We’re pretty excited. We can’t wait to play Joliet Catholic and have some really good competition.”
Starting lineups
Providence
GK: Kayla Ambrose
D: Maeve Houlihan
D: Regan Sauer
D: Jillian Janovyak
D: Brooke Geary
M: Maria Spesia
M: Lindsay Graham
M: Cameron Korhorn
M: Brianna Geary
F: Sierra Vidican
F: Kailey Wolniakowski
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Sofia Villarreal
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Anna Borzecki
D: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Tori Silvar
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match: Kailey Wasyliw, so. F, Lemont
Tori Silvar, so. F, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
L- Kailey Wasyliw (Erin Crispo), 31st minute
Second half
L- Tori Silvar, 72nd minute