Late heroics push
Libertyville past Lake Forest
Pair of goals in last 12 minutes erase 1-0 deficit
By Bobby Narang
LIBERTYVILLE -- Something was off about Thursday’s game for Libertyville.
The Wildcats entered the key North Suburban Conference home showdown against Lake Forest with four wins in their last five games. All four of the victories-- New Trier, Lake Zurich, Waukegan and Mundelein -- came via shutout.
So, on the surface, the Wildcats were building momentum toward the final stage of the regular-season.
But there were some signs that showed a potential trap game for the Wildcats, who are ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. First off, the game time was changed from 6:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Then the Scouts showed up a few minutes late, which caused the start time to be delayed until 4:48.
Then, the Scouts scored the first goal of the game to put the Wildcats into an uncomfortable situation. And finally, Libertyville coach Daniel DePaz had to miss the final few minutes due to school event.
All those instances cobbled together could have indicated a possible tough showing for the Wildcats.
Yet, the Wildcats found their way and battled back to score two goals in the final 12 minutes to pull out an inspiring 2-1 victory over Lake Forest.
Libertyville senior midfielder Paige Gleason felt her team showed a lot of heart with the comeback. Lake Forest (4-9-0, 1-3-0) held the lead for a while after scoring with 7:23 left in the first half.
“It’s about teamwork, and this past week we haven’t been playing all that great, not playing our game,” Gleason said. “We just need to keep driving and keep playing these games. Even in our bad parts, we’re still doing the things we need to do.
“This is conference. We need to win these games. We showed a lot of grit. After our last few games that we lost, we got down but weren’t able to come back up. Today, we went down and came back up, which proved to ourselves that we can do it in another situation like this one.”
Libertyville senior midfielder Lauren Rocco echoed Gleason’s statement about the importance of posting a comeback win. The Wildcats (9-2-1, 4-0-0) also remained unbeaten in North Suburban Conference action with the victory
“This is the first time we’ve come back, and I was really proud of how we were able to get back into the game,” Rocco said. “We knew this was ours from the start, and we just needed to show everybody that. We have to stay focused on the next game ahead and that will lead to the next game and the next game.”
Despite an inspiring effort from goalie Sarah Constantine, Lake Forest could only leave the the field with a dreaded moral victory. Constantine was stellar and recorded 10 saves, including six in the first half.
She was all over the box, diving for saves and notching consecutive saves in a 10-second span twice in the game.
Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager praised Constantine and noted his Class AA program played a high quality game.
“She made a couple of (great) saves and played well,” Stuckslager said. “We played great for 67 or 68 minutes. We will learn from it. This was a Class 3A semifinalist last year and one of the top 10 teams.”
Constantine said the Scouts can take some positives away from the near victory. The Wildcats defeated the Scouts 1-0 last season.
“I felt strong in the beginning, hyping the team up especially on the bus,” Constantine said. “It was similar to the Loyola game, where we got a couple of good saves and we were working together as a team.
“We talked after the game how much we’ve improved since the beginning of the season. This game our communication was very high, which starts from the back from me as a keeper and moves up to even the bench. We kept up the intensity.”
Lake Forest senior captain Ashleigh Rupprecht said the entire team played well in the defeat.
“The first 70 minutes of the game we really brought it,” she said. “I think they were scared and really shocked to see that we were playing so well. These games are really important, especially since we’re a smaller school.
“To come out here and play a great program and have a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game is phenomenal. I’m excited for more games like this, and this was a great practice for our state title run.”
The Wildcats and Scouts were both dialed in from the opening whistle, leading to an aggressive and physical game. Libertyville had numerous chances in the first half. Constantine may have been at her brightest with two key saves in the 10th minute.
Libertyville goalie Kate Hopma, who had three saves, kept the game scoreless with a punch-out save over the crossbar with 8:05 remaining in the game.
Lake Forest sophomore Lainey Tabor shocked the small crowd by nailing a rebound shot past Hopma with 7:23 left in the half to give the Scouts the 1-0 lead.
Libertyville junior defender Pru Babat said the Scouts took advantage of a minor error by the backline.
“We were pretty solid on defense, just a few communication errors, but we tied it up and got everything under control,” Babat said. “Their goal was bad communication on the backline, something we have to clean up and work forward to get to state.”
After an action-filled first half, the second half featured fewer shots, but Libertyville showed a renewed energy and focus.
“I think the difference was in the first half Lake Forest came out showing they wanted to win this game,” said Libertyville assistant coach Paul Bravo. “They had so much intensity, winning the first balls, the second balls and basically everything. I think that was a little bit of a wake-up call for our girls, especially in the second half where we can’t let them have anything easy.
“We started to fight back with more. We started winning more 50/50s and that helped turn the game around.”
Bravo was pleased how the Wildcats recovered after a less than enthusiastic first 40 minutes.
Libertyville broke the seal on the Lake Forest goal with 12 minutes left when Avery Gleason found an open seam and knocked in the equalizer.
“Sally (Rogers) passed it to me. I saw a teammate and had like 20 yards to run and waited to get closer and shot it,” Avery Gleason said.
With 2:27 left on the clock, Libertyville senior forward Dakota Lyons scored the winning goal from 12 yards. She dribbled 25 yards, stopped on a dime, and blasted a shot inside the near post.
Lyons said she was relieved to knock the ball into the net for her seventh goal of the season, especially since Constantine was playing lights out for the Scouts.
“I ran down the side, cut in and stopped and shot,” Lyons said of her goal. “Throughout the whole game, I’ve been trying to find a way I could use the outside to my advantage and take it down line. The opportunity opened up in the last couple of minutes, and I was able to cut in.
“I saw Avery running in my vision, but I also saw the opportunity to make a quick cut in, and I took it.
“This is a conference game, so it was super important for us. We were working really hard in the second half after a great conversation at halftime. Our effort was there, but we just had to put it in the back of the net. The intensity was a lot better, and helped raise my spirits.”
Constantine said Lyons’ deserves a lot of credit for her well-placed shot.
“She dribbled past a couple of defenders, was in perfect position, and I probably should’ve done better at getting to the near post. But that was a great shot,” she said.
Bravo pointed out that Libertyville has to play with more of a sense of an urgency.
“We definitely had a lot of chances, so we need to focus more on our finishing and capitalizing on those chances more,” Bravo said.
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK Sarah Constantine
D Sophie Benjakul
D Hanna Sands
D Riley Hoskins
D Charlotte Andress
MF Emersen Waddle
MF Elizabeth Flynn
MF Kathy Peterson-Ross
MF Tricia Gray
F Ava Walsh
F Ashleigh Rupprecht
Libertyville
GK Kate Hopma
D Riley Brennan
D Audrey Brua
D Pru Babat
D Mabelle Kosowski
MF Paige Gleason
MF Abby Gordon
MF Dakota Lyons
MF Jenna Krakowski
F Lauren Rocco
F Avery Gleason
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Dakota Lyons, sr. MF, Libertyville.
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest — Lainey Tabor (unassisted), 33rd minute
Second half
Libertyville — Avery Gleason (Sally Rogers), 68th minute
Libertyville — Dakota Lyons (unassisted), 78th minute
Libertyville past Lake Forest
Pair of goals in last 12 minutes erase 1-0 deficit
By Bobby Narang
LIBERTYVILLE -- Something was off about Thursday’s game for Libertyville.
The Wildcats entered the key North Suburban Conference home showdown against Lake Forest with four wins in their last five games. All four of the victories-- New Trier, Lake Zurich, Waukegan and Mundelein -- came via shutout.
So, on the surface, the Wildcats were building momentum toward the final stage of the regular-season.
But there were some signs that showed a potential trap game for the Wildcats, who are ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. First off, the game time was changed from 6:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Then the Scouts showed up a few minutes late, which caused the start time to be delayed until 4:48.
Then, the Scouts scored the first goal of the game to put the Wildcats into an uncomfortable situation. And finally, Libertyville coach Daniel DePaz had to miss the final few minutes due to school event.
All those instances cobbled together could have indicated a possible tough showing for the Wildcats.
Yet, the Wildcats found their way and battled back to score two goals in the final 12 minutes to pull out an inspiring 2-1 victory over Lake Forest.
Libertyville senior midfielder Paige Gleason felt her team showed a lot of heart with the comeback. Lake Forest (4-9-0, 1-3-0) held the lead for a while after scoring with 7:23 left in the first half.
“It’s about teamwork, and this past week we haven’t been playing all that great, not playing our game,” Gleason said. “We just need to keep driving and keep playing these games. Even in our bad parts, we’re still doing the things we need to do.
“This is conference. We need to win these games. We showed a lot of grit. After our last few games that we lost, we got down but weren’t able to come back up. Today, we went down and came back up, which proved to ourselves that we can do it in another situation like this one.”
Libertyville senior midfielder Lauren Rocco echoed Gleason’s statement about the importance of posting a comeback win. The Wildcats (9-2-1, 4-0-0) also remained unbeaten in North Suburban Conference action with the victory
“This is the first time we’ve come back, and I was really proud of how we were able to get back into the game,” Rocco said. “We knew this was ours from the start, and we just needed to show everybody that. We have to stay focused on the next game ahead and that will lead to the next game and the next game.”
Despite an inspiring effort from goalie Sarah Constantine, Lake Forest could only leave the the field with a dreaded moral victory. Constantine was stellar and recorded 10 saves, including six in the first half.
She was all over the box, diving for saves and notching consecutive saves in a 10-second span twice in the game.
Lake Forest coach Ty Stuckslager praised Constantine and noted his Class AA program played a high quality game.
“She made a couple of (great) saves and played well,” Stuckslager said. “We played great for 67 or 68 minutes. We will learn from it. This was a Class 3A semifinalist last year and one of the top 10 teams.”
Constantine said the Scouts can take some positives away from the near victory. The Wildcats defeated the Scouts 1-0 last season.
“I felt strong in the beginning, hyping the team up especially on the bus,” Constantine said. “It was similar to the Loyola game, where we got a couple of good saves and we were working together as a team.
“We talked after the game how much we’ve improved since the beginning of the season. This game our communication was very high, which starts from the back from me as a keeper and moves up to even the bench. We kept up the intensity.”
Lake Forest senior captain Ashleigh Rupprecht said the entire team played well in the defeat.
“The first 70 minutes of the game we really brought it,” she said. “I think they were scared and really shocked to see that we were playing so well. These games are really important, especially since we’re a smaller school.
“To come out here and play a great program and have a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game is phenomenal. I’m excited for more games like this, and this was a great practice for our state title run.”
The Wildcats and Scouts were both dialed in from the opening whistle, leading to an aggressive and physical game. Libertyville had numerous chances in the first half. Constantine may have been at her brightest with two key saves in the 10th minute.
Libertyville goalie Kate Hopma, who had three saves, kept the game scoreless with a punch-out save over the crossbar with 8:05 remaining in the game.
Lake Forest sophomore Lainey Tabor shocked the small crowd by nailing a rebound shot past Hopma with 7:23 left in the half to give the Scouts the 1-0 lead.
Libertyville junior defender Pru Babat said the Scouts took advantage of a minor error by the backline.
“We were pretty solid on defense, just a few communication errors, but we tied it up and got everything under control,” Babat said. “Their goal was bad communication on the backline, something we have to clean up and work forward to get to state.”
After an action-filled first half, the second half featured fewer shots, but Libertyville showed a renewed energy and focus.
“I think the difference was in the first half Lake Forest came out showing they wanted to win this game,” said Libertyville assistant coach Paul Bravo. “They had so much intensity, winning the first balls, the second balls and basically everything. I think that was a little bit of a wake-up call for our girls, especially in the second half where we can’t let them have anything easy.
“We started to fight back with more. We started winning more 50/50s and that helped turn the game around.”
Bravo was pleased how the Wildcats recovered after a less than enthusiastic first 40 minutes.
Libertyville broke the seal on the Lake Forest goal with 12 minutes left when Avery Gleason found an open seam and knocked in the equalizer.
“Sally (Rogers) passed it to me. I saw a teammate and had like 20 yards to run and waited to get closer and shot it,” Avery Gleason said.
With 2:27 left on the clock, Libertyville senior forward Dakota Lyons scored the winning goal from 12 yards. She dribbled 25 yards, stopped on a dime, and blasted a shot inside the near post.
Lyons said she was relieved to knock the ball into the net for her seventh goal of the season, especially since Constantine was playing lights out for the Scouts.
“I ran down the side, cut in and stopped and shot,” Lyons said of her goal. “Throughout the whole game, I’ve been trying to find a way I could use the outside to my advantage and take it down line. The opportunity opened up in the last couple of minutes, and I was able to cut in.
“I saw Avery running in my vision, but I also saw the opportunity to make a quick cut in, and I took it.
“This is a conference game, so it was super important for us. We were working really hard in the second half after a great conversation at halftime. Our effort was there, but we just had to put it in the back of the net. The intensity was a lot better, and helped raise my spirits.”
Constantine said Lyons’ deserves a lot of credit for her well-placed shot.
“She dribbled past a couple of defenders, was in perfect position, and I probably should’ve done better at getting to the near post. But that was a great shot,” she said.
Bravo pointed out that Libertyville has to play with more of a sense of an urgency.
“We definitely had a lot of chances, so we need to focus more on our finishing and capitalizing on those chances more,” Bravo said.
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK Sarah Constantine
D Sophie Benjakul
D Hanna Sands
D Riley Hoskins
D Charlotte Andress
MF Emersen Waddle
MF Elizabeth Flynn
MF Kathy Peterson-Ross
MF Tricia Gray
F Ava Walsh
F Ashleigh Rupprecht
Libertyville
GK Kate Hopma
D Riley Brennan
D Audrey Brua
D Pru Babat
D Mabelle Kosowski
MF Paige Gleason
MF Abby Gordon
MF Dakota Lyons
MF Jenna Krakowski
F Lauren Rocco
F Avery Gleason
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Dakota Lyons, sr. MF, Libertyville.
Scoring summary
First half
Lake Forest — Lainey Tabor (unassisted), 33rd minute
Second half
Libertyville — Avery Gleason (Sally Rogers), 68th minute
Libertyville — Dakota Lyons (unassisted), 78th minute