Lyons limits DGN,
posts another win, shutout
Lions remain unbeaten, unscored upon
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Unlike in recent years, Lyons does not have a go-to Division I player.
Somehow, even that has become a problem for its opponents.
Despite lacking any big-name scorers or even major collegiate prospects, the Lions have beaten all comers so far with a lineup of quality players that appear to have few weaknesses.
They showcased that quality again Tuesday night. Katie O’Malley, Keira Sullivan and Ava Dallavo all scored goals and goalkeeper Izzy Lee came up with big saves on the only two shots she faced as Lyons shut out Downers Grove North 3-0 at Carstens Field.
The Lions, who are ranked 12th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, improved to 7-0-0 overall and remained alone atop the West Suburban Conference Silver Division standings with a 6-0 mark. They have yet to allow a goal this season.
“Everything is going well so far,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Kids are playing fast and hard and sharing the ball and defending well.
“They’re all really good. We don’t have one kid that I think the other team can focus in on, because it’s all 11 out there that can play and make things happen.”
And all 11 did against Downers Grove North. The Trojans (5-2-0, 4-2-0) were completely dominated from start to finish as the Lions won nearly every ball in the midfield and enjoyed a 21-2 cushion in shots.
The Lyons attack seemed to come from everywhere, constantly putting North’s defense under pressure. No one player stood out but all made the game a slog for the Trojans.
“We’ve got a lot of good players who have a lot of good skills overall and not just one player we always pass to,” Sullivan said. “I think that makes us really deadly on the field. They never know what to look for.”
The Lions were lucky as well as good, even when the ball didn’t go where they wanted to.
Such was the case on O’Malley’s goal, which came at the 32:52 mark of the first half. The junior swerved a corner kick from the right side in close to the goal line and a defender let the ball go, which surprised Downers North goalkeeper Blythe Braun, who kicked it out but apparently not before it went over the line.
After the linesman called over the referee, the Lions were awarded the goal.
“I was very surprised,” O’Malley said. “I meant to have a normal one, but it curved into the front post and the goalie was so far toward the back post.”
Lanspeary wasn’t about to give the goal back.
“I think that goal did kind of set a tone and gave us some momentum,” Lanspeary said. “It was a little bit of a fluky goal, for sure, but we had plenty of other chances. … I didn’t know what was blocking some of those shots and opportunities down in there.
“So we’ll take the fluky one. It helped us get some momentum.”
Once the Lions began to influence play they never stopped. If not for Braun, who made 10 saves, Lyons could have blown the game open in the first half.
Sullivan, a junior, made it 2-0 with 25:27 remaining when she ran onto a through-ball from midfielder Eleanor Musgrove, juked a defender and slid a shot in between the charging Braun and the left post.
“(The pass) was awesome,” Sullivan said. “Eleanor is really good at those through-balls. She knows where to place them so you can get set up for the best shot.
“We’ve played together for years, and she’s a phenomenal player overall. Just the teamwork that a lot of us have and are continuing to grow is going to be what makes us win this conference, possibly.”
If anyone is going to stop Lyons from winning the Silver, they first half to figure out how to score a goal against the Lions. That’s hard to do when you don’t have the ball, which was the case for the Trojans.
They opted to play three defenders and that was problematic when their five-man midfield struggled winning balls.
“The fact that they had less people in their backline made us able to combine and then play through-balls to forwards and also go down the line and cross in,” O’Malley said. “I think we did well with combining and staying aggressive with the other team. Everyone stayed hyped up.”
Indeed, the Lions outshot the Trojans 15-0 in the first half and kept up the pressure early in the second half.
Dallavo capped the scoring with 37:29 to go when she rifled a 17-yard shot that deflected off a defender and caught Braun flat-footed.
It continued a pattern the Lions have followed against their toughest opponents to date. As Lanspeary noted, they beat Hinsdale Central 1-0 in the season-opener and Glenbard West 1-0 the first time they played the Hilltoppers. Lyons wears down its opponents.
“We’ve had some tough games,” Lanspeary said. “It changes things when you get a couple goals.”
The goals have been spread throughout the lineup, and the defense has been solid too.
Lee didn’t see much action but was alert when she needed to be against the Trojans, who didn’t get a shot off until the 61st minute when Kendall Hennelly slipped a defender in the box and fired from in-close.
Lee made a kick save to deflect that drive around the right post. She also leaped to tip Lindsey Ringbloom’s 21-yard free kick over the crossbar with 40 seconds remaining.
The perfect start, while impressive, doesn’t mean too much to the Lions yet.
“I’ll say it inflates my ego a little bit,” Sullivan said. “But at the same time, we know we’ve got to be super careful going forward because not only do we have a target on our backs, we’ve got to keep continuing to grow and keep getting better.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Izzy Lee
D Maddie McPartlin
D Ava Pike
D Kate Fulscher
D Elli Kosanovich
M Avery Livingston
M Eleanor Musgrove
M Lily Mattern
F Ava Dallavo
F Katie O’Malley
F Reese Komsthoeft
Downers Grove North
GK Blythe Braun
D Arden Zajack
D Rachael Wilson
D Lindsey Good
M Meghan Joyce
M Emily Koors
M Kendall Hennelly
M Tara Liszka
F Lindsay Ringbloom
F Abbie Peterson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Keira Sullivan, jr., F, Lyons.
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons – Katie O’Malley 32:52 remaining
Lyons – Keira Sullivan (Eleanor Musgrove) 25:27 remaining
Second half
Lyons – Ava Dallavo 37:29 remaining
posts another win, shutout
Lions remain unbeaten, unscored upon
By Matt Le Cren
DOWNERS GROVE – Unlike in recent years, Lyons does not have a go-to Division I player.
Somehow, even that has become a problem for its opponents.
Despite lacking any big-name scorers or even major collegiate prospects, the Lions have beaten all comers so far with a lineup of quality players that appear to have few weaknesses.
They showcased that quality again Tuesday night. Katie O’Malley, Keira Sullivan and Ava Dallavo all scored goals and goalkeeper Izzy Lee came up with big saves on the only two shots she faced as Lyons shut out Downers Grove North 3-0 at Carstens Field.
The Lions, who are ranked 12th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, improved to 7-0-0 overall and remained alone atop the West Suburban Conference Silver Division standings with a 6-0 mark. They have yet to allow a goal this season.
“Everything is going well so far,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Kids are playing fast and hard and sharing the ball and defending well.
“They’re all really good. We don’t have one kid that I think the other team can focus in on, because it’s all 11 out there that can play and make things happen.”
And all 11 did against Downers Grove North. The Trojans (5-2-0, 4-2-0) were completely dominated from start to finish as the Lions won nearly every ball in the midfield and enjoyed a 21-2 cushion in shots.
The Lyons attack seemed to come from everywhere, constantly putting North’s defense under pressure. No one player stood out but all made the game a slog for the Trojans.
“We’ve got a lot of good players who have a lot of good skills overall and not just one player we always pass to,” Sullivan said. “I think that makes us really deadly on the field. They never know what to look for.”
The Lions were lucky as well as good, even when the ball didn’t go where they wanted to.
Such was the case on O’Malley’s goal, which came at the 32:52 mark of the first half. The junior swerved a corner kick from the right side in close to the goal line and a defender let the ball go, which surprised Downers North goalkeeper Blythe Braun, who kicked it out but apparently not before it went over the line.
After the linesman called over the referee, the Lions were awarded the goal.
“I was very surprised,” O’Malley said. “I meant to have a normal one, but it curved into the front post and the goalie was so far toward the back post.”
Lanspeary wasn’t about to give the goal back.
“I think that goal did kind of set a tone and gave us some momentum,” Lanspeary said. “It was a little bit of a fluky goal, for sure, but we had plenty of other chances. … I didn’t know what was blocking some of those shots and opportunities down in there.
“So we’ll take the fluky one. It helped us get some momentum.”
Once the Lions began to influence play they never stopped. If not for Braun, who made 10 saves, Lyons could have blown the game open in the first half.
Sullivan, a junior, made it 2-0 with 25:27 remaining when she ran onto a through-ball from midfielder Eleanor Musgrove, juked a defender and slid a shot in between the charging Braun and the left post.
“(The pass) was awesome,” Sullivan said. “Eleanor is really good at those through-balls. She knows where to place them so you can get set up for the best shot.
“We’ve played together for years, and she’s a phenomenal player overall. Just the teamwork that a lot of us have and are continuing to grow is going to be what makes us win this conference, possibly.”
If anyone is going to stop Lyons from winning the Silver, they first half to figure out how to score a goal against the Lions. That’s hard to do when you don’t have the ball, which was the case for the Trojans.
They opted to play three defenders and that was problematic when their five-man midfield struggled winning balls.
“The fact that they had less people in their backline made us able to combine and then play through-balls to forwards and also go down the line and cross in,” O’Malley said. “I think we did well with combining and staying aggressive with the other team. Everyone stayed hyped up.”
Indeed, the Lions outshot the Trojans 15-0 in the first half and kept up the pressure early in the second half.
Dallavo capped the scoring with 37:29 to go when she rifled a 17-yard shot that deflected off a defender and caught Braun flat-footed.
It continued a pattern the Lions have followed against their toughest opponents to date. As Lanspeary noted, they beat Hinsdale Central 1-0 in the season-opener and Glenbard West 1-0 the first time they played the Hilltoppers. Lyons wears down its opponents.
“We’ve had some tough games,” Lanspeary said. “It changes things when you get a couple goals.”
The goals have been spread throughout the lineup, and the defense has been solid too.
Lee didn’t see much action but was alert when she needed to be against the Trojans, who didn’t get a shot off until the 61st minute when Kendall Hennelly slipped a defender in the box and fired from in-close.
Lee made a kick save to deflect that drive around the right post. She also leaped to tip Lindsey Ringbloom’s 21-yard free kick over the crossbar with 40 seconds remaining.
The perfect start, while impressive, doesn’t mean too much to the Lions yet.
“I’ll say it inflates my ego a little bit,” Sullivan said. “But at the same time, we know we’ve got to be super careful going forward because not only do we have a target on our backs, we’ve got to keep continuing to grow and keep getting better.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Izzy Lee
D Maddie McPartlin
D Ava Pike
D Kate Fulscher
D Elli Kosanovich
M Avery Livingston
M Eleanor Musgrove
M Lily Mattern
F Ava Dallavo
F Katie O’Malley
F Reese Komsthoeft
Downers Grove North
GK Blythe Braun
D Arden Zajack
D Rachael Wilson
D Lindsey Good
M Meghan Joyce
M Emily Koors
M Kendall Hennelly
M Tara Liszka
F Lindsay Ringbloom
F Abbie Peterson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Keira Sullivan, jr., F, Lyons.
Scoring summary
First half
Lyons – Katie O’Malley 32:52 remaining
Lyons – Keira Sullivan (Eleanor Musgrove) 25:27 remaining
Second half
Lyons – Ava Dallavo 37:29 remaining