Shumate key in NN-Lyons clash of titans
Junior's PK, assist power Huskies to 2-1 win, NI pool title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- By adopting its current format of the eight-pool, 24-team field in 2010, the Naperville Invitational became ever more rarified and daunting. Just getting into the championship quarterfinal bracket was a profound challenge.
The point was driven home in Group C with two of the state’s best teams destined for an epic clash. It figured to be one of the defining games of group play.
Lyons and Naperville North did not disappoint.
In a riveting game of big-time individual matchups and intense drama, Naperville North midfielder Leah Shumate showed the way with a goal and assist and the Huskies, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, withstood the ferocious comeback of the no. 4 Lions for the 2-1 victory here Saturday morning.
Naperville North (7-3-1) advances to host no. 3 New Trier on Thursday. Lyons plays Oswego at Downers Grove South in a consolation game Thursday.
Everything about the game felt magnified: the stakes of the game; the intensity of the moment; and the depth of feeling shown by both teams. Lyons came in with just one loss, that in overtime against New Trier in the semifinals of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic last weekend. Naperville North lost on penalty kicks the same day against eventual tournament champion Stevenson.
“We have played really well against great teams,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “It hopefully just makes us stronger going forward. These are great games to play.”
Naperville North coach Steve Goletz likened the experience to the gauntlet, an apt metaphor for a team confronting one great program after another. The Huskies (7-3-1) beat a rapidly improving Oswego East team 6-2 after falling behind 2-0 Thursday.
The game was also complicated by the conditions, the bright and radiant sun and more crucially, the gusting and unpredictable southerly winds that favored Naperville North in the first half.
Lyons (8-2-1) appeared to gain the upper hand by playing a scoreless opening half. Shumate had a couple of fairly dangerous free kicks, but the Lions denied Naperville North any serious threats.
That worried Goletz at the break.
“The wind was tough today,” he said. “We had it in the first half. I thought we did some decent things, but we were hoping for more. You go into halftime zero-zero, with their firepower and knowing how good of a player [Eileen] Murphy is, we were hoping to get at least one on the board.”
Naperville North dominated the first 10 minutes of the second half playing against the wind. The Huskies put the Lions on their heels. One of Goletz’s crucial moves was pushing up sophomore Emily Dulik, a normal defender, into the middle. That action helped generate the first goal.
Dulik worked a beautiful two-person game with junior forward Hannah Martin. She played the ball to Martin on the left wing and slipped inside the box as Martin played her a ball with her back to the goal. Martin’s touch was low and hard, and it hit off the hand of a Lions’ defender.
“Emily is just a sophomore, and as she becomes more comfortable with the speed of play and how quickly you have to make decisions, she is only going to get better,” Goletz said. “Her work rate was fantastic today. I tell the kids all the time, whenever you get the ball in the box, good things happen. It wasn’t pretty, but the build up to get to that point was great, and it generated that chance.”
Shumate stepped up and buried the penalty kick in the upper left hand corner in the 44th minute.
“Their keeper [Sophie Grabis] was giving me more room to my left side, and that is where I went,” Shumate said. “I think the difference in the game was at the start of the second half, we started working more and talking. We needed to keep the ball and not have them play the ball over us, especially with them having the wind in the second half.
“We did not want to give Murphy the chance to get every ball possible.”
Energized by the goal, Naperville North maintained the pressure. Midfielder Maddie Schlecht was superb at controlling pace and switching the ball quickly. Just moments later, the Huskies struck again. Making a foray toward the Lions’ goal from the left wing, Shumaker was hit from behind.
Lined up from about 22 yards in the 48th minute, Shumate delivered a beautiful ball that long and agile defender Reilly Riggs timed perfectly for the header and her fifth goal of the year.
Shumate earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her standout play. Those plays crystallized Naperville North at its best.
“I think at the start of the second half we started finding the weak side defensive midfielder, which is what we talked about at halftime,” Schlecht said. “We were able to find the switch on the other side and then have our forwards crash the back post. It got us the PK, the foul and then Reilly finished that free kick.”
Lyons was dazed. The team regrouped and staged a terrific rally. The Lions dominated the final 30 minutes of the game and created a series of dangerous actions.
“I thought our kids really responded well,” Lanspeary said. “We have not been down a whole lot this year. It was interesting and very encouraging to see how we responded.”
Murphy is the fulcrum of the Lions’ attack and one of the state’s best players. Her blend of size, power and presence makes her virtually unguardable on the field. She strikes fear into every opposing coach.
Lyons also did a better job of reacting to having the wind, not overshooting or playing too fast. Suddenly Lyons showed the upper hand, dictating tempo, pace and possession and forcing the Huskies’ defense to react.
Forward Ava Dallavo has emerged as a star in the making for the Lions. The sophomore has terrific poise, creativity with the ball and a great knack on corner kicks. Following the second Naperville North score, the Lions applied greater pressure. A Dallavo corner led to great ball by defender Aleix Drobny that Huskies’ keeper Amanda Johnson made a spectacular goal-saving tip to deny.
On the resulting corner, Dallavo served a beautiful ball that Murphy elevated on and smashed home with a header in the 56th minute that halved the deficit. Murphy scored her 10th goal of the year.
“Ava really looks for me in those situations, and we made eye contact just before the corner,” Murphy said. “It was great to get the momentum back after they really controlled the first part of the second half and had us in back third a lot.”
Lyons was not finished. Moments later, Murphy again broke into space and was fouled behind. Her free kick from 32 yards was just over the top of the bar. Forward Elaina Simms broke down the left edge for a tantalizing Lyons sequence that Johnson interrupted by jumping off her line to grab the ball.
“Every year when we come out and play them, we know it is going to be a battle,” Lanspeary said. “They are always good, always well organized, and we know what we are going to get. I thought we battled hard. I thought we might come out of it on the other end, but it just did not happen.”
Lyons had one great final opportunity, another corner from the right edge in the closing seconds. Dallavo played another great ball in search of Murphy. The Huskies’ swallowed her up, and she had no space.
“I think I was too deep,” Murphy said. “We have been working really hard on corners, and we connected on that one (goal). Everybody was just kind of scrambling, and I probably should have been a little farther up.”
Lyons has lost two one-goal games on the home fields of two programs that finished second and third in the Class 3A state championship last year. The Naperville Invitational only unscored how good this team is.
“We have done a much better job of competing with these schools,” Lanspeary said.
“I think last year we lost to New Trier 2-0, and the same score with Naperville North. Outside of the handball and the free kick, we really played well. They got a couple of breaks, and they capitalized on them. The second goal was really nice.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Sophie Grabis
D: Lizzy Vear
D: Grace Truax
D: Maddie Wehling
D: Bri Stirrat
MF: Olivia Wirtz
MF: Eileen Murphy
MF: Lily Mattern
MF: Meara Hilling
F: Ava Dallavo
F: Georgia Dougherty
Naperville North
GK: Amanda Johnson
D: Julie Grubsic
D: Reilly Riggs
D: Emily Magee
D: Emily Dulik
MF: Taylor Klaiber
MF: Jordan Leonard
MF: Leah Shumate
MF: Maddie Schlecht
F: Hannah Martin
F: Katie Murphy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leah Shumate, jr., MF, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North—Leah Shumaker (penalty kick), 44th minute
Naperville North—Reilly Riggs (Shumaker), 48th minute
Lyons—Eileen Murphy (Ava Dallavo), 56th minute
Junior's PK, assist power Huskies to 2-1 win, NI pool title
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- By adopting its current format of the eight-pool, 24-team field in 2010, the Naperville Invitational became ever more rarified and daunting. Just getting into the championship quarterfinal bracket was a profound challenge.
The point was driven home in Group C with two of the state’s best teams destined for an epic clash. It figured to be one of the defining games of group play.
Lyons and Naperville North did not disappoint.
In a riveting game of big-time individual matchups and intense drama, Naperville North midfielder Leah Shumate showed the way with a goal and assist and the Huskies, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, withstood the ferocious comeback of the no. 4 Lions for the 2-1 victory here Saturday morning.
Naperville North (7-3-1) advances to host no. 3 New Trier on Thursday. Lyons plays Oswego at Downers Grove South in a consolation game Thursday.
Everything about the game felt magnified: the stakes of the game; the intensity of the moment; and the depth of feeling shown by both teams. Lyons came in with just one loss, that in overtime against New Trier in the semifinals of the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic last weekend. Naperville North lost on penalty kicks the same day against eventual tournament champion Stevenson.
“We have played really well against great teams,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “It hopefully just makes us stronger going forward. These are great games to play.”
Naperville North coach Steve Goletz likened the experience to the gauntlet, an apt metaphor for a team confronting one great program after another. The Huskies (7-3-1) beat a rapidly improving Oswego East team 6-2 after falling behind 2-0 Thursday.
The game was also complicated by the conditions, the bright and radiant sun and more crucially, the gusting and unpredictable southerly winds that favored Naperville North in the first half.
Lyons (8-2-1) appeared to gain the upper hand by playing a scoreless opening half. Shumate had a couple of fairly dangerous free kicks, but the Lions denied Naperville North any serious threats.
That worried Goletz at the break.
“The wind was tough today,” he said. “We had it in the first half. I thought we did some decent things, but we were hoping for more. You go into halftime zero-zero, with their firepower and knowing how good of a player [Eileen] Murphy is, we were hoping to get at least one on the board.”
Naperville North dominated the first 10 minutes of the second half playing against the wind. The Huskies put the Lions on their heels. One of Goletz’s crucial moves was pushing up sophomore Emily Dulik, a normal defender, into the middle. That action helped generate the first goal.
Dulik worked a beautiful two-person game with junior forward Hannah Martin. She played the ball to Martin on the left wing and slipped inside the box as Martin played her a ball with her back to the goal. Martin’s touch was low and hard, and it hit off the hand of a Lions’ defender.
“Emily is just a sophomore, and as she becomes more comfortable with the speed of play and how quickly you have to make decisions, she is only going to get better,” Goletz said. “Her work rate was fantastic today. I tell the kids all the time, whenever you get the ball in the box, good things happen. It wasn’t pretty, but the build up to get to that point was great, and it generated that chance.”
Shumate stepped up and buried the penalty kick in the upper left hand corner in the 44th minute.
“Their keeper [Sophie Grabis] was giving me more room to my left side, and that is where I went,” Shumate said. “I think the difference in the game was at the start of the second half, we started working more and talking. We needed to keep the ball and not have them play the ball over us, especially with them having the wind in the second half.
“We did not want to give Murphy the chance to get every ball possible.”
Energized by the goal, Naperville North maintained the pressure. Midfielder Maddie Schlecht was superb at controlling pace and switching the ball quickly. Just moments later, the Huskies struck again. Making a foray toward the Lions’ goal from the left wing, Shumaker was hit from behind.
Lined up from about 22 yards in the 48th minute, Shumate delivered a beautiful ball that long and agile defender Reilly Riggs timed perfectly for the header and her fifth goal of the year.
Shumate earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her standout play. Those plays crystallized Naperville North at its best.
“I think at the start of the second half we started finding the weak side defensive midfielder, which is what we talked about at halftime,” Schlecht said. “We were able to find the switch on the other side and then have our forwards crash the back post. It got us the PK, the foul and then Reilly finished that free kick.”
Lyons was dazed. The team regrouped and staged a terrific rally. The Lions dominated the final 30 minutes of the game and created a series of dangerous actions.
“I thought our kids really responded well,” Lanspeary said. “We have not been down a whole lot this year. It was interesting and very encouraging to see how we responded.”
Murphy is the fulcrum of the Lions’ attack and one of the state’s best players. Her blend of size, power and presence makes her virtually unguardable on the field. She strikes fear into every opposing coach.
Lyons also did a better job of reacting to having the wind, not overshooting or playing too fast. Suddenly Lyons showed the upper hand, dictating tempo, pace and possession and forcing the Huskies’ defense to react.
Forward Ava Dallavo has emerged as a star in the making for the Lions. The sophomore has terrific poise, creativity with the ball and a great knack on corner kicks. Following the second Naperville North score, the Lions applied greater pressure. A Dallavo corner led to great ball by defender Aleix Drobny that Huskies’ keeper Amanda Johnson made a spectacular goal-saving tip to deny.
On the resulting corner, Dallavo served a beautiful ball that Murphy elevated on and smashed home with a header in the 56th minute that halved the deficit. Murphy scored her 10th goal of the year.
“Ava really looks for me in those situations, and we made eye contact just before the corner,” Murphy said. “It was great to get the momentum back after they really controlled the first part of the second half and had us in back third a lot.”
Lyons was not finished. Moments later, Murphy again broke into space and was fouled behind. Her free kick from 32 yards was just over the top of the bar. Forward Elaina Simms broke down the left edge for a tantalizing Lyons sequence that Johnson interrupted by jumping off her line to grab the ball.
“Every year when we come out and play them, we know it is going to be a battle,” Lanspeary said. “They are always good, always well organized, and we know what we are going to get. I thought we battled hard. I thought we might come out of it on the other end, but it just did not happen.”
Lyons had one great final opportunity, another corner from the right edge in the closing seconds. Dallavo played another great ball in search of Murphy. The Huskies’ swallowed her up, and she had no space.
“I think I was too deep,” Murphy said. “We have been working really hard on corners, and we connected on that one (goal). Everybody was just kind of scrambling, and I probably should have been a little farther up.”
Lyons has lost two one-goal games on the home fields of two programs that finished second and third in the Class 3A state championship last year. The Naperville Invitational only unscored how good this team is.
“We have done a much better job of competing with these schools,” Lanspeary said.
“I think last year we lost to New Trier 2-0, and the same score with Naperville North. Outside of the handball and the free kick, we really played well. They got a couple of breaks, and they capitalized on them. The second goal was really nice.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Sophie Grabis
D: Lizzy Vear
D: Grace Truax
D: Maddie Wehling
D: Bri Stirrat
MF: Olivia Wirtz
MF: Eileen Murphy
MF: Lily Mattern
MF: Meara Hilling
F: Ava Dallavo
F: Georgia Dougherty
Naperville North
GK: Amanda Johnson
D: Julie Grubsic
D: Reilly Riggs
D: Emily Magee
D: Emily Dulik
MF: Taylor Klaiber
MF: Jordan Leonard
MF: Leah Shumate
MF: Maddie Schlecht
F: Hannah Martin
F: Katie Murphy
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leah Shumate, jr., MF, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Naperville North—Leah Shumaker (penalty kick), 44th minute
Naperville North—Reilly Riggs (Shumaker), 48th minute
Lyons—Eileen Murphy (Ava Dallavo), 56th minute