York comes up big in PKs, edges Lyons
4-3 shootout edge powers Dukes back into conference race
By Dave Owen
ELMHURST – Turning bad into good has York back in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title chase.
Overcoming a rough start in which Jonny Gray put Lyons up 1-0 just 2:05 into the match, the host Dukes (9-3-0, 2-1-0) rallied to tie the game 1-1 late in the half.
Then after the 1-1 score remained through the second half and two 10-minute overtimes, York used two penalty kick saves by goalkeeper Kyle Johnson and conversions on all four kicks to win the PK session 4-3 and hand Lyons (10-5-0, 3-1-0) its first conference loss.
And the clutch PK performance by the Dukes, was hardly a sure thing.
“We’re honestly not that good at PKs,” said York senior Josh Borzello, who netted the fourth and last of the Dukes’ PK finishes. “Last season we probably missed over 50 percent of them. But we did a little practice on them yesterday, and I guess it was just our day for PKs.”
It was certainly Johnson’s day, as he made diving saves on both the first and fifth Lions shooters to earn Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“Just stay calm, that’s all it really takes,” Johnson said of his PK-stopping strategy. “They (the shooters) are in their own heads. As goalkeepers, there’s not much you can really do. If you lose, you lose. If you win, great.”
And with Joe Meade, Ethan Oder, Edward Del Carmen and Borzello all converting their PK chances, the result was great for York.
“As a coach you never want PKs,” Dukes manager Lukasz Majewski said, “It’s the luck of the draw. You’re flipping a coin.
“But as Kyle was walking off (to start the PK session), he’s like ‘I’ve got this coach. We’re all good.’ That’s the confidence you want in a keeper, and obviously he showed why he’s got that confidence and why he’s the man in the back.”
The night started on a less optimistic note for York, which is ranked no. 18 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and a great one for the no. 6 Lions.
On a nice two-man rush, Nolan O’Malley sent a cross from the left end line to Gray, whose 6-yard header produced his sixth goal of 2018 and instant excitement on the visitors' side.
“It was a good press by our outside forward Nolan,” Gray said. “He put in a perfect ball right to the net, and I just put it back into the goal.”
But after enduring another Lyons threat in the fifth minute, York generated its first offensive threat in the ninth on a Del Carmen header wide of a Oder corner kick and continued to up the pressure.
“Scoring early put us in this weird mindset that we’re trying to hold off the game,” Lions coach Paul Labbato said. “And you’re not going to hold off 75 minutes of the game.”
Said Lyon's Gray: “After the goal we tried to defend more so we were sitting back, letting them have the ball. They were faster to the ball too.”
But York’s speed met major resistance from the Lions.
First, Kyle Reblin had a steal inside midfield in the 21st minute, setting up an Lyons corner kick.
Then three minutes later, a York attack led by Meade and Oder was denied by consecutive blocked shots by Alex Jumic and Jason Lichtenauer.
Lyons starting goalkeeper Mark Jareczek got into the act in the 28th minute. He came off his line to swat away a well-struck 45-yard free kick by Del Carmen.
But on York’s next free kick, the combination of a good strike and the wet, rainy conditions proved crucial.
In the 33rd minute, Paolo Favuzzi’s 33-yard free kick from the right sideline became an overgrown watermelon seed.
The slick ball was juggled by Jareczek, who made a great one-handed scoop near the line to flip the ball out of the net, then recovered to make a point-blank save on Jonathan Milani’s rebound.
But officials ruled that Favuzzi’s shot had cleared the goal line, pulling the Dukes into a 1-1 tie.
Favuzzi’s goal was just one part of his great night.
“At midfield Paolo, he’s the workhorse,” Majewski said. “He back tackles; he wins the ball. And I was hoping to see that long-range one from him, because he’s very capable of that.”
York continued to apply pressure late in the half, but the first of many great plays by Lyons senior defender Ty Williams kept the score even.
In the 36th minute, a long York send took a crazy, high hop on the soaked turf and past Jareczek, who was off his line to field the seemingly harmless long ball. But Williams was on the spot to head the ball away from York’s Parker Gawne near the crease and out of danger.
On the ensuing York corner kick, Jareczek made the stop on Jack Musial’s 8-yard header to cap the hectic sequence.
In the 38th minute, York’s defense also came up big. On Skip Locke’s 10-yard free kick right of the box, Del Carmen’s blocked shot in front sent the teams into the half tied 1-1.
That late chance aside, the first half that began so well for the Lions tilted into the Dukes’ favor.
“They were first to the ball just about all over the field,” Labbato said. “I thought we matched them in the second half and had some run of the play. But the first half they had most of the run of play. They looked really good.”
The fairly even second half began as the game did -- with a great Lyons chance.
With 36:10 left in regulation, a Zack Kristy throw-in took a high bounce to the right post. There Gray’s redirect lofted across the goalmouth and grazed off the crossbar near the left post. Antonio Lepore’s clear denied a rebound try.
Another sequence five minutes later epitomized the high level of both squads. York’s Meade made a nice midfield steal to start a potential counterattack, only to be answered seconds later by a Williams steal from a Dukes attacker 35 yards out.
With 30:40 left, a long Williams send set up a throw-in from 12 yards out for Lyons -- the Kristy toss led to Gray’s 10-yard shot wide right.
York defender Borzello summed up a night that started badly for the Dukes’ defense but quickly improved.
“I think we just stayed on track,” Borzello said. “We kind of lost our focus for a split second, and then we stayed with what we know. The first half I think was a lot better than our second half. We got a little tired in the second half. But I still think we dominated the majority of the game and just stayed with what we know.”
Said Majewski: “In general it was effort. We have the technical ability and skill. If we combine it with effort, results are going to happen.”
The Dukes entered the game off a surprising 4-1 loss at Downers Grove South on Saturday, a rare off day in a strong defensive season.
“Unfortunately Saturday that effort wasn’t quite there,” Majewski said. “You go into a game you think you should win, and it turns around on you pretty quickly. You’re looking at a 4-1 deficit.
“But our defense has been solid all year. I think we’ve given up 10 goals in 12 games. You can always come into a game knowing it’s going to be tough for the other team to score.”
Tuesday, York’s offense began to kick into gear again with 22:05 left. Favuzzi won a 50-50 ball and unleashed a 30-yard drive that Lyons second half goalkeeper Gavin Fertitta stopped on the short hop with a sliding save.
York’s defense then created an offensive chance with 20:10 left. Spencer Doan’s midfield steal sparked a counterattack and a Favuzzi send to the box, but Fertitta won the race to the ball.
The teams exchanged good chances in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
For York, Del Carmen’s 36-yard free kick was redirected just wide at the right post by Andrew Pygon, followed by Gawne’s low 20-yard skipping shot saved by Fertitta with 12:40 left.
Lyons nearly struck with 9:50 to play, but Jackson Turner’s would-be goal off a nice Williams send was nullified by an offsides call.
“Against OPRF and today we got fast goals within like five minutes (of the start of the game),” Gray said of Lyon’s offense. “We missed a couple chances to put the game away tonight, but other than that I think we played well. Especially the last 15 minutes of the second half.”
Turner followed with a 20-yard rocket off the side of the net two minutes later, before Williams closed regulation with another stellar defensive play. A Meade pass sprung Gawne 1-v.-1 with 2:05 left, but Williams nicely stepped in to deny a shot and clear the box.
The two overtimes would feature more back and forth, and more clutch defense.
York's Borzello nicely raced back to deny a Gray chance in the box three minutes into the first OT, riding Gray off the ball and clearing the zone.
O’Malley’s great effort working the ball up the right side through traffic with 4:25 left in the first OT resulted in a cross to Gray for a header on goal.
York’s Meade made his own great bid for a game-winner with 3:50 to go in the session, racing in on the left but having his shot deflected wide by a Lyons defender.
In the second OT, Williams’ strong free kick from midfield with 8:20 left resulted in Johnson diving on the ball in a crowd near the post.
Locke’s clear of a York free kick two minutes later led to a counterattack, which was denied on a nice 1-v.-1 win by Del Carmen.
Meade deliver two late scoring bids. A 17-yard shot was saved by Fertitta at the left post with 5:05 left, then his low 12-yard drive off a Sebastian Benavides throw-in was stopped by a diving Fertitta at the right post.
Then came the PK session, when Johnson’s goalkeeping (two saves, plus a hand on a third shot that went in) and 4-for-4 success by York shooters made the difference.
“We’ve won a PK shootout, and now lost a PK shootout,” Labbato said. “We just have to figure out how to get it done during the game.
“They (York) played really well tonight. We were not up to the task. But you learn from these things and just have to move forward.”
O’Malley, Turner and Gray had PK conversions for the Lions, sandwiched between Johnson saves on the first and fifth shooters.
But with his team on a strong run entering Tuesday (including wins over Oak Park and River Forest and at Hinsdale Central), Labbato was keeping the PK result in perspective.
“I’m proud of the kids,” he said. “They worked super hard. We didn’t sub a lot, and that may have had something to do with the PKs.
“We had tired kids up there who hadn’t come off the field much in the second half and the overtimes -- so maybe rethink how we approach PKs a little bit in the future.”
For York, the future in the Silver Division race looks much brighter after Tuesday’s huge win.
“This means a lot, because now we know we can still win conference,” Borzello said. “We had a tough loss vs. Hinsdale, but now we can bounce back because Lyons was leading.
“We can still tie (for first). ... This was a really big game. Now we just have to stay focused.”
York’s bench also provided a key boost in the win.
“Jack Musial pulled up a little lame and had a little leg issue,” Majewski said, “but his freshman brother Sam came in and gave him a couple minutes here and there to relieve some of the pressure.”
Then York turned up the pressure in the PK session, turning a potentially devastating slow start in a game against a top opponent like Lyons into a great result.
“Our defense was strong, besides the first rush when we didn’t know what was happening,” Majewski said. “But obviously we rebounded from that and played pretty well.
“Our midfield is solid across the middle. We kept on asking the boys to keep the ball on the ground and try to feed the forwards, and I think we did a good job of that. Finishing is still a little sketchy, but we’re putting pressure on teams.”
And now, putting pressure on the rest of the leaders in the always wild and strong West Suburban Conference Silver Division.
“I told coach Labbato that they owe us one for last year,” Majewski said, “because we beat Oak Park towards the end to make them co-conference champions.
“This game meant a lot for conference and seeding meeting tomorrow -- another quality win under our belts.”
“It’s crazy, but it’s fun,” Majewski added. “The boys get excited for games like this.”
With his win-clinching diving save to the right post on Lyon’s fifth shooter, Johnson earned the last word on the victory.
“It’s big, but we still have a lot of season to play,” he said. “We still have conference games to look forward to and postseason. This is just adding on to what’s been a good season so far.
“I think we put in a great effort, they put in a great effort too. It was a good game, a close game. And we’ll possibly see them again in the future.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Mark Jareczek
D: Rory McLean
D: Ty Williams
D: Jason Lichtenauer
D: Zack Kristy
M: Kyle Reblin
M: Skip Locke
M: Jake Fraser
M: Mike Niedermeyer
F: Jonny Gray
F: Nolan O’Malley
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: Jonathan Milan
D: Edwardo Del Carmen
D: Josh Borzello
D: Jacob Kresnicka
M: Antonio Lapore
M: Jack Musial
M: Paolo Favuzzi
M: Ethan Oder
F: Joe Meade
F: Parker Gawne
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kyle Johnson, sr. GK, York
Scoring wummary
First half
LT – Jonny Gray (Nolan O’Malley), 3rd minute
York – Paolo Favuzzi (free kick), 33rd minute
Second half
None
First overtime
None
Second overtime
None
PKs
LT – Ty Williams (save), O’Malley (goal), Jackson Turner (goal), Jonny Gray (goal), Skip Locke (save)
York – Joe Meade (goal), Ethan Oder (goal), Edwardo Del Carmen (goal), Josh Borzello (goal)
4-3 shootout edge powers Dukes back into conference race
By Dave Owen
ELMHURST – Turning bad into good has York back in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title chase.
Overcoming a rough start in which Jonny Gray put Lyons up 1-0 just 2:05 into the match, the host Dukes (9-3-0, 2-1-0) rallied to tie the game 1-1 late in the half.
Then after the 1-1 score remained through the second half and two 10-minute overtimes, York used two penalty kick saves by goalkeeper Kyle Johnson and conversions on all four kicks to win the PK session 4-3 and hand Lyons (10-5-0, 3-1-0) its first conference loss.
And the clutch PK performance by the Dukes, was hardly a sure thing.
“We’re honestly not that good at PKs,” said York senior Josh Borzello, who netted the fourth and last of the Dukes’ PK finishes. “Last season we probably missed over 50 percent of them. But we did a little practice on them yesterday, and I guess it was just our day for PKs.”
It was certainly Johnson’s day, as he made diving saves on both the first and fifth Lions shooters to earn Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“Just stay calm, that’s all it really takes,” Johnson said of his PK-stopping strategy. “They (the shooters) are in their own heads. As goalkeepers, there’s not much you can really do. If you lose, you lose. If you win, great.”
And with Joe Meade, Ethan Oder, Edward Del Carmen and Borzello all converting their PK chances, the result was great for York.
“As a coach you never want PKs,” Dukes manager Lukasz Majewski said, “It’s the luck of the draw. You’re flipping a coin.
“But as Kyle was walking off (to start the PK session), he’s like ‘I’ve got this coach. We’re all good.’ That’s the confidence you want in a keeper, and obviously he showed why he’s got that confidence and why he’s the man in the back.”
The night started on a less optimistic note for York, which is ranked no. 18 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and a great one for the no. 6 Lions.
On a nice two-man rush, Nolan O’Malley sent a cross from the left end line to Gray, whose 6-yard header produced his sixth goal of 2018 and instant excitement on the visitors' side.
“It was a good press by our outside forward Nolan,” Gray said. “He put in a perfect ball right to the net, and I just put it back into the goal.”
But after enduring another Lyons threat in the fifth minute, York generated its first offensive threat in the ninth on a Del Carmen header wide of a Oder corner kick and continued to up the pressure.
“Scoring early put us in this weird mindset that we’re trying to hold off the game,” Lions coach Paul Labbato said. “And you’re not going to hold off 75 minutes of the game.”
Said Lyon's Gray: “After the goal we tried to defend more so we were sitting back, letting them have the ball. They were faster to the ball too.”
But York’s speed met major resistance from the Lions.
First, Kyle Reblin had a steal inside midfield in the 21st minute, setting up an Lyons corner kick.
Then three minutes later, a York attack led by Meade and Oder was denied by consecutive blocked shots by Alex Jumic and Jason Lichtenauer.
Lyons starting goalkeeper Mark Jareczek got into the act in the 28th minute. He came off his line to swat away a well-struck 45-yard free kick by Del Carmen.
But on York’s next free kick, the combination of a good strike and the wet, rainy conditions proved crucial.
In the 33rd minute, Paolo Favuzzi’s 33-yard free kick from the right sideline became an overgrown watermelon seed.
The slick ball was juggled by Jareczek, who made a great one-handed scoop near the line to flip the ball out of the net, then recovered to make a point-blank save on Jonathan Milani’s rebound.
But officials ruled that Favuzzi’s shot had cleared the goal line, pulling the Dukes into a 1-1 tie.
Favuzzi’s goal was just one part of his great night.
“At midfield Paolo, he’s the workhorse,” Majewski said. “He back tackles; he wins the ball. And I was hoping to see that long-range one from him, because he’s very capable of that.”
York continued to apply pressure late in the half, but the first of many great plays by Lyons senior defender Ty Williams kept the score even.
In the 36th minute, a long York send took a crazy, high hop on the soaked turf and past Jareczek, who was off his line to field the seemingly harmless long ball. But Williams was on the spot to head the ball away from York’s Parker Gawne near the crease and out of danger.
On the ensuing York corner kick, Jareczek made the stop on Jack Musial’s 8-yard header to cap the hectic sequence.
In the 38th minute, York’s defense also came up big. On Skip Locke’s 10-yard free kick right of the box, Del Carmen’s blocked shot in front sent the teams into the half tied 1-1.
That late chance aside, the first half that began so well for the Lions tilted into the Dukes’ favor.
“They were first to the ball just about all over the field,” Labbato said. “I thought we matched them in the second half and had some run of the play. But the first half they had most of the run of play. They looked really good.”
The fairly even second half began as the game did -- with a great Lyons chance.
With 36:10 left in regulation, a Zack Kristy throw-in took a high bounce to the right post. There Gray’s redirect lofted across the goalmouth and grazed off the crossbar near the left post. Antonio Lepore’s clear denied a rebound try.
Another sequence five minutes later epitomized the high level of both squads. York’s Meade made a nice midfield steal to start a potential counterattack, only to be answered seconds later by a Williams steal from a Dukes attacker 35 yards out.
With 30:40 left, a long Williams send set up a throw-in from 12 yards out for Lyons -- the Kristy toss led to Gray’s 10-yard shot wide right.
York defender Borzello summed up a night that started badly for the Dukes’ defense but quickly improved.
“I think we just stayed on track,” Borzello said. “We kind of lost our focus for a split second, and then we stayed with what we know. The first half I think was a lot better than our second half. We got a little tired in the second half. But I still think we dominated the majority of the game and just stayed with what we know.”
Said Majewski: “In general it was effort. We have the technical ability and skill. If we combine it with effort, results are going to happen.”
The Dukes entered the game off a surprising 4-1 loss at Downers Grove South on Saturday, a rare off day in a strong defensive season.
“Unfortunately Saturday that effort wasn’t quite there,” Majewski said. “You go into a game you think you should win, and it turns around on you pretty quickly. You’re looking at a 4-1 deficit.
“But our defense has been solid all year. I think we’ve given up 10 goals in 12 games. You can always come into a game knowing it’s going to be tough for the other team to score.”
Tuesday, York’s offense began to kick into gear again with 22:05 left. Favuzzi won a 50-50 ball and unleashed a 30-yard drive that Lyons second half goalkeeper Gavin Fertitta stopped on the short hop with a sliding save.
York’s defense then created an offensive chance with 20:10 left. Spencer Doan’s midfield steal sparked a counterattack and a Favuzzi send to the box, but Fertitta won the race to the ball.
The teams exchanged good chances in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
For York, Del Carmen’s 36-yard free kick was redirected just wide at the right post by Andrew Pygon, followed by Gawne’s low 20-yard skipping shot saved by Fertitta with 12:40 left.
Lyons nearly struck with 9:50 to play, but Jackson Turner’s would-be goal off a nice Williams send was nullified by an offsides call.
“Against OPRF and today we got fast goals within like five minutes (of the start of the game),” Gray said of Lyon’s offense. “We missed a couple chances to put the game away tonight, but other than that I think we played well. Especially the last 15 minutes of the second half.”
Turner followed with a 20-yard rocket off the side of the net two minutes later, before Williams closed regulation with another stellar defensive play. A Meade pass sprung Gawne 1-v.-1 with 2:05 left, but Williams nicely stepped in to deny a shot and clear the box.
The two overtimes would feature more back and forth, and more clutch defense.
York's Borzello nicely raced back to deny a Gray chance in the box three minutes into the first OT, riding Gray off the ball and clearing the zone.
O’Malley’s great effort working the ball up the right side through traffic with 4:25 left in the first OT resulted in a cross to Gray for a header on goal.
York’s Meade made his own great bid for a game-winner with 3:50 to go in the session, racing in on the left but having his shot deflected wide by a Lyons defender.
In the second OT, Williams’ strong free kick from midfield with 8:20 left resulted in Johnson diving on the ball in a crowd near the post.
Locke’s clear of a York free kick two minutes later led to a counterattack, which was denied on a nice 1-v.-1 win by Del Carmen.
Meade deliver two late scoring bids. A 17-yard shot was saved by Fertitta at the left post with 5:05 left, then his low 12-yard drive off a Sebastian Benavides throw-in was stopped by a diving Fertitta at the right post.
Then came the PK session, when Johnson’s goalkeeping (two saves, plus a hand on a third shot that went in) and 4-for-4 success by York shooters made the difference.
“We’ve won a PK shootout, and now lost a PK shootout,” Labbato said. “We just have to figure out how to get it done during the game.
“They (York) played really well tonight. We were not up to the task. But you learn from these things and just have to move forward.”
O’Malley, Turner and Gray had PK conversions for the Lions, sandwiched between Johnson saves on the first and fifth shooters.
But with his team on a strong run entering Tuesday (including wins over Oak Park and River Forest and at Hinsdale Central), Labbato was keeping the PK result in perspective.
“I’m proud of the kids,” he said. “They worked super hard. We didn’t sub a lot, and that may have had something to do with the PKs.
“We had tired kids up there who hadn’t come off the field much in the second half and the overtimes -- so maybe rethink how we approach PKs a little bit in the future.”
For York, the future in the Silver Division race looks much brighter after Tuesday’s huge win.
“This means a lot, because now we know we can still win conference,” Borzello said. “We had a tough loss vs. Hinsdale, but now we can bounce back because Lyons was leading.
“We can still tie (for first). ... This was a really big game. Now we just have to stay focused.”
York’s bench also provided a key boost in the win.
“Jack Musial pulled up a little lame and had a little leg issue,” Majewski said, “but his freshman brother Sam came in and gave him a couple minutes here and there to relieve some of the pressure.”
Then York turned up the pressure in the PK session, turning a potentially devastating slow start in a game against a top opponent like Lyons into a great result.
“Our defense was strong, besides the first rush when we didn’t know what was happening,” Majewski said. “But obviously we rebounded from that and played pretty well.
“Our midfield is solid across the middle. We kept on asking the boys to keep the ball on the ground and try to feed the forwards, and I think we did a good job of that. Finishing is still a little sketchy, but we’re putting pressure on teams.”
And now, putting pressure on the rest of the leaders in the always wild and strong West Suburban Conference Silver Division.
“I told coach Labbato that they owe us one for last year,” Majewski said, “because we beat Oak Park towards the end to make them co-conference champions.
“This game meant a lot for conference and seeding meeting tomorrow -- another quality win under our belts.”
“It’s crazy, but it’s fun,” Majewski added. “The boys get excited for games like this.”
With his win-clinching diving save to the right post on Lyon’s fifth shooter, Johnson earned the last word on the victory.
“It’s big, but we still have a lot of season to play,” he said. “We still have conference games to look forward to and postseason. This is just adding on to what’s been a good season so far.
“I think we put in a great effort, they put in a great effort too. It was a good game, a close game. And we’ll possibly see them again in the future.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK: Mark Jareczek
D: Rory McLean
D: Ty Williams
D: Jason Lichtenauer
D: Zack Kristy
M: Kyle Reblin
M: Skip Locke
M: Jake Fraser
M: Mike Niedermeyer
F: Jonny Gray
F: Nolan O’Malley
York
GK: Kyle Johnson
D: Jonathan Milan
D: Edwardo Del Carmen
D: Josh Borzello
D: Jacob Kresnicka
M: Antonio Lapore
M: Jack Musial
M: Paolo Favuzzi
M: Ethan Oder
F: Joe Meade
F: Parker Gawne
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Kyle Johnson, sr. GK, York
Scoring wummary
First half
LT – Jonny Gray (Nolan O’Malley), 3rd minute
York – Paolo Favuzzi (free kick), 33rd minute
Second half
None
First overtime
None
Second overtime
None
PKs
LT – Ty Williams (save), O’Malley (goal), Jackson Turner (goal), Jonny Gray (goal), Skip Locke (save)
York – Joe Meade (goal), Ethan Oder (goal), Edwardo Del Carmen (goal), Josh Borzello (goal)