Lyons holds off OPRF,
ends sectional drought
1-0 win sets up supersectional date vs. no. 1 Naperville North
By Dave Owen
RIVERSIDE – Lyons turned a recent huge barrier into rubble on Friday.
After six-straight seasons of regional championships but postseason exits at sectionals, the third-seeded Lions (17-7-0) broke through with a 1-0 sectional final win over fourth-seeded Oak Park and River Forest -- their first sectional championship since 2010 and eighth in program history.
Lyons advances to face Naperville North in Tuesday’s supersectional at Lewis University. That is heady territory for a Lions’ team that had a 4-4-0 record in early September which included losses by 4-1, 4-0 and 3-0 scores.
“All ups and downs were handled by this team in the best way possible,” coach Paul Labbato said. “You win games and lose games, and we try to keep everyone on an even keel. We play a tough schedule, and hopefully it’s noticed. We want to be prepared for games like this all year long.”
The Lions, who were ranked 13th in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have been at their best in the postseason -- and clutch under pressure.
After beating Downers Grove North in two overtimes in the regional final and Hinsdale Central on penalty kicks in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal, Lyons battled to edge a 10th-ranked Oak Park and River Forest squad that was coming off a huge 1-0 upset win over Morton.
The origins of Lyons' October glory can be seen in the grueling early-season test of facing elite foes like Naperville North (a 2-1 loss on Aug. 23), Libertyville and New Trier.
“I think that helped a lot,” Lions senior defender Ty Williams said. “We saw the best teams we were going to face continuing forward. It helped us keep a mindset of being tough and going into every game with an attitude that we need to work our hardest.
“It’s definitely helped in the playoffs, because we’re not taking any teams lightly. DGN, we worked as hard as we could; Hinsdale we obviously can’t not work against them; and then OPRF, they’re a phenomenal team. We just worked as hard as we could, and it paid off.”
The money play came with 25:01 left in a scoreless battle.
After a defensive-end win and send up the right sideline by Kyle Reblin, senior forward Nolan O’Malley used speed and pinpoint aim to power home the eventual deciding goal.
Dribbling in on the right side, O’Malley perfectly tucked a 12-yard drive just inside the right post for his 10th goal of 2018.
“We had a great buildup (by Reblin’s pass), and then I just came in and looked at the front post, and I saw that it was open,” O’Malley said. “So I just took the shot, and it went in. I got really lucky.
“The last time we got this far was maybe 2010,” O’Malley added, “so right now we’re really making LT history.”
O’Malley’s goal was one for the history books and earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“It’s all effort,” Labbato said. “He chases people down and works so hard on the offensive end without the ball. Then sometimes the ball pops to your feet, you make all that effort down the line and you sneak one past a really good goalkeeper (the Huskie’s Sam Pecenka).”
In a flash, Williams saw his team go from fighting off a Huskies attack to grabbing a 1-0 lead.
“It was a phenomenal counter,” Williams said. “Nolan kept the ball in, beat the guy with pace, and the shot couldn’t have been placed any better. That was a tough angle, and he slotted it right in.”
O’Malley’s great finish followed a strong start to the second half by Oak Park and River Forest.
Rory McLean’s blocked shot in front with 34 minutes left ended a Huskies corner kick sequence without incident. Then seven minutes later, McLean and Reblin combined to deny OPRF offensive standout Jaime Guillen’s attack into the box without a shot attempt.
“We didn’t play a good enough first half, but I thought we played a fantastic second half,” Huskies coach Jason Fried said. “Unfortunately they sneak one in on us, and we didn’t finish well today. During the season when we had this many shots, we usually put two or three in.”
Lyons needed to literally dig deep defensively to keep OPRF off the scoreboard.
“We had an injury (to senior defender Jason Lichtenauer) about three weeks ago, and a sophomore Alex Jumic stepped in at center back,” Labbato said. “Even though Ty Williams is next to him (on the defensive line) and is amazing, we’ve plugged in a kid (Jumic) who’s done great in these three, close playoff games with Downers North, Hinsdale Central and Oak Park.
“Another one is Rory McLean. He was on JV as a junior, and now he’s starting in the sectional final and plays almost the whole game in these gigantic games.
“They all worked so hard, but Rory and Alex are really standouts.”
Oak Park and River Forest battled for the equalizer. With 23:30 left, when James Maguire’s header towards the goal off an OPRF throw-in set up a Brody Bliss shot just wide.
The two teams then traded close-in header tries on goal: Pecenka making the save on Lyons' Zack Kristy with 22:05 to play; followed by a Paul Garcia header off a Huskies corner kick that was seized by Lions goalkeeper Mark Jareczek with 19:40 on the clock.
Tommy Abbs’ good defense on Guillen’s 1-v.-1 chance with 16:15 left resulted in a shot just wide of the near post. Another right side rush by OPRF’s Mason Hsieh-Bailey with 15:05 to go was denied by Lyon's defenders McLean and Jake Fraser.
Then came Jareczek’s biggest save of the night.
With 12 minutes left, a Bliss cross found Guillen with daylight atop the box. His straight-on, low 18-yard drive towards the lower left corner of the goal was denied on a diving fingertip grab by Jareczek to keep the score 1-0.
“We just didn’t put away our chances,” Oak Park and River Forest co-captain Maguire said. “They scored that goal, and I thought we dominated after that. But we just couldn’t put one in.”
Lyons continued to withstand the heat.
With 7:40 left, Williams’ nice win and clear at the edge of the box denied a Bliss chance.
Then after enduring a quality Lyons' effort with five minutes left (a Jackson Turner offensive zone steal, setting up an O’Malley end line shot saved by Pecenka), the Huskies put together a strong final push.
With 1:15 left, Hsieh-Bailey’s nice angle pass found Mateja Tadic at the top of the box but Lyons' late-season hero Jumic made a nice 50-50 win and clear to deny the threat.
“We have such great subs to come in,” Williams said. “The level of play just does not drop.
“Jason (Lichtenauer) has been battling knee problems, so we needed Alex Jumic to step in. And he stepped in and has been fantastic for the last few games.”
Jumic again came up big with 35 seconds left, denying a bid left of the box by Oak Park and River Forest’s Zeke Rivera.
Abbs’ send down the sideline ended that sequence, and on the Huskies’ ensuing final bid for an attack, Reblin’s header block 30 yards out sent the ball upfield to open space as time expired.
“We know how to grind out a win against a good team,” Labbato said. “Hinsdale Central is always a great emotional game with ups and downs, and to be able to come back and get up for another big match like this is a credit to the kids.”
Nothing had come easy for Lyons throughout the postseason.
“DGN gave us a handful,” Williams said, “Then Central goes to PKs and Mark (Jareczek) made an incredible save. We were able to hit all five (shots), so that was awesome.”
The awesome feelings got even better Friday, as the Lions won for the seventh time in their last eight games.
“Going into this season we really didn’t know what to expect,” Williams said. “To be able to accomplish all this (a sectional title) has meant so much for us, having so many new players and a lot of different playing styles.
“To come together like this and beat super-organized teams like (Hinsdale) Central and OPRF -- it’s incredible; an awesome feat.”
Friday’s narrow loss aside, it was also an incredible 2018 season for Oak Park and River Forest.
“It’s been amazing,” Maguire said. “This year has been unique among my three (on varsity). We had some great accomplishments: we won regionals; conference; and beating Morton was big. But we just couldn’t get it done at the end tonight.”
Coming off a 16-win regional title season in 2017, the Huskies (18-4-2) rose yet another notch this fall.
“We were just extremely humble and very talented to be honest,” Maguire said. “We never really got complacent. We just wanted to keep winning and keep getting better.”
The Huskies began to surge in September with a 2-0-1 record at the prestigious Great Midwest Classic in Indianapolis. After a 1-0 conference loss Sept. 18 at Lyons, the Huskies went on a a 9-1-1 run entering the sectional final.
“The guys worked really hard,” Fried said. “We had an insane record; we won tournaments, tied for first in our conference. We knocked out Morton. You’re doing something right, and these guys know it. It’s a tough way to end, but you have to move on.
“It was a great season,” Fried added. “We could have, and I think should have gone farther. But LT’s a great team, and all these teams left are great teams. It’s soccer. Unfortunately we just didn’t come up with the win today.”
The Lions continued to be a formidable obstacle for OPRF, which also fell to Lyons in last year’s sectional semifinals (that a two-overtime battle).
“Every one of our LT games the last few years has come down to one goal except for one game,” Fried said. “They just edged us out.
“I wish LT the best of luck moving forward. Anybody from our conference (the West Suburban Conference Silver Division) we wish luck to, because it’s our conference representing. And we’ll keep working towards next year.”
After a huge on-field postgame celebration with their fans after the game, the Lions’ work begins on preparing for Tuesday and two-time defending state champion and top-ranked Naperville North (23-0-0).
“The fans we have with us are amazing,” Williams said. “It’s a huge student section, and that’s really helping us keep it going.
“I don’t see why we can’t keep it rolling,” Williams added. “We have so much momentum. Everyone wants it. Everyone on the field is working 110 percent, and it’s great to see. We all want to stay together for as long as we can, and I think we’ll be able to do it.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Mark Jareczek
D Rory McLean
D Alex Jumic
D Ty Williams
D Kyle Reblin
M Skip Locke
M Tommy Abbs
M Jake Fraser
M Jackson Turner
F Nolan O’Malley
F Jonny Gray
Oak Park and River Forest
GK Sam Pecenka
D Bram Lebovitz
D Dylan Whitney
D Mason Hsieh-Bailey
D Blake Soto
M Ryan Stutz
M James Maguire
M Mateja Tadic
M Paul Garcia
F Jaime Guillen
F Brody Bliss
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nolan O’Malley, sr. F, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Lyons – Nolan O’Malley (Kyle Reblin), 55th minute
ends sectional drought
1-0 win sets up supersectional date vs. no. 1 Naperville North
By Dave Owen
RIVERSIDE – Lyons turned a recent huge barrier into rubble on Friday.
After six-straight seasons of regional championships but postseason exits at sectionals, the third-seeded Lions (17-7-0) broke through with a 1-0 sectional final win over fourth-seeded Oak Park and River Forest -- their first sectional championship since 2010 and eighth in program history.
Lyons advances to face Naperville North in Tuesday’s supersectional at Lewis University. That is heady territory for a Lions’ team that had a 4-4-0 record in early September which included losses by 4-1, 4-0 and 3-0 scores.
“All ups and downs were handled by this team in the best way possible,” coach Paul Labbato said. “You win games and lose games, and we try to keep everyone on an even keel. We play a tough schedule, and hopefully it’s noticed. We want to be prepared for games like this all year long.”
The Lions, who were ranked 13th in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, have been at their best in the postseason -- and clutch under pressure.
After beating Downers Grove North in two overtimes in the regional final and Hinsdale Central on penalty kicks in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal, Lyons battled to edge a 10th-ranked Oak Park and River Forest squad that was coming off a huge 1-0 upset win over Morton.
The origins of Lyons' October glory can be seen in the grueling early-season test of facing elite foes like Naperville North (a 2-1 loss on Aug. 23), Libertyville and New Trier.
“I think that helped a lot,” Lions senior defender Ty Williams said. “We saw the best teams we were going to face continuing forward. It helped us keep a mindset of being tough and going into every game with an attitude that we need to work our hardest.
“It’s definitely helped in the playoffs, because we’re not taking any teams lightly. DGN, we worked as hard as we could; Hinsdale we obviously can’t not work against them; and then OPRF, they’re a phenomenal team. We just worked as hard as we could, and it paid off.”
The money play came with 25:01 left in a scoreless battle.
After a defensive-end win and send up the right sideline by Kyle Reblin, senior forward Nolan O’Malley used speed and pinpoint aim to power home the eventual deciding goal.
Dribbling in on the right side, O’Malley perfectly tucked a 12-yard drive just inside the right post for his 10th goal of 2018.
“We had a great buildup (by Reblin’s pass), and then I just came in and looked at the front post, and I saw that it was open,” O’Malley said. “So I just took the shot, and it went in. I got really lucky.
“The last time we got this far was maybe 2010,” O’Malley added, “so right now we’re really making LT history.”
O’Malley’s goal was one for the history books and earned him Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honors.
“It’s all effort,” Labbato said. “He chases people down and works so hard on the offensive end without the ball. Then sometimes the ball pops to your feet, you make all that effort down the line and you sneak one past a really good goalkeeper (the Huskie’s Sam Pecenka).”
In a flash, Williams saw his team go from fighting off a Huskies attack to grabbing a 1-0 lead.
“It was a phenomenal counter,” Williams said. “Nolan kept the ball in, beat the guy with pace, and the shot couldn’t have been placed any better. That was a tough angle, and he slotted it right in.”
O’Malley’s great finish followed a strong start to the second half by Oak Park and River Forest.
Rory McLean’s blocked shot in front with 34 minutes left ended a Huskies corner kick sequence without incident. Then seven minutes later, McLean and Reblin combined to deny OPRF offensive standout Jaime Guillen’s attack into the box without a shot attempt.
“We didn’t play a good enough first half, but I thought we played a fantastic second half,” Huskies coach Jason Fried said. “Unfortunately they sneak one in on us, and we didn’t finish well today. During the season when we had this many shots, we usually put two or three in.”
Lyons needed to literally dig deep defensively to keep OPRF off the scoreboard.
“We had an injury (to senior defender Jason Lichtenauer) about three weeks ago, and a sophomore Alex Jumic stepped in at center back,” Labbato said. “Even though Ty Williams is next to him (on the defensive line) and is amazing, we’ve plugged in a kid (Jumic) who’s done great in these three, close playoff games with Downers North, Hinsdale Central and Oak Park.
“Another one is Rory McLean. He was on JV as a junior, and now he’s starting in the sectional final and plays almost the whole game in these gigantic games.
“They all worked so hard, but Rory and Alex are really standouts.”
Oak Park and River Forest battled for the equalizer. With 23:30 left, when James Maguire’s header towards the goal off an OPRF throw-in set up a Brody Bliss shot just wide.
The two teams then traded close-in header tries on goal: Pecenka making the save on Lyons' Zack Kristy with 22:05 to play; followed by a Paul Garcia header off a Huskies corner kick that was seized by Lions goalkeeper Mark Jareczek with 19:40 on the clock.
Tommy Abbs’ good defense on Guillen’s 1-v.-1 chance with 16:15 left resulted in a shot just wide of the near post. Another right side rush by OPRF’s Mason Hsieh-Bailey with 15:05 to go was denied by Lyon's defenders McLean and Jake Fraser.
Then came Jareczek’s biggest save of the night.
With 12 minutes left, a Bliss cross found Guillen with daylight atop the box. His straight-on, low 18-yard drive towards the lower left corner of the goal was denied on a diving fingertip grab by Jareczek to keep the score 1-0.
“We just didn’t put away our chances,” Oak Park and River Forest co-captain Maguire said. “They scored that goal, and I thought we dominated after that. But we just couldn’t put one in.”
Lyons continued to withstand the heat.
With 7:40 left, Williams’ nice win and clear at the edge of the box denied a Bliss chance.
Then after enduring a quality Lyons' effort with five minutes left (a Jackson Turner offensive zone steal, setting up an O’Malley end line shot saved by Pecenka), the Huskies put together a strong final push.
With 1:15 left, Hsieh-Bailey’s nice angle pass found Mateja Tadic at the top of the box but Lyons' late-season hero Jumic made a nice 50-50 win and clear to deny the threat.
“We have such great subs to come in,” Williams said. “The level of play just does not drop.
“Jason (Lichtenauer) has been battling knee problems, so we needed Alex Jumic to step in. And he stepped in and has been fantastic for the last few games.”
Jumic again came up big with 35 seconds left, denying a bid left of the box by Oak Park and River Forest’s Zeke Rivera.
Abbs’ send down the sideline ended that sequence, and on the Huskies’ ensuing final bid for an attack, Reblin’s header block 30 yards out sent the ball upfield to open space as time expired.
“We know how to grind out a win against a good team,” Labbato said. “Hinsdale Central is always a great emotional game with ups and downs, and to be able to come back and get up for another big match like this is a credit to the kids.”
Nothing had come easy for Lyons throughout the postseason.
“DGN gave us a handful,” Williams said, “Then Central goes to PKs and Mark (Jareczek) made an incredible save. We were able to hit all five (shots), so that was awesome.”
The awesome feelings got even better Friday, as the Lions won for the seventh time in their last eight games.
“Going into this season we really didn’t know what to expect,” Williams said. “To be able to accomplish all this (a sectional title) has meant so much for us, having so many new players and a lot of different playing styles.
“To come together like this and beat super-organized teams like (Hinsdale) Central and OPRF -- it’s incredible; an awesome feat.”
Friday’s narrow loss aside, it was also an incredible 2018 season for Oak Park and River Forest.
“It’s been amazing,” Maguire said. “This year has been unique among my three (on varsity). We had some great accomplishments: we won regionals; conference; and beating Morton was big. But we just couldn’t get it done at the end tonight.”
Coming off a 16-win regional title season in 2017, the Huskies (18-4-2) rose yet another notch this fall.
“We were just extremely humble and very talented to be honest,” Maguire said. “We never really got complacent. We just wanted to keep winning and keep getting better.”
The Huskies began to surge in September with a 2-0-1 record at the prestigious Great Midwest Classic in Indianapolis. After a 1-0 conference loss Sept. 18 at Lyons, the Huskies went on a a 9-1-1 run entering the sectional final.
“The guys worked really hard,” Fried said. “We had an insane record; we won tournaments, tied for first in our conference. We knocked out Morton. You’re doing something right, and these guys know it. It’s a tough way to end, but you have to move on.
“It was a great season,” Fried added. “We could have, and I think should have gone farther. But LT’s a great team, and all these teams left are great teams. It’s soccer. Unfortunately we just didn’t come up with the win today.”
The Lions continued to be a formidable obstacle for OPRF, which also fell to Lyons in last year’s sectional semifinals (that a two-overtime battle).
“Every one of our LT games the last few years has come down to one goal except for one game,” Fried said. “They just edged us out.
“I wish LT the best of luck moving forward. Anybody from our conference (the West Suburban Conference Silver Division) we wish luck to, because it’s our conference representing. And we’ll keep working towards next year.”
After a huge on-field postgame celebration with their fans after the game, the Lions’ work begins on preparing for Tuesday and two-time defending state champion and top-ranked Naperville North (23-0-0).
“The fans we have with us are amazing,” Williams said. “It’s a huge student section, and that’s really helping us keep it going.
“I don’t see why we can’t keep it rolling,” Williams added. “We have so much momentum. Everyone wants it. Everyone on the field is working 110 percent, and it’s great to see. We all want to stay together for as long as we can, and I think we’ll be able to do it.”
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Mark Jareczek
D Rory McLean
D Alex Jumic
D Ty Williams
D Kyle Reblin
M Skip Locke
M Tommy Abbs
M Jake Fraser
M Jackson Turner
F Nolan O’Malley
F Jonny Gray
Oak Park and River Forest
GK Sam Pecenka
D Bram Lebovitz
D Dylan Whitney
D Mason Hsieh-Bailey
D Blake Soto
M Ryan Stutz
M James Maguire
M Mateja Tadic
M Paul Garcia
F Jaime Guillen
F Brody Bliss
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nolan O’Malley, sr. F, Lyons
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Lyons – Nolan O’Malley (Kyle Reblin), 55th minute