Lyons JV rebounds with tournament title
Lions absorb 1st loss but win when it matters
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES -- Having a 17-match unbeaten streak snapped, and losing and failing to score for the first time in a season could have been demoralizing for Lyons.
It wasn't.
The Lions rebounded from the pool loss and roared back with two wins to take the seventh annual St. Charles North JV Invitational on Saturday.
The host school topped Lyons 2-0 to win Group B.
With ominous clouds and a threatening forecast leading to a sped-up tourney schedule, Lyons quickly erased the bitter taste of disappointment.
The Lions scored early, added to the lead and then made a one-goal halftime advantage stand up for a 2-1 semifinal victory over Naperville North that delivered a title game berth.
In a a seemingly sideways drenching rain with wind gusts that turned umbrellas inside out, Lyons earned a 1-0 championship victory over St. Charles East.
After the win the Lions celebrated the title and being soaked to the bone by engaging in a contest to see who could slide the furthest on the turf.
“We’ve never won this tourney, so it’s really special,” said Mario Saucedo, whose first half goal became the championship game-winner for the Lions (17-1-2). “It was my second goal, but obviously it feels the best.”
Lyons coach Jose Fregoso was relieved his squad won the eight-school event. But he is nowhere near being a convert to turf and definitely uninterested in body-surfing on the surface.
“It’s a different game. This morning was only the second time we played on turf -- not saying that’s why we lost -- but thankfully we adjusted,” Fregoso said. “We weren’t connecting passes and instead of dictating play with possession, we were chasing (St. Charles) North (in the pool finale). That’s not what we’re used to doing.”
As the runnerup in the group, the Lions had to battle the opposing group winner Naperville North in the semifinals.
“In many respects, they were the toughest opponent. So I told our guys we really needed to get an early goal,” Fregoso noted.
Ten minutes in, Lucas Huneryager played a ball into space leading to the first of two Teddy Atseff goals and a 2-1 win.
“Lucas was at midfield and placed his pass into a little gap between the center backs, so I just had to do a toe-poke,” Atseff said. “I think the second goal was a huge boost to our confidence. We really knew then we could play better (on that surface). I did a quick one-two with Mario and was able to just run onto the ball for an easy goal.”
Even though the Huskies (13-2-4) narrowed the gap before halftime, the Lions’ confidence didn’t diminish.
“Being up 2-0, I actually thought we were closer to a third goal than they were to their first,” Fregoso said. “But our defense really stepped up in the second half. So much stronger than the first game, that made everything better. They were solid and their decision-making was much improved.”
The victory over the Huskies clearly fueled the Lions to an aggressive start in the championship match. Atseff forced St. Charles East starting keeper Joshua Kennedy into making a challenging save before Saucedo cranked an attempt. Michael Duncan contributed a go, before Saucedo converted from a tough angle to the right -- the blast slipped between keeper and post.
“The ball landed right to me, and I worked a one-two with Zach (Schierl) and I tried to go back post,” Saucedo said. “Seeing it in the net felt super amazing. I believed we’d win, but I wasn’t counting on my goal being the difference.”
St. Charles North’s administration let game officials and both coaches know during intermission that a rain system was approaching.
Within a minute of the restart, the initial drops turned into the kind of wind-driven rain that added a chill factor.
“At the end, I think both teams were playing on adrenaline. I was pleasantly surprised at how determined our guys were,” Fregoso noted. “While the conditions were extremely tough, I think playing for something like a trophy made the winning greater.”
Last season, Naperville North edged the Saints in a shootout for the championship. In 2015 St. Charles East won via a shootout after the Huskies won in 2014.
“We were happy to get to the finals again,” St. Charles East coach Wes Akers said. “Having played Lyons to a 1-1 tie earlier, we believed we could compete for the title again even if other schools had better-looking records. All season long we’ve split halves with Kennedy starting and (Jack) Settle taking over. They did a great job again, and I’m proud of all the guys."
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Connor Bearman
SW Luke Brenner
D Ryan Fitzpatrick
D Michael Duncan
D Nicholas Murphy
D Rory McClean
M Lucas Huneryager
M Braden Rice
M Teddy Atseff
F Michael Duncan
F Mario Saucedo
St. Charles East
GK Joshua Kennedy
D Gerald Manzella
D Ryne Champine
D Peter Rapson
D Nel Rangel Diaz
M Myles Hamilton
M Tyler Filbert
M Christian Pinto
M Ryan Gerkin
M Connor O’Keefe
F Renato Avendano
Game summary
Lyons 1, St. Charles East 0
Lyons 1 0 ---- 1 17-1-2
St. Charles Ea 0 0 ---- 0 10-3-6
Scoring
First half
Lyons – Saucedo nine-yarder from right off end line (Schierl assist), 8th minute
Shots
Lyons 9 - 13 --- 22
SCE 7 – 2 --- 9
Shots on goal
Lyons 8 – 6 --- 14
SCE 4 – 1 --- 5
Saves
Lyons 5 (Bearman 4/1)
SCE 13 (Kennedy 7/Settle 6)
Corner kicks
Lyons 1 – 2 --- 3
SCE 2 – 0 --- 2
Offsides
Lyons 0 – 0 --- 0
SCE 0 – 0 --- 0
Referees: Juan Dominguez, Joe Wrobleski
Lions absorb 1st loss but win when it matters
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES -- Having a 17-match unbeaten streak snapped, and losing and failing to score for the first time in a season could have been demoralizing for Lyons.
It wasn't.
The Lions rebounded from the pool loss and roared back with two wins to take the seventh annual St. Charles North JV Invitational on Saturday.
The host school topped Lyons 2-0 to win Group B.
With ominous clouds and a threatening forecast leading to a sped-up tourney schedule, Lyons quickly erased the bitter taste of disappointment.
The Lions scored early, added to the lead and then made a one-goal halftime advantage stand up for a 2-1 semifinal victory over Naperville North that delivered a title game berth.
In a a seemingly sideways drenching rain with wind gusts that turned umbrellas inside out, Lyons earned a 1-0 championship victory over St. Charles East.
After the win the Lions celebrated the title and being soaked to the bone by engaging in a contest to see who could slide the furthest on the turf.
“We’ve never won this tourney, so it’s really special,” said Mario Saucedo, whose first half goal became the championship game-winner for the Lions (17-1-2). “It was my second goal, but obviously it feels the best.”
Lyons coach Jose Fregoso was relieved his squad won the eight-school event. But he is nowhere near being a convert to turf and definitely uninterested in body-surfing on the surface.
“It’s a different game. This morning was only the second time we played on turf -- not saying that’s why we lost -- but thankfully we adjusted,” Fregoso said. “We weren’t connecting passes and instead of dictating play with possession, we were chasing (St. Charles) North (in the pool finale). That’s not what we’re used to doing.”
As the runnerup in the group, the Lions had to battle the opposing group winner Naperville North in the semifinals.
“In many respects, they were the toughest opponent. So I told our guys we really needed to get an early goal,” Fregoso noted.
Ten minutes in, Lucas Huneryager played a ball into space leading to the first of two Teddy Atseff goals and a 2-1 win.
“Lucas was at midfield and placed his pass into a little gap between the center backs, so I just had to do a toe-poke,” Atseff said. “I think the second goal was a huge boost to our confidence. We really knew then we could play better (on that surface). I did a quick one-two with Mario and was able to just run onto the ball for an easy goal.”
Even though the Huskies (13-2-4) narrowed the gap before halftime, the Lions’ confidence didn’t diminish.
“Being up 2-0, I actually thought we were closer to a third goal than they were to their first,” Fregoso said. “But our defense really stepped up in the second half. So much stronger than the first game, that made everything better. They were solid and their decision-making was much improved.”
The victory over the Huskies clearly fueled the Lions to an aggressive start in the championship match. Atseff forced St. Charles East starting keeper Joshua Kennedy into making a challenging save before Saucedo cranked an attempt. Michael Duncan contributed a go, before Saucedo converted from a tough angle to the right -- the blast slipped between keeper and post.
“The ball landed right to me, and I worked a one-two with Zach (Schierl) and I tried to go back post,” Saucedo said. “Seeing it in the net felt super amazing. I believed we’d win, but I wasn’t counting on my goal being the difference.”
St. Charles North’s administration let game officials and both coaches know during intermission that a rain system was approaching.
Within a minute of the restart, the initial drops turned into the kind of wind-driven rain that added a chill factor.
“At the end, I think both teams were playing on adrenaline. I was pleasantly surprised at how determined our guys were,” Fregoso noted. “While the conditions were extremely tough, I think playing for something like a trophy made the winning greater.”
Last season, Naperville North edged the Saints in a shootout for the championship. In 2015 St. Charles East won via a shootout after the Huskies won in 2014.
“We were happy to get to the finals again,” St. Charles East coach Wes Akers said. “Having played Lyons to a 1-1 tie earlier, we believed we could compete for the title again even if other schools had better-looking records. All season long we’ve split halves with Kennedy starting and (Jack) Settle taking over. They did a great job again, and I’m proud of all the guys."
Starting lineups
Lyons
GK Connor Bearman
SW Luke Brenner
D Ryan Fitzpatrick
D Michael Duncan
D Nicholas Murphy
D Rory McClean
M Lucas Huneryager
M Braden Rice
M Teddy Atseff
F Michael Duncan
F Mario Saucedo
St. Charles East
GK Joshua Kennedy
D Gerald Manzella
D Ryne Champine
D Peter Rapson
D Nel Rangel Diaz
M Myles Hamilton
M Tyler Filbert
M Christian Pinto
M Ryan Gerkin
M Connor O’Keefe
F Renato Avendano
Game summary
Lyons 1, St. Charles East 0
Lyons 1 0 ---- 1 17-1-2
St. Charles Ea 0 0 ---- 0 10-3-6
Scoring
First half
Lyons – Saucedo nine-yarder from right off end line (Schierl assist), 8th minute
Shots
Lyons 9 - 13 --- 22
SCE 7 – 2 --- 9
Shots on goal
Lyons 8 – 6 --- 14
SCE 4 – 1 --- 5
Saves
Lyons 5 (Bearman 4/1)
SCE 13 (Kennedy 7/Settle 6)
Corner kicks
Lyons 1 – 2 --- 3
SCE 2 – 0 --- 2
Offsides
Lyons 0 – 0 --- 0
SCE 0 – 0 --- 0
Referees: Juan Dominguez, Joe Wrobleski