Lane breaks out of the doldrums
Grace Dunaway leads no. 23 Indians in rout of Northside
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Grace Dunaway was lean and hungry. She also had a chip on her shoulder.
An all-state player, Dunaway is the face of a program that embodies promise and shoulders larger expectations. She was anxious for Lane to assume the dominant veneer, the logical pattern of a team with 10 returning starters. After two games, the Indians suffered a one-sided shutout loss to power Loyola and a draw with Downers Grove South.
The combination of Dunaway’s state of being, anxiousness mixed with a readiness to unleash her team’s full capabilities, was fully on view as Lane opened defense of its conference title. Northside caught the brunt of the wave.
With Dunaway as instigator, Lane played with a higher level of intensity, engagement and sense of purpose. Twice in the opening minutes, Dunaway broke free in the Mustangs’ backline, bearing down on freshman keeper Isabel Hopson. The nervy young keeper held her ground and twice denied Dunaway at the point of attack.
But the message was sent.
“We finally saw the outcome we were looking for,” Dunaway said.
Dunaway registered the opening goal and followed with a dazzling assist to midfielder Johanna Bozic as the no. 23 Indians erupted for all of their scoring during a staggering 17-minute first half blitz as Lane thrashed Northside 7-0 Wednesday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
Six different players scored for the Indians (1-1-1, 1-0-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division).
“We saw a lot of progress,” Dunaway said. “Preseason was a little rocky, and the first couple of games were not how we wanted to start out. But today we were all better. We are all 100 percent (healthy), and we are excited to move into our next games of the season.”
Dunaway earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her superb play. In one mesmerizing stretch, Lane scored four goals in four minutes.
“I think one goal definitely leads to the next,” Dunaway said. “Our team definitely builds on that momentum. Everybody had the attitude today that it was our game. We know we are able to continue to score and be successful. We were the city champions last year, and we want to come (back) with the same strength and prove to everybody we are still in it to win it.”
After early back and forth, Dunaway started the onslaught in the seventh minute when she recovered a ball and blasted a shot from the left edge inside the far post from about 14 yards. Whatever jangled nerves Lane had shown in its uneven play to begin the year, Dunaway was the calming presence.
“The team that you saw out there today, we’ve been playing together for years, and it is great to finally see the team get the outcome we are looking for,” she said.
The early struggles were magnified by injuries to several key players. Senior defender Izzy Oganovich, arguably the team’s best two-way player, started and revealed her versatile skill set. She missed most of the Loyola game. She’s a physical and dynamic defender who also has the ability to move to the middle as a newfangled hybrid player who bolsters the middle of the attack.
Oganovich underscored her tremendous value by contributing to the next two goals. In the 13th minute, she fired a long throw-in down the left sideline. Dunaway controlled the ball and slotted a beautiful cross that Bozic finished with a sharp one-touch.
Less than a minute later, Oganovich drove the ball down the left edge and fired another textbook pass that Bozic got on the end of for another impressive goal. The game was now decisively in the Indians’ favor.
Northside (2-3-0, 0-2-0) got flattened. The Mustangs have long been a program to watch under the development of coach Robert Albritton. Four years ago, Northside reached a Class AA supersectional. They had a run of qualifying for the city’s final four five-consecutive years.
But Lane took off from its early success, and Northside appeared to collapse.
“It was rough,” Albritton said. “In my 14 years, I’ve never given up seven in a half like that. At this point in the season we’re just not mentally tough. We got beat all over the field to the ball. We have great players. I think I have really talented, skilled players. We just weren’t matching their level of intensity and then we folded.
“We let that first goal in, and then five minutes, two, three and four came in.”
The Mustangs have a history of standout individuals, like Sarah Mullens, who scored 32 goals and earned Chicagoland Soccer all-state recognition two years ago. Senior forward Rebecca Skipper is the team’s brightest light. Physical, tough and creative in space, Skipper did everything imaginable to give the Mustangs some semblance of hope.
Returning from her second surgery to repair a torn ACL, Skipper showed grace and toughness in trying to mount any kind of counterattack to slow the Indians’ burst. Abbie Smith, a junior midfielder, was the only other Northside player capable of matching the physical abilities of the Lane players.
“They had the momentum, and I didn’t feel that we stayed on our marks very well,” Skipper said. “They have some good players, and they were able to keep it together and get those passes. We are a newer team, and we need to work on our positioning better.”
Lane senior Jazzmin Jordan scored a goal and recorded two assists. She also replaced starting keeper Maggie Grossman in the abbreviated second half. Lane showed a bit of everything. The one-sided scored allowed coach Michelle Vale to experiment with a lot of different lineups. Senior Kinuko Mrozik scored a goal and contributed an assist. Junior defender Alana Coffman added a goal and assist. Lane also showed its future with freshman midfielder Lisa Rios scoring her first high school goal.
“I liked that my team was playing as a unit,” Vale said. “They looked like a cohesive group. They were talking to each other, moving the ball across the field, and they were putting into use what we’ve have been practicing. It was great to see them obtain possession and build an attack from the back. It’s wonderful when they are willing to take on a role they’re not used to.
“We coached them through scenarios that were new, and they rose to that challenge.”
After another potential statement game at no. 15 Deerfield on Saturday, the Indians look to further heal during their spring break. The Northside game was already a memory, but it lit a spark.
“I definitely feel spring break could not have come at a better time,” Vale said. “Our kids are not only very talented, but they’re smart kids who are involved in extracurricular activities. As much as that feeds them mentally and gets them involved in their community, it helps to have some downtime and not have to deal with the pressures of school and the demands of everything.
“At the beginning, during training and our tryouts, we were already beat up. But now we are coming together. The game today allowed us to regain the confidence that suffered a blow with our initial (Loyola) loss. Moving forward, we need to harness that energy and put it to use.”
Starting lineups
Northside
GK: Isabel Hopson
D: Adriana De Santiago
D: Claire Boyle
D: Paolo Macias
D: Sarah Papirnik
MF: Megan Sobolewski
MF: Arly Escamilla
MF: Alicja Ramotowski
MF: Abbie Smith
MF: Catherine DeVarenne
F: Rebecca Skipper
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Izzy Oganovich
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
MF: Carlye Makuch
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Ayser Guvener
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Dunaway, jr., F, Lane
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Grace Dunaway (Carlye Makuch), seventh minute
Lane—Johanna Bozic (Dunaway), 13th minute
Lane—Bozic (Izzy Oganovich), 14th minute
Lane—Jazzmin Jordan (Sydney Varga), 14th minute
Lane—Alana Coffman (Jordan), 17th minute
Lane—Lisa Rios (Kinuko Mrozik), 22nd minute
Lane—Mrozik (Jordan), 24th minute
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Dunaway, Lane, jr., F
Grace Dunaway leads no. 23 Indians in rout of Northside
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- Grace Dunaway was lean and hungry. She also had a chip on her shoulder.
An all-state player, Dunaway is the face of a program that embodies promise and shoulders larger expectations. She was anxious for Lane to assume the dominant veneer, the logical pattern of a team with 10 returning starters. After two games, the Indians suffered a one-sided shutout loss to power Loyola and a draw with Downers Grove South.
The combination of Dunaway’s state of being, anxiousness mixed with a readiness to unleash her team’s full capabilities, was fully on view as Lane opened defense of its conference title. Northside caught the brunt of the wave.
With Dunaway as instigator, Lane played with a higher level of intensity, engagement and sense of purpose. Twice in the opening minutes, Dunaway broke free in the Mustangs’ backline, bearing down on freshman keeper Isabel Hopson. The nervy young keeper held her ground and twice denied Dunaway at the point of attack.
But the message was sent.
“We finally saw the outcome we were looking for,” Dunaway said.
Dunaway registered the opening goal and followed with a dazzling assist to midfielder Johanna Bozic as the no. 23 Indians erupted for all of their scoring during a staggering 17-minute first half blitz as Lane thrashed Northside 7-0 Wednesday afternoon at Lane Stadium.
Six different players scored for the Indians (1-1-1, 1-0-0 Chicago Public League Premier Division).
“We saw a lot of progress,” Dunaway said. “Preseason was a little rocky, and the first couple of games were not how we wanted to start out. But today we were all better. We are all 100 percent (healthy), and we are excited to move into our next games of the season.”
Dunaway earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her superb play. In one mesmerizing stretch, Lane scored four goals in four minutes.
“I think one goal definitely leads to the next,” Dunaway said. “Our team definitely builds on that momentum. Everybody had the attitude today that it was our game. We know we are able to continue to score and be successful. We were the city champions last year, and we want to come (back) with the same strength and prove to everybody we are still in it to win it.”
After early back and forth, Dunaway started the onslaught in the seventh minute when she recovered a ball and blasted a shot from the left edge inside the far post from about 14 yards. Whatever jangled nerves Lane had shown in its uneven play to begin the year, Dunaway was the calming presence.
“The team that you saw out there today, we’ve been playing together for years, and it is great to finally see the team get the outcome we are looking for,” she said.
The early struggles were magnified by injuries to several key players. Senior defender Izzy Oganovich, arguably the team’s best two-way player, started and revealed her versatile skill set. She missed most of the Loyola game. She’s a physical and dynamic defender who also has the ability to move to the middle as a newfangled hybrid player who bolsters the middle of the attack.
Oganovich underscored her tremendous value by contributing to the next two goals. In the 13th minute, she fired a long throw-in down the left sideline. Dunaway controlled the ball and slotted a beautiful cross that Bozic finished with a sharp one-touch.
Less than a minute later, Oganovich drove the ball down the left edge and fired another textbook pass that Bozic got on the end of for another impressive goal. The game was now decisively in the Indians’ favor.
Northside (2-3-0, 0-2-0) got flattened. The Mustangs have long been a program to watch under the development of coach Robert Albritton. Four years ago, Northside reached a Class AA supersectional. They had a run of qualifying for the city’s final four five-consecutive years.
But Lane took off from its early success, and Northside appeared to collapse.
“It was rough,” Albritton said. “In my 14 years, I’ve never given up seven in a half like that. At this point in the season we’re just not mentally tough. We got beat all over the field to the ball. We have great players. I think I have really talented, skilled players. We just weren’t matching their level of intensity and then we folded.
“We let that first goal in, and then five minutes, two, three and four came in.”
The Mustangs have a history of standout individuals, like Sarah Mullens, who scored 32 goals and earned Chicagoland Soccer all-state recognition two years ago. Senior forward Rebecca Skipper is the team’s brightest light. Physical, tough and creative in space, Skipper did everything imaginable to give the Mustangs some semblance of hope.
Returning from her second surgery to repair a torn ACL, Skipper showed grace and toughness in trying to mount any kind of counterattack to slow the Indians’ burst. Abbie Smith, a junior midfielder, was the only other Northside player capable of matching the physical abilities of the Lane players.
“They had the momentum, and I didn’t feel that we stayed on our marks very well,” Skipper said. “They have some good players, and they were able to keep it together and get those passes. We are a newer team, and we need to work on our positioning better.”
Lane senior Jazzmin Jordan scored a goal and recorded two assists. She also replaced starting keeper Maggie Grossman in the abbreviated second half. Lane showed a bit of everything. The one-sided scored allowed coach Michelle Vale to experiment with a lot of different lineups. Senior Kinuko Mrozik scored a goal and contributed an assist. Junior defender Alana Coffman added a goal and assist. Lane also showed its future with freshman midfielder Lisa Rios scoring her first high school goal.
“I liked that my team was playing as a unit,” Vale said. “They looked like a cohesive group. They were talking to each other, moving the ball across the field, and they were putting into use what we’ve have been practicing. It was great to see them obtain possession and build an attack from the back. It’s wonderful when they are willing to take on a role they’re not used to.
“We coached them through scenarios that were new, and they rose to that challenge.”
After another potential statement game at no. 15 Deerfield on Saturday, the Indians look to further heal during their spring break. The Northside game was already a memory, but it lit a spark.
“I definitely feel spring break could not have come at a better time,” Vale said. “Our kids are not only very talented, but they’re smart kids who are involved in extracurricular activities. As much as that feeds them mentally and gets them involved in their community, it helps to have some downtime and not have to deal with the pressures of school and the demands of everything.
“At the beginning, during training and our tryouts, we were already beat up. But now we are coming together. The game today allowed us to regain the confidence that suffered a blow with our initial (Loyola) loss. Moving forward, we need to harness that energy and put it to use.”
Starting lineups
Northside
GK: Isabel Hopson
D: Adriana De Santiago
D: Claire Boyle
D: Paolo Macias
D: Sarah Papirnik
MF: Megan Sobolewski
MF: Arly Escamilla
MF: Alicja Ramotowski
MF: Abbie Smith
MF: Catherine DeVarenne
F: Rebecca Skipper
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Samantha Sorich
D: Zehra Halilic
D: Izzy Oganovich
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
MF: Carlye Makuch
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Ayser Guvener
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Dunaway, jr., F, Lane
Scoring summary
First half
Lane—Grace Dunaway (Carlye Makuch), seventh minute
Lane—Johanna Bozic (Dunaway), 13th minute
Lane—Bozic (Izzy Oganovich), 14th minute
Lane—Jazzmin Jordan (Sydney Varga), 14th minute
Lane—Alana Coffman (Jordan), 17th minute
Lane—Lisa Rios (Kinuko Mrozik), 22nd minute
Lane—Mrozik (Jordan), 24th minute
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Grace Dunaway, Lane, jr., F