Weaver, New Trier top Lyons
to end on high note
Junior finishes with 33 goals, leads Trevians to 3rd place
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Two teams with nothing else to prove dug deep to find one final ecstatic touch to a thrilling season.
Consolation games are never an easy affair, from any angle. New Trier and Lyons put every fiber of their being on the line the night before, losing wrenchingly close state semifinal games.
Lyons held a lead against eventual state champion Naperville North only to watch the Huskies equalize before prevailing in a shootout. New Trier created a beautiful late scoring moment to tie Barrington only to surrender a late goal.
Lyons played 100 minutes of painstaking soccer. New Trier nearly matched that. Their fates summarized the wonder and harshness of the Final Four. Just making it is tough enough. Being deprived of a chance to play for a state title is something else entirely.
“There is no question how difficult is to bounce back and play the next day after you give it everything you’ve got,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Those emotions drain you.”
To their credit, New Trier and Lyons did not simply go through the motions. They played with heart and conviction, even if their legs did not always match the ambitions of their ideas.
“I feel like, we have the expectations of having the chance to play in the first place game, but this is still amazing to play in this game at the state finals,” New Trier star junior Emma Weaver said.
“It’s different, but I am proud of my team.”
Weaver put on the finishing touches to one of the greatest individual seasons in memory as she scored two highlight reel goals in leading the Trevians past Lyons 2-0 in the Class 3A third place game Saturday at North Central College.
Senior keeper Meghan Dwyer, who was limited to 19 games from consequences of a concussion, registered four saves as New Trier (22-3-5) registered its 17th shutout of the year.
Weaver is so great she tends to annihilate every other storyline involving the Trevians. Her deft body control and ability to generate pressure, stop on a dime, and create space to launch her shots, is something to behold. From about the 12th minute on, New Trier clearly established a superior level of play and greater pace and flow.
Lyons keeper Cara Perez kept the Lions in the game with 10 saves. Senior free kick specialist Heidi Bianucci twice hit the post, once on a long free kick and another time in the run of play.
Weaver was also dynamic.
“I thought we started off strong, but then they were all over us,” Lanspeary said.
Weaver broke through in the 24th minute. She circled around a ball pushed off a deflection to the left edge. She made a brilliant hesitation move and blasted the shot from the left wing from about 28 yards for a textbook goal.
For her accomplishments, Emma Weaver was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
New Trier maintained its torrid pressure and hard run. Perez made three standout saves. The game appeared headed to the break with the one-goal New Trier advantage. Weaver changed that calculus.
On a free kick from 38 yards, Weaver blasted a perfect arcing ball that floated beyond the reach of Perez and just under the crossbar for a spectacular goal.
It would be her last of the season and what a season it was. Naperville North coach Steve Goletz and Barrington coach Ryan Stengren called her the state’s best player. Weaver finished with 33 goals and 13 assists. The rest of the Trevians combined had 35 goals.
The Villanova recruit finished the season with 79 points. Her play in the state tournament was nothing short of astonishing.
She scored two goals against rival Glenbrook South in the 3-2 victory in the sectional championship, including a stunning 35-yard free kick for the game-winner. She had a goal and assist in the Trevians’ 2-0 victory over Stevenson in the supersectional, personally avenging one of the Trevians’ two losses during the regular season.
Weaver scored all three of the Trevians’ goals in the state finals.
The Barrington loss snapped a streak of five-consecutive state title appearances. New Trier won three-consecutive state titles from 2014 to 2016 and lost in penalty kick shootouts against Barrington the last two years.
That team pedigree has made the Trevians the program against which the rest of the state is judged. At the start of the year, New Trier was an open text, a team with more questions than answers.
“I think most people did not expect us to get here,” Weaver said. “We lost a lot of great seniors from last year. I think this season just shows how we are a young team. But we are also one that is ready to work.
“It just shows how we exceeded the expectations.”
The state finals are also about understanding context and larger meaning. The state tournament affirmed the known, that the three programs of the highest order are New Trier, Barrington and Naperville North.
Those three schools have now combined for the last eight large school state titles since 2012.
Those three schools also returned from the state semifinal qualifiers of a year ago (Lyons beat Andrew, last year’s fourth place finisher in the supersectional.) The state finals also affirmed the value and importance of the two toughest in-season tournaments: the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic and the Naperville Invitational.
New Trier, Lyons and Naperville North participated in both tournaments. Barrington played only the Naperville Invitational.
New Trier defeated Lyons 2-1 in double overtime on April 13.
“You are getting quality teams in those tournaments and quality teams want to play quality teams,” Lanspeary said. “They are fun tournaments, and they are games the kids love playing in.”
Lyons (18-4-1) has been a team on the verge. In 2014, the Lions lost in the supersectional. In 2017 and 2018, they lost on penalty kicks against rival Downers Grove North in the sectional final.
Behind the singular play of all-state midfielder Eileen Murphy (22 goals), the Lions finally broke through. Even as the players coped with the sting of the narrow loss against Naperville North, they had the presence to understand the larger picture.
“It is really exciting to put our program back on the map at the state level and be the first team to get back here in 12 years,” senior defender Bri Stirrat said. “Even though we made fourth, this has been an exciting moment and an amazing feeling.”
The second Weaver goal also nullified some strong play from the Lions in the final stretch of the first half. Murphy was dangerous as usual on some corners, with sophomore specialist Ava Davallo executing some deft service balls.
Senior forward Elaina Sims nearly broke free for a one-on-one against Dwyer in the 37th minute, only for the ball to take a berserk angle. After playing 100 minutes against Naperville North on Friday, Lyons played on pure emotion.
“It was heartbreaking to lose on penalty kicks, especially in the state tournament, but we are very close, and we have the kind of team where everybody is always looking to pick somebody up after a tough loss,” Stirrat said.
Only two teams (New Trier and Naperville North) beat Lyons this year.
“This was a special group,” Lanspeary said. “To get here takes a special group on and off the field. They were a lot of fun to be around. I am very proud of this group. They had experienced the sectional final disappointments the last couple of years, and they really wanted to get over the hump.”
In 2006, Lyons finished fourth in the Class AA state tournament. The next year -- Lanspeary’s first as the head coach -- the Lions lost in a state quarterfinal. Despite the two wrenching defeats, this was a long time coming.
The players enjoyed the moment.
“In the beginning of the season, we did not really have our back four figured out,” Stirrat said. “Once we did we had such consistent players, especially players like Grace [Truax]. We had very good players and they stepped up.”
Twelve is the magic number for legendary New Trier coach Jim Burnside. That is his career number for state trophies. He has now won six state championships and finished second and third three times each.
“We were playing our best soccer at the end of the season,” Burnside said. “A lot of that has to do with how inexperienced we were at the start of the season. These kids were sponges. They learned, and they listened.”
Senior midfielder Lily Conley matched Weaver’s assist total with 13. She also scored six goals, the second-best mark on the team. A four-year starter, she played in three state championship games and a third-place game.
She was a crucial component of the past powerhouse programs and a closing note of near perfection on a season where the Trevians showed rapid and sustained improvement.
“Coming in, everybody was just beat up and tired after the Barrington game,” Conley said. “It was hard to get motivated to play in this game when you want to be in the first and second place game. I am really happy with how we finished our season and came out and played our hardest.
“The game was not for first [place], but we ended our season with a win. I am very happy to end my career with this team and our coaches. We were a little disappointed after last night, but we have to look at the bright side.
“We got third in the state -- that’s pretty good.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Heidi Bianucci
D: Jenna Birdsell
D: Josie Crumley
D: Ava Shah
MF: Lily Conley
MF: Kate Sawdey
MF: Emma Weaver
MF: Julia Goldish
F: Fallon Warshauer
F: Lilly Frentzel
Lyons
GK: Cara Perez
D: Lizzy Vear
D: Grace Truax
D: Lily Mattern
D: Bri Stirrat
MF: Linnea Nelson-Sandall
MF: Eileen Murphy
MF: Meara Hilling
F: Ava Davallo
F: Izzy Alvarado
F: Georgia Dougherty
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, jr., MF, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier: Emma Weaver (unassisted), 24th minute
New Trier: Weaver (free kick), 39th minute
Second half
No scoring
to end on high note
Junior finishes with 33 goals, leads Trevians to 3rd place
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Two teams with nothing else to prove dug deep to find one final ecstatic touch to a thrilling season.
Consolation games are never an easy affair, from any angle. New Trier and Lyons put every fiber of their being on the line the night before, losing wrenchingly close state semifinal games.
Lyons held a lead against eventual state champion Naperville North only to watch the Huskies equalize before prevailing in a shootout. New Trier created a beautiful late scoring moment to tie Barrington only to surrender a late goal.
Lyons played 100 minutes of painstaking soccer. New Trier nearly matched that. Their fates summarized the wonder and harshness of the Final Four. Just making it is tough enough. Being deprived of a chance to play for a state title is something else entirely.
“There is no question how difficult is to bounce back and play the next day after you give it everything you’ve got,” Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. “Those emotions drain you.”
To their credit, New Trier and Lyons did not simply go through the motions. They played with heart and conviction, even if their legs did not always match the ambitions of their ideas.
“I feel like, we have the expectations of having the chance to play in the first place game, but this is still amazing to play in this game at the state finals,” New Trier star junior Emma Weaver said.
“It’s different, but I am proud of my team.”
Weaver put on the finishing touches to one of the greatest individual seasons in memory as she scored two highlight reel goals in leading the Trevians past Lyons 2-0 in the Class 3A third place game Saturday at North Central College.
Senior keeper Meghan Dwyer, who was limited to 19 games from consequences of a concussion, registered four saves as New Trier (22-3-5) registered its 17th shutout of the year.
Weaver is so great she tends to annihilate every other storyline involving the Trevians. Her deft body control and ability to generate pressure, stop on a dime, and create space to launch her shots, is something to behold. From about the 12th minute on, New Trier clearly established a superior level of play and greater pace and flow.
Lyons keeper Cara Perez kept the Lions in the game with 10 saves. Senior free kick specialist Heidi Bianucci twice hit the post, once on a long free kick and another time in the run of play.
Weaver was also dynamic.
“I thought we started off strong, but then they were all over us,” Lanspeary said.
Weaver broke through in the 24th minute. She circled around a ball pushed off a deflection to the left edge. She made a brilliant hesitation move and blasted the shot from the left wing from about 28 yards for a textbook goal.
For her accomplishments, Emma Weaver was named the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
New Trier maintained its torrid pressure and hard run. Perez made three standout saves. The game appeared headed to the break with the one-goal New Trier advantage. Weaver changed that calculus.
On a free kick from 38 yards, Weaver blasted a perfect arcing ball that floated beyond the reach of Perez and just under the crossbar for a spectacular goal.
It would be her last of the season and what a season it was. Naperville North coach Steve Goletz and Barrington coach Ryan Stengren called her the state’s best player. Weaver finished with 33 goals and 13 assists. The rest of the Trevians combined had 35 goals.
The Villanova recruit finished the season with 79 points. Her play in the state tournament was nothing short of astonishing.
She scored two goals against rival Glenbrook South in the 3-2 victory in the sectional championship, including a stunning 35-yard free kick for the game-winner. She had a goal and assist in the Trevians’ 2-0 victory over Stevenson in the supersectional, personally avenging one of the Trevians’ two losses during the regular season.
Weaver scored all three of the Trevians’ goals in the state finals.
The Barrington loss snapped a streak of five-consecutive state title appearances. New Trier won three-consecutive state titles from 2014 to 2016 and lost in penalty kick shootouts against Barrington the last two years.
That team pedigree has made the Trevians the program against which the rest of the state is judged. At the start of the year, New Trier was an open text, a team with more questions than answers.
“I think most people did not expect us to get here,” Weaver said. “We lost a lot of great seniors from last year. I think this season just shows how we are a young team. But we are also one that is ready to work.
“It just shows how we exceeded the expectations.”
The state finals are also about understanding context and larger meaning. The state tournament affirmed the known, that the three programs of the highest order are New Trier, Barrington and Naperville North.
Those three schools have now combined for the last eight large school state titles since 2012.
Those three schools also returned from the state semifinal qualifiers of a year ago (Lyons beat Andrew, last year’s fourth place finisher in the supersectional.) The state finals also affirmed the value and importance of the two toughest in-season tournaments: the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic and the Naperville Invitational.
New Trier, Lyons and Naperville North participated in both tournaments. Barrington played only the Naperville Invitational.
New Trier defeated Lyons 2-1 in double overtime on April 13.
“You are getting quality teams in those tournaments and quality teams want to play quality teams,” Lanspeary said. “They are fun tournaments, and they are games the kids love playing in.”
Lyons (18-4-1) has been a team on the verge. In 2014, the Lions lost in the supersectional. In 2017 and 2018, they lost on penalty kicks against rival Downers Grove North in the sectional final.
Behind the singular play of all-state midfielder Eileen Murphy (22 goals), the Lions finally broke through. Even as the players coped with the sting of the narrow loss against Naperville North, they had the presence to understand the larger picture.
“It is really exciting to put our program back on the map at the state level and be the first team to get back here in 12 years,” senior defender Bri Stirrat said. “Even though we made fourth, this has been an exciting moment and an amazing feeling.”
The second Weaver goal also nullified some strong play from the Lions in the final stretch of the first half. Murphy was dangerous as usual on some corners, with sophomore specialist Ava Davallo executing some deft service balls.
Senior forward Elaina Sims nearly broke free for a one-on-one against Dwyer in the 37th minute, only for the ball to take a berserk angle. After playing 100 minutes against Naperville North on Friday, Lyons played on pure emotion.
“It was heartbreaking to lose on penalty kicks, especially in the state tournament, but we are very close, and we have the kind of team where everybody is always looking to pick somebody up after a tough loss,” Stirrat said.
Only two teams (New Trier and Naperville North) beat Lyons this year.
“This was a special group,” Lanspeary said. “To get here takes a special group on and off the field. They were a lot of fun to be around. I am very proud of this group. They had experienced the sectional final disappointments the last couple of years, and they really wanted to get over the hump.”
In 2006, Lyons finished fourth in the Class AA state tournament. The next year -- Lanspeary’s first as the head coach -- the Lions lost in a state quarterfinal. Despite the two wrenching defeats, this was a long time coming.
The players enjoyed the moment.
“In the beginning of the season, we did not really have our back four figured out,” Stirrat said. “Once we did we had such consistent players, especially players like Grace [Truax]. We had very good players and they stepped up.”
Twelve is the magic number for legendary New Trier coach Jim Burnside. That is his career number for state trophies. He has now won six state championships and finished second and third three times each.
“We were playing our best soccer at the end of the season,” Burnside said. “A lot of that has to do with how inexperienced we were at the start of the season. These kids were sponges. They learned, and they listened.”
Senior midfielder Lily Conley matched Weaver’s assist total with 13. She also scored six goals, the second-best mark on the team. A four-year starter, she played in three state championship games and a third-place game.
She was a crucial component of the past powerhouse programs and a closing note of near perfection on a season where the Trevians showed rapid and sustained improvement.
“Coming in, everybody was just beat up and tired after the Barrington game,” Conley said. “It was hard to get motivated to play in this game when you want to be in the first and second place game. I am really happy with how we finished our season and came out and played our hardest.
“The game was not for first [place], but we ended our season with a win. I am very happy to end my career with this team and our coaches. We were a little disappointed after last night, but we have to look at the bright side.
“We got third in the state -- that’s pretty good.”
Starting lineups
New Trier
GK: Meghan Dwyer
D: Heidi Bianucci
D: Jenna Birdsell
D: Josie Crumley
D: Ava Shah
MF: Lily Conley
MF: Kate Sawdey
MF: Emma Weaver
MF: Julia Goldish
F: Fallon Warshauer
F: Lilly Frentzel
Lyons
GK: Cara Perez
D: Lizzy Vear
D: Grace Truax
D: Lily Mattern
D: Bri Stirrat
MF: Linnea Nelson-Sandall
MF: Eileen Murphy
MF: Meara Hilling
F: Ava Davallo
F: Izzy Alvarado
F: Georgia Dougherty
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Emma Weaver, jr., MF, New Trier
Scoring summary
First half
New Trier: Emma Weaver (unassisted), 24th minute
New Trier: Weaver (free kick), 39th minute
Second half
No scoring