Lemont starts May in style, tops Reavis
2 goals in opening 8 minutes start Indians rolling to 6-0 win
By Dave Owen
BURBANK – With state semifinal appearances in five of the last nine years, Lemont has typically produced its finest hours in the month of May.
Wednesday at Reavis, the Indians (14-4-1, 7-0-0 in the South Suburban Conference Blue Division) only needed minutes to reach peak performance.
Goals by Erin Crispo and Katie Knutte in the first 7:51 of the match set the tone as Lemont rolled to a very impressive 6-0 win over the Rams (11-6-2, 4-2-2).
“Early on we really got after it,” said Lemont junior Danielle Irwin, who had a goal and assist in the win. “We thought we were better, so we wanted to show them that we could show up with our skill and talent that we’ve carried on this whole year.
“It went from the backs to the forwards, and we all worked together as a collective unit.”
In the third minute, that teamwork paid off for a quick 1-0 lead.
Irwin’s nice send from the midfield hit Crispo in on left wing, whose low liner inside the left post gave the lead to Lemont, which is ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“Going into this game we really needed the mentality of starting right out strong from the get-go and just working hard the entire game,” said Crispo. “The first goal really set the tone of the game, and motivated us to score more and put the game away.”
On a day of Lemont offensive stars, Crispo’s big early strike and continued role earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“In the first half the thing I was most happy with was, on Erin Crispo’s first chance she has to finish a goal, she finishes it,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “That sets the table for us right away.
“We were talking about being a little more efficient in the final third of the field, and we were talking to her about finishing chances early on, and she does it. That was great.”
Crispo was again a major catalyst on Lemont’s second goal, which came with still 32:09 left in the first half.
The junior forward drew two defenders with her possession at the upper left corner of the box. She then sent a pass to Victoria Silvar rushing in on the left end line. Silvar’s ensuing cross to the back post found Knutte for a wide-open putaway and a 2-0 lead.
“Hats off to those guys,” Reavis coach Jeff Grider said of Lemont. “A lot of teams can play good soccer, but they have the blue collar in them too.
“They’re feisty, ferocious. They win 50-50s; they do the dirty work, and they can play pretty. That’s a dangerous combination. That is a defining factor when you play really good teams. They worked hard.”
Lemont’s complete domination of winning 50-50 balls was one of the defining themes of the day.
With Reavis starting goalkeeper Diana Gonzalez sidelined by injury, junior Abygail Unzeuta has heroically stepped in despite battling her own season-long knee injury.
“She just came back and was able to play the next day after Diana got hurt,” Grider said.
“Aby’s a heck of a story. She hadn’t played a lick of goalie, our starting goalie has been hurt, so she stepped in and has been really good. For someone who had never played there before, you never would know. She just has that mentality.”
Unfortunately for Reavis, Unzeuta’s balky knee has kept her from taking goal kicks. And with a Rams field player playing that role, Lemont’s already solid knack for 50-50 wins became even more imposing.
“Once Diana is back she can take (goal kicks), but the girl taking them now is the one that could be (upfield) winning them,” Grider said.
“It’s hard when you get stuck in a loop where they’re winning the ball and attack; we goal kick and they win it and attack. I was yelling ‘We have to win the 50s and get out.’
“And when we were able to get out, it was OK. But we have to get better at winning the ball.”
Lemont’s talents and maximum effort made those wins very hard Wednesday.
“I think winning 50-50 balls is really important, because it sets the tone of the work rate for the team,” Crispo said. “And also once you win the ball, you just go forward from there.”
Lemont was constantly pushing forward. Up 2-0 in the ninth minute, an Irwin pass sprung Crispo for a left side run and shot that Unzeuta nicely saved at the left post.
A block by Reavis’ Alyssa Froylan denied a Michaela Egan shot in the box in the 12th minute, then Adriana Patino followed with a 15-yard shot just over the net off an Egan feed in the 15th minute.
Knowing Reavis’ talents coming in, Lemont was razor sharp from start to finish.
“I think playing these teams really encourages us to work harder,” Irwin said. “Games that are less intense we sometimes go down to that level, which isn’t the best tactic. Playing teams like this really motivates us.”
Lemont’s 50-50 wins and waves of offensive pressure provided few chances for Reavis. Striker Litzy Corona’s 25-yard shot was goalkeeper Grace Kucharski’s only save of the first half.
“We just knew that we had to come out here strong,” Lemont senior defender Morgan Hatton said. “We felt like we had to shut them down. We didn’t want them to win any 50-50 balls. We felt we had to win everything in order for them to not even have a chance.”
In the 28th minute, a nice offensive end sideline steal by Reavis’ Cammi Valdez set up a Corona corner kick. But Hutton and Silvar combined to clear that set piece send, and Lemont closed the first half as it started -- on the attack.
With 10:50 until halftime, Unzeuta came off her line to block a Mia Aleman left-side shot. The sequence continued with Crispo angling a right side shot just wide of the left post.
Two minutes later, a 34-yard Egan free kick narrowly missed connection with Irwin sprinting to the left post.
But just as Lemont appeared destined to end the first half up 2-0, the next Egan-to-Irwin set piece connection worked to perfection.
After Aleman’s elusive right-side attack produced a corner kick with 1:07 left in the half, Egan’s ensuing corner send found Irwin for a point-blank back post header and a 3-0 Lemont lead.
“After Erin scored the first one and then we scored another one, I was just motivated to get one too,” Irwin said.
Said Prangen: “The set piece on the third goal was really a well-played ball and a good finish by Dani.”
And as nice as the 3-0 halftime lead was, Prangen felt the best was yet to come.
“To be honest I really liked the way we played in the first 12 to 15 minutes of the second half,” Prangen said. “I think we really played some of our best soccer in that second half portion.
“If you look at the two halves, we scored three goals in each but I thought the play in the second half was much, much better. We were much faster, we were better looking for each other, and we really denied them any time and space on the ball.”
A Trinity Hatton steal 20 yards out on a Reavis attack with 37:40 left was an early defensive stand. Then Lemont’s offense and knack for 50-50 wins kicked in again.
“I thought Katie Knutte kind of set the tempo with that (50-50 wins) in the second half,” Prangen said. “The first two balls played out of the back, she won those right away. It’s amazing how that becomes infectious and everybody wants to start doing it.”
After early second half Crispo chances produced a shot wide right (33:40 to play), a header wide off an Egan corner kick (31:25 left) and a 10-yard liner in front off a Silvar pass (nicely grabbed by Unzeuta with 31 minutes left), the Indians struck again off a set piece.
After a foul, Patino lined home the ensuing straight on 23-yard free kick for a 4-0 lead with 28:52 to go.
A Sophia Villareal pass sprung Crispo for a rush and high 10-yard shot blocked and controlled by Unzeuta with 28:20 to play.
The next rocket came four minutes later and made the lead 5-0.
Silvar punctuated her left-side rush with a drive off the left post that rolled across the crease to Kailey Wasyliw for a rebound putaway.
Finally with 5:32 left, Maggie Knutte’s second effort produced the sixth Lemont goal. After her initial try was cleared from the box by Reavis senior defender Alejandra Rodriguez, Knutte retrieved the loose ball and drove a 22-yard shot inside the left post.
After running into a Lemont team at the top of its game, the Rams remained generally upbeat.
“I feel like in every game whether we win or lose, there’s a lot of positives and negatives,” Reavis co-captain Rodriguez said. “When you play a team that’s this good, we had some really good moments, but we had moments where we fell apart.
“And a team this good is going to capitalize on those moments. They got the opportunity to beat us, but we tried our best and hung in there for at least a little bit.”
Matches against elite foes Lemont and Lyons (on Saturday) will have the Rams tested and ready for the impending playoffs.
“Because we played a really good team,” Rodriguez said, “I think if we just focus on the moments that were positives and apply that to other games, we’ll be able to beat those other teams that maybe aren’t as skilled as them (Lemont).”
Reavis has already showed its resiliency from similar adversity. After losing to Mother McAuley 6-0 in late March, the Rams went 4-0-1 in their next five games.
“It’s just having that big chip on our shoulder, like coach always tells us,” senior co-captain Lily Saenz said.
A pair of only five seniors on the Rams, Saenz and Rodriguez have helped Reavis overcome the downs and turn them into an 11-win season.
“It always helps to pick (teammates’) heads up, and tell them ‘It’s going to be OK,’” Saenz said, “If you want to worry about a bad pass or a mistake that you made, think about it for two seconds and then get it over with and think about the next play that you’re going to make.”
Said Rodriguez: “I think we focus (as senior captains) on picking everyone up, being vocal and just being a good teammate. For the younger players, I think it makes them feel a little more welcome. They’re up here for a reason, so encouraging them really helps them.”
Many Lemont opponents over the years have needed postgame encouragement.
“When you play a team like this,” Grider said, “a lot of times (players) try to look inward and say ‘What could I have done?’ It’s more about the team.
“When you play such a good team, you can see they are 11 girls that all move, and move and rely and depend on each other so much. That’s a problem when you play such a talented opponent. As a competitor you want to be the best you can be, but when the moment comes especially in soccer, it’s such a team positioning game. They just did a great job.”
Lemont was strong for all 80 minutes. A Tiffany Tanev 20-yard shot over the net and Unzeuta’s diving save on a Maggie Knutte left-side drive with 40 seconds left capped a great effort against a top conference foe.
“After a good weekend in Iowa (third place in their bracket), I felt like we came together better,” Morgan Hatton said. “We’re growing together more as a family, and as playoffs come up in the future, I feel like we’re working together really well. We’re talking and we know how to play off of each other.”
And after last year’s third place state finish in Class AA, Lemont isn’t resting on its laurels.
“I think we can look back to last year and acknowledge the accomplishments we had,” Crispo said, “but also it’s a new year. We have to make new accomplishments this year and really focus on working hard in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Sophia Villareal
D: Morgan Hatton
M: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Victoria Silvar
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Reavis
GK: Abygail Unzeuta
D: Alejandra Rodriguez
D: Andy Flores
D: Simone Confederat
D: Jasmin Pascual
M: Alyssa Froylan
M: Nichole Grochola
M: Sandy Garcia
M: Cami Valdez
F: Litzy Corona
F: Lily Saenz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Erin Crispo, jr. F, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
L – Erin Crispo (Danielle Irwin), 3rd minute
L – Katie Knutte (Victoria Silvar), 8th minute
L – Irwin (Michaela Egan), 39th minute
Second half
L – Adriana Patino (free kick), 52nd minute
L – Kailey Wasyliw (rebound), 56th minute
L – Maggie Knutte, 75th minute
2 goals in opening 8 minutes start Indians rolling to 6-0 win
By Dave Owen
BURBANK – With state semifinal appearances in five of the last nine years, Lemont has typically produced its finest hours in the month of May.
Wednesday at Reavis, the Indians (14-4-1, 7-0-0 in the South Suburban Conference Blue Division) only needed minutes to reach peak performance.
Goals by Erin Crispo and Katie Knutte in the first 7:51 of the match set the tone as Lemont rolled to a very impressive 6-0 win over the Rams (11-6-2, 4-2-2).
“Early on we really got after it,” said Lemont junior Danielle Irwin, who had a goal and assist in the win. “We thought we were better, so we wanted to show them that we could show up with our skill and talent that we’ve carried on this whole year.
“It went from the backs to the forwards, and we all worked together as a collective unit.”
In the third minute, that teamwork paid off for a quick 1-0 lead.
Irwin’s nice send from the midfield hit Crispo in on left wing, whose low liner inside the left post gave the lead to Lemont, which is ranked 22nd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“Going into this game we really needed the mentality of starting right out strong from the get-go and just working hard the entire game,” said Crispo. “The first goal really set the tone of the game, and motivated us to score more and put the game away.”
On a day of Lemont offensive stars, Crispo’s big early strike and continued role earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“In the first half the thing I was most happy with was, on Erin Crispo’s first chance she has to finish a goal, she finishes it,” Lemont coach Rick Prangen said. “That sets the table for us right away.
“We were talking about being a little more efficient in the final third of the field, and we were talking to her about finishing chances early on, and she does it. That was great.”
Crispo was again a major catalyst on Lemont’s second goal, which came with still 32:09 left in the first half.
The junior forward drew two defenders with her possession at the upper left corner of the box. She then sent a pass to Victoria Silvar rushing in on the left end line. Silvar’s ensuing cross to the back post found Knutte for a wide-open putaway and a 2-0 lead.
“Hats off to those guys,” Reavis coach Jeff Grider said of Lemont. “A lot of teams can play good soccer, but they have the blue collar in them too.
“They’re feisty, ferocious. They win 50-50s; they do the dirty work, and they can play pretty. That’s a dangerous combination. That is a defining factor when you play really good teams. They worked hard.”
Lemont’s complete domination of winning 50-50 balls was one of the defining themes of the day.
With Reavis starting goalkeeper Diana Gonzalez sidelined by injury, junior Abygail Unzeuta has heroically stepped in despite battling her own season-long knee injury.
“She just came back and was able to play the next day after Diana got hurt,” Grider said.
“Aby’s a heck of a story. She hadn’t played a lick of goalie, our starting goalie has been hurt, so she stepped in and has been really good. For someone who had never played there before, you never would know. She just has that mentality.”
Unfortunately for Reavis, Unzeuta’s balky knee has kept her from taking goal kicks. And with a Rams field player playing that role, Lemont’s already solid knack for 50-50 wins became even more imposing.
“Once Diana is back she can take (goal kicks), but the girl taking them now is the one that could be (upfield) winning them,” Grider said.
“It’s hard when you get stuck in a loop where they’re winning the ball and attack; we goal kick and they win it and attack. I was yelling ‘We have to win the 50s and get out.’
“And when we were able to get out, it was OK. But we have to get better at winning the ball.”
Lemont’s talents and maximum effort made those wins very hard Wednesday.
“I think winning 50-50 balls is really important, because it sets the tone of the work rate for the team,” Crispo said. “And also once you win the ball, you just go forward from there.”
Lemont was constantly pushing forward. Up 2-0 in the ninth minute, an Irwin pass sprung Crispo for a left side run and shot that Unzeuta nicely saved at the left post.
A block by Reavis’ Alyssa Froylan denied a Michaela Egan shot in the box in the 12th minute, then Adriana Patino followed with a 15-yard shot just over the net off an Egan feed in the 15th minute.
Knowing Reavis’ talents coming in, Lemont was razor sharp from start to finish.
“I think playing these teams really encourages us to work harder,” Irwin said. “Games that are less intense we sometimes go down to that level, which isn’t the best tactic. Playing teams like this really motivates us.”
Lemont’s 50-50 wins and waves of offensive pressure provided few chances for Reavis. Striker Litzy Corona’s 25-yard shot was goalkeeper Grace Kucharski’s only save of the first half.
“We just knew that we had to come out here strong,” Lemont senior defender Morgan Hatton said. “We felt like we had to shut them down. We didn’t want them to win any 50-50 balls. We felt we had to win everything in order for them to not even have a chance.”
In the 28th minute, a nice offensive end sideline steal by Reavis’ Cammi Valdez set up a Corona corner kick. But Hutton and Silvar combined to clear that set piece send, and Lemont closed the first half as it started -- on the attack.
With 10:50 until halftime, Unzeuta came off her line to block a Mia Aleman left-side shot. The sequence continued with Crispo angling a right side shot just wide of the left post.
Two minutes later, a 34-yard Egan free kick narrowly missed connection with Irwin sprinting to the left post.
But just as Lemont appeared destined to end the first half up 2-0, the next Egan-to-Irwin set piece connection worked to perfection.
After Aleman’s elusive right-side attack produced a corner kick with 1:07 left in the half, Egan’s ensuing corner send found Irwin for a point-blank back post header and a 3-0 Lemont lead.
“After Erin scored the first one and then we scored another one, I was just motivated to get one too,” Irwin said.
Said Prangen: “The set piece on the third goal was really a well-played ball and a good finish by Dani.”
And as nice as the 3-0 halftime lead was, Prangen felt the best was yet to come.
“To be honest I really liked the way we played in the first 12 to 15 minutes of the second half,” Prangen said. “I think we really played some of our best soccer in that second half portion.
“If you look at the two halves, we scored three goals in each but I thought the play in the second half was much, much better. We were much faster, we were better looking for each other, and we really denied them any time and space on the ball.”
A Trinity Hatton steal 20 yards out on a Reavis attack with 37:40 left was an early defensive stand. Then Lemont’s offense and knack for 50-50 wins kicked in again.
“I thought Katie Knutte kind of set the tempo with that (50-50 wins) in the second half,” Prangen said. “The first two balls played out of the back, she won those right away. It’s amazing how that becomes infectious and everybody wants to start doing it.”
After early second half Crispo chances produced a shot wide right (33:40 to play), a header wide off an Egan corner kick (31:25 left) and a 10-yard liner in front off a Silvar pass (nicely grabbed by Unzeuta with 31 minutes left), the Indians struck again off a set piece.
After a foul, Patino lined home the ensuing straight on 23-yard free kick for a 4-0 lead with 28:52 to go.
A Sophia Villareal pass sprung Crispo for a rush and high 10-yard shot blocked and controlled by Unzeuta with 28:20 to play.
The next rocket came four minutes later and made the lead 5-0.
Silvar punctuated her left-side rush with a drive off the left post that rolled across the crease to Kailey Wasyliw for a rebound putaway.
Finally with 5:32 left, Maggie Knutte’s second effort produced the sixth Lemont goal. After her initial try was cleared from the box by Reavis senior defender Alejandra Rodriguez, Knutte retrieved the loose ball and drove a 22-yard shot inside the left post.
After running into a Lemont team at the top of its game, the Rams remained generally upbeat.
“I feel like in every game whether we win or lose, there’s a lot of positives and negatives,” Reavis co-captain Rodriguez said. “When you play a team that’s this good, we had some really good moments, but we had moments where we fell apart.
“And a team this good is going to capitalize on those moments. They got the opportunity to beat us, but we tried our best and hung in there for at least a little bit.”
Matches against elite foes Lemont and Lyons (on Saturday) will have the Rams tested and ready for the impending playoffs.
“Because we played a really good team,” Rodriguez said, “I think if we just focus on the moments that were positives and apply that to other games, we’ll be able to beat those other teams that maybe aren’t as skilled as them (Lemont).”
Reavis has already showed its resiliency from similar adversity. After losing to Mother McAuley 6-0 in late March, the Rams went 4-0-1 in their next five games.
“It’s just having that big chip on our shoulder, like coach always tells us,” senior co-captain Lily Saenz said.
A pair of only five seniors on the Rams, Saenz and Rodriguez have helped Reavis overcome the downs and turn them into an 11-win season.
“It always helps to pick (teammates’) heads up, and tell them ‘It’s going to be OK,’” Saenz said, “If you want to worry about a bad pass or a mistake that you made, think about it for two seconds and then get it over with and think about the next play that you’re going to make.”
Said Rodriguez: “I think we focus (as senior captains) on picking everyone up, being vocal and just being a good teammate. For the younger players, I think it makes them feel a little more welcome. They’re up here for a reason, so encouraging them really helps them.”
Many Lemont opponents over the years have needed postgame encouragement.
“When you play a team like this,” Grider said, “a lot of times (players) try to look inward and say ‘What could I have done?’ It’s more about the team.
“When you play such a good team, you can see they are 11 girls that all move, and move and rely and depend on each other so much. That’s a problem when you play such a talented opponent. As a competitor you want to be the best you can be, but when the moment comes especially in soccer, it’s such a team positioning game. They just did a great job.”
Lemont was strong for all 80 minutes. A Tiffany Tanev 20-yard shot over the net and Unzeuta’s diving save on a Maggie Knutte left-side drive with 40 seconds left capped a great effort against a top conference foe.
“After a good weekend in Iowa (third place in their bracket), I felt like we came together better,” Morgan Hatton said. “We’re growing together more as a family, and as playoffs come up in the future, I feel like we’re working together really well. We’re talking and we know how to play off of each other.”
And after last year’s third place state finish in Class AA, Lemont isn’t resting on its laurels.
“I think we can look back to last year and acknowledge the accomplishments we had,” Crispo said, “but also it’s a new year. We have to make new accomplishments this year and really focus on working hard in the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Lemont
GK: Grace Kucharski
D: Trinity Hatton
D: Sophia Villareal
D: Morgan Hatton
M: Danielle Irwin
M: Michaela Egan
M: Maddy Counsil
M: Victoria Silvar
M: Adriana Patino
F: Katie Knutte
F: Erin Crispo
Reavis
GK: Abygail Unzeuta
D: Alejandra Rodriguez
D: Andy Flores
D: Simone Confederat
D: Jasmin Pascual
M: Alyssa Froylan
M: Nichole Grochola
M: Sandy Garcia
M: Cami Valdez
F: Litzy Corona
F: Lily Saenz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Erin Crispo, jr. F, Lemont
Scoring summary
First half
L – Erin Crispo (Danielle Irwin), 3rd minute
L – Katie Knutte (Victoria Silvar), 8th minute
L – Irwin (Michaela Egan), 39th minute
Second half
L – Adriana Patino (free kick), 52nd minute
L – Kailey Wasyliw (rebound), 56th minute
L – Maggie Knutte, 75th minute