Season recap: Lane
By Patrick Z. McGavin
On a hot and windy night, the Lane soccer season ended with a 2-1 loss against Elk Grove in a Class 3A Evanston Regional semifinal. The ending was abrupt and unforeseen -- to a player this was a team expecting a deep tournament run.
The format of the state tournament -- which can create matchups with a great deal of unfamiliarity -- provides for shocking moments. Lane was among the first casualties. The Indians entered the state tournament riding a 12-game winning streak and defeated rivals Young and Jones two days apart to capture their third-consecutive city championship.
Leave it to the elder stateswoman of the team -- forward Lena Price-Johnsons, a captain and Lane’s only senior -- for perspective.
“We took the Elk Grove game as a way to look forward toward next season and learn what we need to change so that we can reach the aspirations we had,” Price-Johnson said. “I don’t think the loss diminished any of our accomplishments during the season.”
Observed in full, the season was a remarkable success marred by a unsatisfying end. The team had much worth celebrating. Lane (16-3-3) registered a goal differential of 82-11, posted 16 shutouts and had a remarkable stretch from April 15th to May 11th where it scored 61 unanswered goals. The run stopped at the end of the first half against Jones in the city title game.
Coach Michelle Vale has many lingering remembrances of the season.
“My fondest memories are almost too many to mention, the goals at the beginning of the season, or how I saw them accomplish personal success: Maggie [Grossman] making a key save, or Grace [Dunaway] scoring, or watching Sydney [Varga] scoring in the first game of the [city] championship.
“There were lot of individual achievements of the program I feel very proud of as the coach.”
Lane showcased tremendous depth, versatility and skill despite its youth. Sixteen of the team’s 17 field players scored at least one goal. Eight players recorded five goals or more. Sophomore forward Dunaway emerged as one of the best players in her class by registering a team-high 19 goals.
Price-Johnson recorded nine goals. Junior defender Izzy Oganovich, sophomore midfielder Alana Coffman, sophomore forward Kayla Dutton and the Guvener twins -- junior forwards Ayser and Ayla -- each had six goals.
Sophomore midfielder Sydney Varga and the junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan each had five goals.
Sophomore midfielder Carlye Makuch scored the game-winner in the Indians’ 5-2 victory over Jones in the city title game. She also had two assists that game. Lane had the best of both worlds, interchangeable parts but distinctly individualized players who played with passion, intensity and a sense of connection.
Oganovich, a three-year starter who moved deftly and comfortable between a shutdown defender and attacking midfielder, said the team the historic actions of its early schedule pointed toward the dominant run that ensued.
The Indians played defending Class 2A state runner-up Deerfield to a scoreless draw and beat Hinsdale Central for the first time in program history.
“I knew we were going to have a great season right at the start when we started either beating or tying teams that previously we lost against every year,” Oganovich said. “Once you start to see that out of a team, I think that it is very clear and obvious you have a good or even great team.”
The team never got hung up on its own youth and relative inexperience compared to its opposition. The parts effortlessly stitched together. Two standout junior defenders -- Leah Finkielsztein and Kinuko Mrozik -- brought physical toughness and sharp technical abilities to the backline.
Defender Sam Sorich, a lithe and lanky sophomore, used her length and range effectively and also excelled as a free kick specialist -- particularly from distance.
Grossman, a junior, and sophomore Brianna Love shared the keeping responsibilities. Typically Grossman started, and Love frequently finished -- either starting the second half or entering the game in the final third.
Grossman played 1,085 minutes and had a .737 goals-against average. Love allowed just one goal in 655 minutes of action.
And next year, all but Price-Johnson return.
“We probably thought we were underdogs in most of our games, because we only had one senior,” Oganovich said. “People naturally base the [quality] of the team off the age groups. People genuinely or naturally think a team is going to be very good when it has a lot of seniors. For us, it was not about an age. It was about how we could all work together. The fact that we had only one senior proves that next year we are going to make even greater improvement, now that we have had a year under our belts.”
Price-Johnson was elevated to the varsity near the end of her freshman year. By her own admission she was fairly timid and shy at the start. Slowly, gradually, Price-Johnson developed consistency, timing and worked relentlessly on her skills.
This year she commanded respect and attention.
“I feel that I have become closer to all the girls who have been on the team,” she said. “As I have grown older, I have become more confident in my play and also more confident in how I express myself with the rest of my teammates. I think that has really helped with how we connect on and off the field. We work together. We have gotten better working together as the years have gone by.”
Lane is unquestionably a city school, but the players have adopted the style and manner of their suburban and private school counterparts. Soccer is not simply an endeavor but something deeper and almost existential that requires a year-round commitment.
“The really interesting thing when I stopped and looked at this year’s team was I realized that almost every single player has played together at least one year on a club team and that shows when we were on the field.,” Price-Johnson said.
“You see it in how the passes connect, in how we communicate with one another and the way we were also there for each other and have each other’s backs. I thought there was a really good sense of team communication and connection in players. We were working on our pass plays, and we were working on our communication and on different movements we could make that would be more unpredictable and effective.”
The Lane program is about tradition and continuity.
Midfielder Camaron Niforos is one of three freshmen on the team. Her older sister Anastasia Niforos was an elite player who graduated two years ago. Camaron Niforos already had a connection to the program. Her example illustrated the meritocracy at work. Proving she belonged, she was immediately accepted.
Coming off a torn ACL, Niforos showed great promise as the best of the new generation players. She scored four goals. She was the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match in the team’s 8-0 victory over Washington on April 17th.
“For me, just being a freshman and coming into the team was really nerve-wracking at first,” Niforos said. “Playing with people with such high skill levels was really good for me in proving and pushing myself. I watched some of the games last year when we had a lot of freshmen who are now sophomores. Just watching them and seeing how strong as freshmen they were gave me a lot of motivation.
“Once I made the team, I wanted to come out strong and not let the fact that I was younger than everybody else affect how I played. Having people who were my age who excelled right away was really important, because it showed that being young does not really affect how you played.”
Every game is an experience, a moment of reflection and study. The stunning loss against Elk Grove jolted the team. It also opened their eyes.
“It helped us realize a lot of things that we need to improve on, getting strong throughout the whole game,” Oganovich said. “Our second half was better than our first half in that game, so that shows that we need how to play like we did in the second half the whole game.”
In the Elk Grove game, Lane started one senior, six sophomores and four juniors.
As the captain and senior leader, Price-Johnson had the final word on a terrific year.
“It has been an amazing experience for me,” she said. “It helped me strengthen my confidence and helps me see what I could when I set my mind to it, in the more physical sense and also the mental sense. It helped me communicate with other people. I don’t think I would have asked for a different season or different things to have happened in the last four years.
“I feel like I gained something valuable from everything that happened.”
By Patrick Z. McGavin
On a hot and windy night, the Lane soccer season ended with a 2-1 loss against Elk Grove in a Class 3A Evanston Regional semifinal. The ending was abrupt and unforeseen -- to a player this was a team expecting a deep tournament run.
The format of the state tournament -- which can create matchups with a great deal of unfamiliarity -- provides for shocking moments. Lane was among the first casualties. The Indians entered the state tournament riding a 12-game winning streak and defeated rivals Young and Jones two days apart to capture their third-consecutive city championship.
Leave it to the elder stateswoman of the team -- forward Lena Price-Johnsons, a captain and Lane’s only senior -- for perspective.
“We took the Elk Grove game as a way to look forward toward next season and learn what we need to change so that we can reach the aspirations we had,” Price-Johnson said. “I don’t think the loss diminished any of our accomplishments during the season.”
Observed in full, the season was a remarkable success marred by a unsatisfying end. The team had much worth celebrating. Lane (16-3-3) registered a goal differential of 82-11, posted 16 shutouts and had a remarkable stretch from April 15th to May 11th where it scored 61 unanswered goals. The run stopped at the end of the first half against Jones in the city title game.
Coach Michelle Vale has many lingering remembrances of the season.
“My fondest memories are almost too many to mention, the goals at the beginning of the season, or how I saw them accomplish personal success: Maggie [Grossman] making a key save, or Grace [Dunaway] scoring, or watching Sydney [Varga] scoring in the first game of the [city] championship.
“There were lot of individual achievements of the program I feel very proud of as the coach.”
Lane showcased tremendous depth, versatility and skill despite its youth. Sixteen of the team’s 17 field players scored at least one goal. Eight players recorded five goals or more. Sophomore forward Dunaway emerged as one of the best players in her class by registering a team-high 19 goals.
Price-Johnson recorded nine goals. Junior defender Izzy Oganovich, sophomore midfielder Alana Coffman, sophomore forward Kayla Dutton and the Guvener twins -- junior forwards Ayser and Ayla -- each had six goals.
Sophomore midfielder Sydney Varga and the junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan each had five goals.
Sophomore midfielder Carlye Makuch scored the game-winner in the Indians’ 5-2 victory over Jones in the city title game. She also had two assists that game. Lane had the best of both worlds, interchangeable parts but distinctly individualized players who played with passion, intensity and a sense of connection.
Oganovich, a three-year starter who moved deftly and comfortable between a shutdown defender and attacking midfielder, said the team the historic actions of its early schedule pointed toward the dominant run that ensued.
The Indians played defending Class 2A state runner-up Deerfield to a scoreless draw and beat Hinsdale Central for the first time in program history.
“I knew we were going to have a great season right at the start when we started either beating or tying teams that previously we lost against every year,” Oganovich said. “Once you start to see that out of a team, I think that it is very clear and obvious you have a good or even great team.”
The team never got hung up on its own youth and relative inexperience compared to its opposition. The parts effortlessly stitched together. Two standout junior defenders -- Leah Finkielsztein and Kinuko Mrozik -- brought physical toughness and sharp technical abilities to the backline.
Defender Sam Sorich, a lithe and lanky sophomore, used her length and range effectively and also excelled as a free kick specialist -- particularly from distance.
Grossman, a junior, and sophomore Brianna Love shared the keeping responsibilities. Typically Grossman started, and Love frequently finished -- either starting the second half or entering the game in the final third.
Grossman played 1,085 minutes and had a .737 goals-against average. Love allowed just one goal in 655 minutes of action.
And next year, all but Price-Johnson return.
“We probably thought we were underdogs in most of our games, because we only had one senior,” Oganovich said. “People naturally base the [quality] of the team off the age groups. People genuinely or naturally think a team is going to be very good when it has a lot of seniors. For us, it was not about an age. It was about how we could all work together. The fact that we had only one senior proves that next year we are going to make even greater improvement, now that we have had a year under our belts.”
Price-Johnson was elevated to the varsity near the end of her freshman year. By her own admission she was fairly timid and shy at the start. Slowly, gradually, Price-Johnson developed consistency, timing and worked relentlessly on her skills.
This year she commanded respect and attention.
“I feel that I have become closer to all the girls who have been on the team,” she said. “As I have grown older, I have become more confident in my play and also more confident in how I express myself with the rest of my teammates. I think that has really helped with how we connect on and off the field. We work together. We have gotten better working together as the years have gone by.”
Lane is unquestionably a city school, but the players have adopted the style and manner of their suburban and private school counterparts. Soccer is not simply an endeavor but something deeper and almost existential that requires a year-round commitment.
“The really interesting thing when I stopped and looked at this year’s team was I realized that almost every single player has played together at least one year on a club team and that shows when we were on the field.,” Price-Johnson said.
“You see it in how the passes connect, in how we communicate with one another and the way we were also there for each other and have each other’s backs. I thought there was a really good sense of team communication and connection in players. We were working on our pass plays, and we were working on our communication and on different movements we could make that would be more unpredictable and effective.”
The Lane program is about tradition and continuity.
Midfielder Camaron Niforos is one of three freshmen on the team. Her older sister Anastasia Niforos was an elite player who graduated two years ago. Camaron Niforos already had a connection to the program. Her example illustrated the meritocracy at work. Proving she belonged, she was immediately accepted.
Coming off a torn ACL, Niforos showed great promise as the best of the new generation players. She scored four goals. She was the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match in the team’s 8-0 victory over Washington on April 17th.
“For me, just being a freshman and coming into the team was really nerve-wracking at first,” Niforos said. “Playing with people with such high skill levels was really good for me in proving and pushing myself. I watched some of the games last year when we had a lot of freshmen who are now sophomores. Just watching them and seeing how strong as freshmen they were gave me a lot of motivation.
“Once I made the team, I wanted to come out strong and not let the fact that I was younger than everybody else affect how I played. Having people who were my age who excelled right away was really important, because it showed that being young does not really affect how you played.”
Every game is an experience, a moment of reflection and study. The stunning loss against Elk Grove jolted the team. It also opened their eyes.
“It helped us realize a lot of things that we need to improve on, getting strong throughout the whole game,” Oganovich said. “Our second half was better than our first half in that game, so that shows that we need how to play like we did in the second half the whole game.”
In the Elk Grove game, Lane started one senior, six sophomores and four juniors.
As the captain and senior leader, Price-Johnson had the final word on a terrific year.
“It has been an amazing experience for me,” she said. “It helped me strengthen my confidence and helps me see what I could when I set my mind to it, in the more physical sense and also the mental sense. It helped me communicate with other people. I don’t think I would have asked for a different season or different things to have happened in the last four years.
“I feel like I gained something valuable from everything that happened.”