Lions get last-minute goal to force draw with Wildcats

By Curt Herron

You don't usually expect to see fans rushing onto the field after two teams had just played to a 2-2 draw during a match in the opening week of the season.

But that unlikely scenario is just what unfolded on Saturday in LaGrange following the most recent meeting between Lyons Township and Neuqua Valley.

The fans who spilled onto LT's West Field represented the home side, and they celebrated as if coach Paul Labbato's Lions had just captured some big prize.

Although that wasn't the case, what LT did accomplish by rallying from a 2-0 first half deficit was pretty impressive, especially considering the circumstances.

Lyons (2-0-1) not only bounced back from the disappointment of having a huge goal taken away from it, but then needed to force a draw while down a man in the late going.

But rather than tossing in the towel following both controversial episodes, the Lions showed a determination which figures to serve them very well this season.

It helped them to not only quickly respond to their lost goal but also put together a dramatic score during the final minute of play to force the deadlock with the Wildcats.

LT connected with just 45 seconds left when Mark Pawula headed in a close-range shot that was set up by a header from Elliot Borge off a throw in from Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr.

And perhaps most impressive of all for the Lions was the fact that they completely dominated the play during the final 40 minutes, keeping up constant pressure on Neuqua (1-0-1).

The Lions certainly made an early statement about how well the program that captured last year's Class 3A title would bounce back after graduating so many fine performers.

Other than the fact that Saturday's matchup was a clash of two of the state's top-ranked teams, it was also the latest showdown in a series featuring plenty of drama a year ago.

After Neuqua easily rolled to victory over LT in the opening week of the season, the Lions took the Wildcats to double overtime before falling in the Pepsi Showdown finals.

Then with a trip to the semifinals at stake, Lyons handed Neuqua its first loss by claiming a 1-0 victory in the super-sectional that set the table for its eventual championship.

With last year's history as a backdrop, Saturday's clash was obviously not some typical opening-week match between two squads who were still trying to get things organized.

There certainly was a pride factor at stake between the team that's the defending state champion and a program looking for a little revenge for last year's painful defeat.

The only down side to the exciting match was the lengthy delays that accompanied several contentious officiating decisions which left both squads feeling even more riled up.

Click to hear coach Paul Labbato interview

LT's last-minute dramatic score was all the more impressive considering what had unfolded for the hosts less than five minutes earlier.

With 5:16 remaining, Kyle Kurfirst got free in front of the Wildcat net and tried to get off a short shot attempt to finally force a tie.

But the LT senior midfielder collided with keeper Hunter Hollingshead and following another delay, he received a controversial red card.

However, Lyons didn't get down after going a man down and managed to collect the equalizer and their final good offensive threat of the match.

The final scoring sequence was well-played, beginning with Kralovec-Kirchherr's throw, Borge's initial header and then Pawula's conclusion.

Click to hear Mark Pawula interview

LT had several other good chances during the final 20 minutes of play, beginning with a liner from Pete Gabrek the Hollingshead had to dive for.

Shortly after Horacio Sanchez sent a shot just wide following a quick restart, Borge was denied on a short attempt from one side of the net.

The Lions nearly evened things up with 21:30 left when Kralovec-Kirchherr sent in a grounder that got past the keeper and bounced off the post.

That close call came on the heels of a header from Gabrek that was just wide and another from the same player that was hauled in by Hollingshead.

A short while before the first of Gabrek's headers, Kurfirst sent a free kick in to Sanchez, who saw his shot attempt stopped by Neuqua's keeper.

Meanwhile, Neuqua couldn't manage to get anything going offensively, with the credit for that going to a defensive group set up for the match.

Austin Wolff earned his initial start to join the back line the Lions had been going with of Alex Economou, Matt Thomas and Kralovec-Kirchherr.

Their efforts made matters pretty easy for keeper Max Hadley, who played during the second half after stepping in for starter Kevin Beglen.

LT's second half drama really began with 35:09 remaining in the match when the hosts seemed to have pulled to within 2-1 on a well-executed play.

Kralovec-Kirchherr sent a free kick toward Gabrek, who headed the ball to Kurfirst, who sent a bicycle kick into the net to ignite the home fans.

But immediately a discussion began involving Neuqua's inability to substitute a player following the yellow card that set up the scoring situation.

Early on, it became clear that the goal was being taken away, but the matter wasn't finally resolved until nearly 10 minutes of discussions ensued.

LT responded to that adversity, however, by promptly scoring the next time that it had a good opportunity, which came with 33:33 remaining.

That's when Sanchez sent a pass toward Ben Larson, who was making his first start, and the sophomore headed the attempt in to make it a 2-1 score.

Click to hear Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr interview

The Lions had some great chances early in the match, thanks to Borge's close call in the opening minute and on his free kick about 13 minutes in.

But shortly after that, Neuqua struck with a pair of quick scores from Will Butler to suddenly grab a decisive 2-0 advantage.

The first goal came with 24:22 left in the opening half when Butler put in a loose ball created by a shot from Jacob Brindle that Beglen deflected.

Then just 2:04 later, Butler headed in an attempt which was set up by a pass from A.K. Karkazis to give the Wildcats extra momentum.

Neither squad had many good chances during the rest of the half, with LT having the best with 7:15 left when Gabrek had a header deflected away.