Trojans fall to Lions in OT in sectional semifinals

LT captures third win this season over DG North

By Curt Herron

After dropping a pair of close matches to Lyons Township last month, Downers Grove North figured that the third time could be the charm for them.

And that was fine as far as the Trojans were concerned since a win on Tuesday would earn them a trip to the Class 3A Argo Sectional championship.

But LT had other ideas and the defending state champions completed its sweep of Downers North after capturing a 2-1 win in one overtime in Summit.

Elliot Borge connected on a short attempt just 33 seconds into the initial overtime period to give the Lions (21-1-2) their 13th straight victory.

That win assures LT of a spot in Friday's 4:00 p.m. sectional finals, where it meets Morton (21-3-3), the only team that has beaten it this year.

Meanwhile, it was a frustrating ending to a great season for the Trojans (17-5-2), who were seeking their first sectional finals trip since 2001.

North managed to score against LT, something it was unable to do in 2-0 and 1-0 losses two days apart from each other in the middle of September.

But that was little consolation to coach Brian Gervase and his squad, who were ranked nearly all year and felt that they could win a state title.

"We're obviously not satisfied with how far we got," Gervase said. "I believe that we ran into one of the top teams in the state and we definitely felt that we were up there with them.

"This is a game of finishing and all you can do is generate your own opportunities and create things to do and we just didn't quite finish well enough.

"But we give Lyons all of the credit in the world since they didn't squeak one by on us and they earned what they got and I thought that we went out and played valiantly."

Several sectionals postponed matches due to the strong winds, which certainly created havoc in Morton's 1-0 win over Oak Park and River Forest.

Although the winds were a bit less relentless in the finale, LT coach Paul Labbato was impressed by how well the Trojans and Lions performed.

"I've been saying all along that Downers Grove North is an extremely good team," Labbato said. "Considering the way wind was, it was a well-played game since both teams possessed a lot and had chances to win it. It was a great match.

"Fortunately for us, it comes down to that lucky touch in the box, but that's how soccer goes. In the overtime, I told them to get the ball into that corner and then it happened as if I had just planned it out, but I'm not that good."

The one goal that LT allowed during the three matches is noteworthy since Downers North averaged over three goals per match in its other 21 outings.

Another thing that Labbato was proud of was that his defense shut down Downers North's explosive one-two punch of Paul Hogan and A.J. Jeffries.

Hogan collected 26 goals this season while Jeffries chipped in with 11 scores but neither player was able to find the net against the Lions.

"I just wished that we could have faced them later on," Hogan said, "We were confident going in and we were real hungry to them since this was the third time that we played them but we just came up a little bit short.

"In the second half, our backline was just unbelievable with the wind coming at them. Once we got into the overtime I thought we were in a good position but then they scored in about 30 seconds and that's all it takes.

"Without a doubt, this program has definitely come a long way. If you look at the whole season, you can't really put your head down. We made a good run at it and just came up a little short."

Downers North's lone score tied things up with 2:06 left in the opening half when Azmi Sharif put a shot in the upper corner on a long free kick.

That was the only ball to get past LT keeper Kevin Beglen, who came up with a series of big saves early on to prevent his team from falling behind.

The Lions coach was quick to praise the efforts of Beglen in the net and his defense of Alex Economou, Matt Thomas and Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr.

"They got a great goal on a free kick that was maybe the best goal that I've seen all year," Labbato said. "But the fact that were able to keep Paul Hogan and A.J. Jeffries off the scoresheet for three straight games says a lot about our guys in the back.

"Alex just played lights out and saved his best game of the year for the toughest duo that we've seen so far. And Matt and Peter do such a good job with communication and giving a little bit but never giving the angles that those guys want.

"Kevin had three huge saves early that changed the game's momentum, which also let us realized that we were still in it. If one or two of those go in during the first 10 minutes and they have the wind, you never know what might have happened."

Borge had chances to wrap things up late in regulation play, beginning with a free kick that keeper matt Paprocki deflected away with about 8:30 left.

Then with just 37 seconds remaining, he got a ball on a corner kick from Kyle Kurfirst and fired off a short attempt that went right to North's keeper.

So when a loose ball off a Kralovec-Kirchherr throw-in came his way early in the overtime session, he was determined to connect to finally end the drama.

"I was looking to make up for the one I missed right at the end of regulation," Borge said. "It's not often that you'll see a ball pop out to you twice in the six yard box and you can't miss twice from there at this level.

"We have some big bodies that we like to throw in there and most of the time we can manage to get a decent flick on it and then have guys clean up after that and it worked for us in the overtime.

"Downers Grove North had a great team this year with a couple of All-State players. In a different sectional or side of the bracket, they're a team that could have potentially made it to a state final."

Beside helping to frustrate opposing offenses, Kralovec-Kirchherr has also caused plenty of teams extra headaches thanks to his dangerous throw-ins.

While most know what's coming their direction, stopping LT from executing on set pieces has been difficult, and it was no different in Tuesday's match.

Kralovec-Kirchherr was pleased to contribute in a variety of fashions in a third-straight win over the Trojans, with the reward being a rematch with Morton.

"Coming into this game, we knew that this would easily be the hardest one of the year," Kralovec-Kirchherr said. "It's extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one season. They're a fantastic team and they gave us a great game."

LT had the first two good chances in the final half, with Kralovec-Kirchherr sending a long liner and a free kick to Paprocki in the initial 10 minutes.

Around the midway point of the second half there was an exchange of a liner from Jeffries and a floater rom Horacio Sanchez that were both denied.

Not long after that, Jeffries attempted a short try but it was cleared by Economou and Zack Parik followed a bit later with a liner over the net.

With about 10 minutes left in regulation, Jakob Mousel sent in a long-range line drive that Beglen hauled in for one of the Trojan's last good threats.

In the opening half, Sharif just missed giving North the early advantage about five minutes in when he sent in a long free kick that Beglen deflected.

A few minutes later, Kurfirst sent a line drive on a corner to Paprocki and his counterpart came out of the net to disrupt a short attempt by Sharif.

With 20:55 remaining before the break, LT struck first when Brett Heimerdinger got free in front of the net and was able to connect from close range.

Then a little while later, Borge sent in an attempt that was cleared by Alex Vogler before Sanchez headed a try over the net following a corner kick.

Hogan provided perhaps his best threat of the evening with just over four minutes left in the half, but his long shot was punched away by Beglen.

That set the table for the nicest-looking score of the windy evening, a liner on a long-range free kick from Sharif that found the upper corner.

With the score even again at the break, neither squad could connect over the next 40 minutes, setting the table for Borge's dramatic overtime goal.

"We talked in our huddle at the end of the game about what our seniors have done for our program," said Gervase, whose team graduates 13 seniors. "They've left a mark on this program and given teams in the future a chance to say that they were as good as this team.

"These guys had fun playing the game and they enjoyed working hard. We hope that the young guys who were with us, which we have a lot of and especially the guys who got a lot of time, got a good appreciation of how far we can go as a team."