Lion defense shuts down Grenadiers in Pepsi Showdown win

By Matt Le Cren

Renata Butikas knew that Elk Grove had erupted for seven goals in the first half of its 7-0 victory over Stagg in the first round of the Pepsi Showdown.

So was the Lyons goalie worried heading into Thursday's second round match in La Grange? Only a little bit.

"We definitely did not take this team lightly," Butikas said. "We didn't want to look past them. We knew that they obviously could produce on offense.

"They have some really great forwards up top, but we also knew that [the teams] they played [against] probably didn't have an incredible defense."

But the Lions do have an outstanding defense and it, along with the usual tricks from offensive stars Katie Nasenbenny and Kelsey Holbert, allowed the hosts to pull out a 2-1 triumph.

That advances them to Saturday’s round-of-16, where LT (6-1) will face Crystal Lake South in a 1:30 pm match at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.

Butikas, a senior, had to make only four saves, none of them particularly difficult, as the Elk Grove (3-3-1) was held to just six shots by defenders Elise Gordon, Steph Condon, Sarah Mazur, Ari Kowalski and Emma Meyering.

When the Grens did manage to get the ball into a dangerous position, they usually didn't possess the ball for long before having it knocked away.

"These girls make it look easy in front of me and it makes my job even easier," said Butikas, who has given up just two goals during the Lions' six-game winning streak that followed a season-opening 2-1 loss to Waubonsie Valley. "They do a great job in the back and I definitely owe a lot of easy saves to them.

"The key to our defense is that we're very good communicators. Being able to talk to each other and trust each other is very comforting and that's how we really mesh."

Lyons made only one mistake in the back, but the visitors capitalized on it. Junior forward Michelle Calmeyn pounced on a bad pass and walked in alone on Butikas to score her ninth goal of the season to tie the game 1-1 with 19:42 left in the first half.

But the Grens could not generate any more offense, even after Gordon suffered concussion symptoms when she banged heads with Calmeyn at the 11:05 mark.

Instead, the Lions grabbed the lead with 8:09 to go before intermission when Nasenbenny headed home a cross from Holbert, who had raced to the end line before lofting a pass to her left.

Holbert had scored the first goal for LT at the 26:23 mark after gathering a loose ball 30 yards out and racing into the penalty area.

The junior forward held off a challenge from star defender Katie Naughton and squeezed off a 16-yard shot as she was falling down following a collision with Elk Grove goalie Nicole Ricci.

"They were fantastic," Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said of Nasenbenny and Holbert. "They communicate and are able to find each other so well. That second goal was a great play."

In the second half, Gordon was replaced by fellow junior Meyering, who snuffed out several attempts by Calmeyn and Kelli Hubly to penetrate the penalty area.

"Elise is an excellent player and it was definitely a big position to fill," Meyering said. "She and Steph keep us very organized and we rely on them. There are always nerves, but it's good to have a supporting team."

Lanspeary was impressed with Gordon's play before the injury.

"She played one helluva a first half," he said. "[Hubly and Calmeyn] are tough to handle and she did a fantastic job of stepping up and shutting things down."

But the defensive effort did not drop off with Meyering, who was playing her third game since missing a pair of matches while on a foreign exchange trip to France over spring break, in the lineup.

"We have a great bench," Butikas said. "Even when a great player like Elise is injured we have plenty of girls on the bench who can easily step up and are just great."

And that proved frustrating to Calmeyn, who wasn't satisfied with the result even though LT is seeded fourth in the tournament and the toughest team the Grens have faced so far.

"It was a tough game but we worked hard and we're going to have to bounce back next game," Calmeyn said.

"They had a very good defense. We need to connect better as a team and we're improving. We're learning a lot from every game we play."

Elk Grove coach Dan Klaus said his team needs to generate offense against top competition.

"We're still trying to find our way offensively," he said. "[Calmeyn] gives us a little bit but we need more than that. We've had to move people around and adjust a little bit, but [Lyons] is a top-caliber team.

"Once they got that lead they were still able to generate an attack while keeping numbers back, which is a credit to them. I'm proud of [the Grens], but we're not going to be satisfied with hanging in. We're going to get over the hump."

One player that could help Elk Grove do that is junior three-year starter Carin Fearin, who held her own in the midfield.

"Freshman year she was all athleticism and then last year [had] a little sophomore slump," Klaus said.

"But she put a lot of time in during club between her sophomore and junior year and she's been a dynamo for us offensively and defensively. Her work rate is second to none."