Falcons nipped by Lions in Pepsi Showdown match

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By Darryl Mellema
Photos courtesy of Darryl Mellema

For a first game back after Spring Break, Wheaton North couldn't have picked a tougher opponent than Lyons Township, a team that hasn't lost since its season-opener against Waubonsie Valley.

And the visiting Lions claimed a 1-0 victory at Rexilius Field in the opening match for both teams in the Pepsi Showdown.

The match was every bit as close as the final score suggests with midfields dominating and, for the most part, canceling out each other.

"We didn't do a good enough job up top in the first half of playing in this system, finding the open player and playing into space," Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said.

"In the second half, we just weren't finding targets. We possessed the ball long enough to make (Lyons) have to work and to have to defend us."

So if the Falcons didn't have many opportunities to score, they could take some comfort that they weren't alone.

"They didn't have a ton of great chances either," McEvilly said. "They've got some dangerous players and I felt we did a good job battling in midfield.

"They did a better job of finding that pass through our back line than we did."

Lyons earned the victory with a goal in the ninth minute of the first half. Katie Nasenbenny sent in a cross from the left wing that Hope Spangler chested-down and shot into the goal.

In addition to the assist, Nasenbenny was a menace throughout the game. The senior was tough to play, though the Falcons were certainly aware of her talents.

"(Nasenbenny) just makes really intelligent runs," McEvilly said. "She finds a way to make defenders kind of question where they're at.

"She runs behind them, she finds herself lost a little bit and people can't find her. The next thing you know, she's slipped in."

After taking some time to recover from the goal, the Falcons began to battle the Lions for every loose ball. They even forged some chances.

The best came from a free kick midway through the second half. Tiffany Traxinger got the ball over the wall but not past Lions goalie Steph Condon.

"We're not a big team, so I feel that we should learn to get the ball on the ground more and play more to feet," Wheaton North senior Chelsea Hupp said. "Tonight, it was a little more bouncy and a little more kick ball.

"But I feel we came out strong in the first half, gave up the one goal but then worked hard to try to get a goal ourselves and we came close but we couldn't get one."

Wheaton North spent its Spring Break in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where they played beach soccer, trained hard every day and won a match against the Hilton Head High School.

"That was good because they won state last year," Hupp said. "We worked together and it definitely helped."

Certainly Hilton Head can be a fun place to be and the Falcons didn't keep their collective noses to the grindstone the entire week. But the trip wasn't a relaxing vacation either.

"It was good and really fun," Hupp said. "We did a lot of team bonding things while we were there and we really got to know each other both outside the field and on the field as well.

"That's good because we've learned more about each other and how each other plays."

Some of the things the Falcons worked on in South Carolina dealt with mental preparation for matches and McEvilly said that work is already paying dividends.

"It's all about dealing with pressured situations," McEvilly said. "If you look at the month of April, and every game we're going to have in the Pepsi Showdown or the Naperville Invitational is going to be like this.

"It's going to be 1-0 or 2-1 and we've got to be able to deal with the pressure."

Wheaton North hosts Libertyville on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in its second match in the Pepsi Showdown. Play continues Saturday and through next week.

"I hope it progresses and that we can build together," Hupp said. "I think from our trip, we learned a lot. This was just one game. Hopefully we can get a win in our next game."