Lions fall to Buffalo Grove
By Mike Garofola

When the sun came pouring through and the skies cleared yesterday afternoon, it appeared all the extra work Buffalo Grove coach Pat Dudle and staff put in to ensure opening day would go on as scheduled had paid off.

Dudle accepted offers from the maintenance crew to break-up ice and snow on the field turf at Grant Blaney Stadium to make for safe conditions in advance of a visit from crosstown rival Saint Viator.

And although it was windy and below the freezing mark at kick-off on Tuesday, all was well in the soccer world for two sides anxious to begin the 2013 campaign.

The excitement continued for the home side Bison, who poured in three goals within 4 minutes before Mother Nature appeared with a vengeance, throwing enough snow and high wind on the pitch to make visibility near zero and turn the stadium into a winter wonderland scene, more like a ski resort than a sports stadium.

Junior Kelly Zickert scored two of the first three for the Bison while Skylar Groth -- a key figure in the attack all afternoon -- added one of her own to build the three-goal advantage and an eventual 4-0 victory over Mike Taylor's Lions.

"It was cold and windy at the start, and we're all used to weather like this in spring, but (Buffalo Grove) had to play in it too and they really opened up strong,” Taylor said. “We didn't get the type of leadership I expected from our seniors to help our young players cope against a very good ball club.

The Lions have four sophomores and three freshmen on this year’s roster.

"We knew (BG) could play,” Taylor said. “They've got three or four girls who are quick on the ball and can move the ball around quickly, but our veterans can and must step forward in the early going, and we need to see a little bit more from some of the others.

"We'll be okay once we get everyone back and healthy, and by then we’ll have more training and games under our belt, so later on we’ll get to where we want to be.”

Buffalo Grove appeared to be in midseason form off the opening whistle, playing through Groth in the middle of the park, who found Kelli and Colleen Zickert regularly along with Allie Ingham.

The Bison kept the Lions backline of Liz Graff, Kayne Stanley, Emma Henry and Emily Zahrebelski busier than they would have liked to in their first appearance together.

Zickert opened the scoring with a searing blast off the outstretched gloves of keeper Samantha Stanley at four minutes to give the Bison the lead, then Groth added another just two minutes later.

Groth found a seam from her spot at the midline, and her early ball stretched the Lions defense, allowing Zickert to run onto the well-paced ball before finishing past Stanley at eight minutes to make it 3-0.

"We didn't know how the conditions would affect the way the girls like to play, but I have to say during the first ten or fifteen minutes, before the snow and wind really picked up, they knocked the ball around and got everyone involved in the attack so I was very pleased about that," said Bison coach Pat Dudle, whose squad in 2012 won its first regional title since 2004.

"The girls were getting so tired of being inside and training, so I was happy they could finally get outside and play against a quality opponent like Saint Viator."

With new players in its first-11 and playing a new system, the Lions struggled to get their attack unleashed, particularly in the first period. Viator came alive after the break, sparked by Chloe Luthringshausen (9 goals in 2012) and Michelle Trovato.
 
But even though the visitors showed more vim and vigor in the opening ten minutes of the second half, the Bison still enjoyed the better chances, with Groth going over the bar from in close and Allie Ingram having a go that Stanley turned around the post.

In their first match together, the Bison back four of Kelly VandeMerkt, Sara Brawley, Shannon Guercio and JayJay Lowery did well in keeping their opponents far away from their new keeper for 2013, and each went forward when the opportunities arose.

Colleen Zickert put the icing on the cake for the home side when she ran freely through the box to head a wonderful serve off a corner from teammate Carly Brown to make it 4-0 with 15 minutes remaining.

"We're happy that we were able to play today," said Dudle, "Honestly, there aren't a lot of holes in our schedule for a while, so although the conditions were pretty bad it was important for us to get out and play, and finally start the season."

After a non-conference match with Vernon Hills on Thursday, the Bison begin preparation for division rival Hersey next week, before playing three games in six days at the Lake Park tournament.

For Taylor and assistant TJ King, there's little time to fine tune things. The Lions play Jacobs at Schaumburg’s Olympic Park and then play a pair of Class 2A and 3A powers in Lake Forest and Loyola next week, before taking on Crystal Lake South on the eve on spring break vacation.

"We'll have a better idea of how things stand after these next four ball games, and I know the girls will have a better understanding of what we want, and now to play by the time our break begins," Taylor said.

"We saw some better things in the second half today but there's a long way to go. (Buffalo Grove) will definitely be one of the better clubs we play this season, but we know we'll have to improve each time out if we want to be playing on the final week of the season."