Dukes drop WSS opener to Lyons Township
By Gary Larsen

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Two years ago it was an overtime loss to York, and then last year it was an overtime loss plus a loss in a sectional title game to the Dukes.

“It had to end,” Lyons Township forward Abbie Pasquinelli said.

Pasquinelli scored the game’s lone goal in LT’s 1-0 win over visiting York on Tuesday, in a West Suburban Silver season-opener for both teams.

The Lions (4-0-1, 1-0 in WSS play) came out hard and were rewarded with a Pasquinelli goal in the game’s 25th minute, and then held off a persistent attack from the Dukes (4-2, 0-1) in the second half.

The pedal-to-the-floor effort of forwards Pasquinelli and Emily Lange in the first half, keeping the ball in LT’s attacking third, paid off when Paquinelli found a shot just inside the top of the penalty area and sent it home.

“We just tried to pressure them as much as we could,” Pasquinelli said. “That’s all we talked about was keeping the pressure on up top. It was definitely a nice feeling to get a goal from that.”

LT coach Bill Lanspeary appreciated the way his forwards came out in fifth gear against York.

“We knew we needed a lot out of those two today, because we knew York was going to pressure the heck out of us,” Lanspeary said. “We wanted to pressure them to eliminate some of the long balls going up, and to put some pressure on their backs.

“Most of the time when you put pressure on backs you’re going to cause a few giveaways and bad plays, and you have to pounce on those and capitalize on those opportunities.”

York’s attack will scare the daylights out of many a back line this year, but Tuesday marked a second consecutive game where the Dukes did more than enough creating in the attacking third but came up empty.

York was also the better attacking team in an eventual shootout loss to Metea Valley, in the title game of last week’s St. Francis tournament.

”The second half we came out a lot stronger and did a very good job of keeping them in their own half,” York coach Chris Halupka said. “The fine tuning we need to do is finding that time when we’re really going to go forward and score. We’re not quite determined enough to find a way to make sure it ends up in the back of the net.”

With midfielders Cat Kent, Bryce Banuelos, and Sam Hamilton spearheading the attack and one of the most dangerous forwards around in Christina Ordonez, York also had a wind at its back in Tuesday’s second half.

That equation had LT keeper Maggie Orlowski and defenders Catherine King, Ari Kowalski, and Liza Gabrek tracking back hard and defending a good handful of long throw-ins from Dukes senior Abby Wilkins.

“I’ve got a great back line,” Orlowski said. “(Sarah) Mazur was back there last year but King was really stepping up today. She was doing great and I thought we just hustled hard in back and held them.”

The junior Kowalski is a three-year starter in back, and the steady play of the sophomore King and freshman Gabrek keyed the Lions’ third shutout of the season.

“Our backs did a heck of a job,” Lanspeary said. “Ordonez is as good as they come. Ari has done a great job on her the last couple of years and this year we’re just kind of letting Liza pick it up, and letting (sophomore Erin) Fitzgerald drop back and pick her up. It was a team effort back there to get it done today – and Maggie. Maggie’s huge for us.”

“(King) did a heck of a job. We saw her play last year at the sophomore level and she did a great job, and with Ari and Liza and Erin Fitzgerald – who is another young player in front of her – they’ve all stepped up. And that allows us to have Sarah (Mazur) in the middle, which makes us more dangerous in the attack.”

Facing a 1-0 deficit, York wasted no time searching for an equalizing goal after halftime. Wilkins tested Orlowski with a shot at the post at 43 minutes and Orlowski left her line to gather a through-ball one minute later, with Ordonez bearing down on her.

King raced back to thwart Ordonez at 47 minutes and Wilkins and Angela Guerino sent a pair of chances wide of net at 52 minutes. Orlowski saved Ordonez at 60 minutes, and LT’s pattern of feisty defensive play was set.

“Our midfield rotation right now is Bryce, Sam Hamilton, and Cat and I’m very satisfied with that rotation,” Halupka said. “That’s the engine of our team. We have versatility with players like Courtney McHugh, who can go forward from the outside, and Alyssa Kovatchis, and obviously Christina is a huge part of our team. So we have those weapons and we’re getting opportunities. Now it’s just a matter of finding a way to finish.”

Kovatchis and McHugh sent shots in on Orlowski and Ordonez had one final chance on her foot in the game’s final minute that flew high.

“Part of it was the wind and part of it was a sense of urgency on their part,” Lanspeary said. “They started beating us to loose balls, the way that we were doing that in the first half, and that put a lot of pressure on us.”

Orlowski was happy to get the win over a Dukes team that has haunted LT for the past two seasons.

“They’ve got a few key girls up top that are really fast, when they dump it long they’ve got some girls that can bend the ball, and they’re danger is their forwards,” Orlowski said. “We definitely love to get a little revenge. It’s a great victory for us.”

Not to be lost on Lanspeary in the win was the task that freshman Kristen Janicki faced on Tuesday.

“Kristen Janicki was matched up a lot of the time in the second half with Courtney McHugh,” Lanspeary said. “That’s a kid going to Wisconsin and we had a freshman out there on her, and Kristen did a heck of a job.

“This was a big win for conference, and for our confidence going forward. Win or lose, at this point in the season, we’re just telling them that we need to get better. But we’re off to a good start.”