Lyons Township battles in loss to Waubonsie Valley

By Matt LeCren

For an up-and-coming team like Lyons Township, there are few better ways to make a statement than by upsetting a powerhouse squad like Waubonsie Valley.

And the Lions would have done it, too, if not for Vanessa DiBernardo. As she has done so many times over the past four years, the Illinois-bound star scored two goals, including the game-winner with 2:58 remaining in the second half, to lift the Warriors to a 2-1 victory Thursday at Metea Valley in Aurora.

“It really was an exciting game to play in,” LT senior midfielder Katie Nasenbenny said. “It’s frustrating to lose like that, but obviously Vanessa is a great kid, she’s a great player. She has a strong shot, it’s really accurate and she can get it off pretty quickly, so she’s always dangerous. If you have to lose by someone’s foot, it would be her.”

Nasenbenny, who has signed with Iowa, had a big game for the Lions (0-1), getting off seven of her team’s 11 shots. LT arguably had the better of the play in a scoreless first half. The Warriors (2-0) had an 8-4 edge in shots but the Lions had the better chances, two of which came thanks to Nasenbenny.

The first came at the 23:20 mark when Nasenbenny ran onto a cross in front but was stopped from point-blank range by Waubonsie keeper Allison Fox. Then with 8:40 left in the half, Nasenbenny took a pass from Kelsey Holbert in her own end and sprinted 60 yards up the middle of the field before launching a 33-yard rocket that Fox dove to her right to save.

Nasenbenny finally gave the Lions a 1-0 lead with 32:56 to go in the second half, sending a 15-yard shot from the left side of the penalty box off the inside of the right post and in.

“It’s always good to have some nice plays against quality teams,” Nasenbenny said. “It’s always exciting. I think we were doing a good job of possessing the ball. We had a very strong defense. Steph Condon, our central defender, was playing really well and [so were] our other defenders. It’s a good way to start off the season.”

But the Warriors soon showed the mettle that helped them win state championships in 2007 and 2008. Just 1:05 after Nasenbenny’s goal, DiBernardo got the equalizer on a give-and-go up the middle with Megan Green.

The Lions, who were outshot only 14-11, had one other good chance to re-take the lead when Lauren Moberg got loose behind the Waubonsie defense but kicked a 12-yard shot wide when she collided with Warriors keeper Kylie Morgan with 6:15 left.

The game appeared headed for a tie when DiBernardo suddenly found the back of the net from 22 yards out.

“We did a pretty good job on her all game long,” LT coach Bill Lanspeary said. “We gave her too much space and she found the opening.

“For our first game, obviously it’s disappointing to come away with a loss. Late in the game we thought we’d at least get out of here with a tie which would be a pretty good way to start the year. They outplayed us a little bit in the second half and started knocking the ball around on us real well, but we did a pretty nice job of bottling things up and had some real nice counters in the second half that really gave us some nice chances.”

The fact that Nasenbenny and her teammates were disappointed with the results is proof of the high expectations, and the potential, the Lions have this spring.

“We’re looking to have a great year,” Nasenbenny said. “It was just a testament to how evenly matched we were that we were tied so long, because scoring a goal and [then] having the other team score a goal [quickly] is just such a momentum changer. I think this is a game to build on.”

Lanspeary said the offense will run through Nasenbenny, Holbert and senior midfielder Hope Spangler. He was also pleased with the play of senior goalie Renata Butikas, who made six saves.

“Our [six] seniors are fantastic,” Lanspeary said. “They’re great players, great leaders, just great kids overall. We’ve got a pretty good mix. Those seniors are strong leaders but we’ve got a lot of young players who will step up and contribute.”