Early score dooms Huskies in possible playoff preview with Lions

By Matt Le Cren

Lyons Township freshman defender Ari Kowalski was the smallest girl on the field Thursday but she made the biggest play.

As a result, the Lions edged host Oak Park-River Forest 1-0 to remain unbeaten in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division, setting up Tuesday's showdown with York for the league championship with York.

Oak Park out shot LT 8-5 and had most of the few legitimate scoring chances, but the visitors cashed in on one of theirs just 1:46 into the contest when Kowalski raced up from her left fullback position and made a steal in the midfield.

Less than five seconds later, the ball was in the back of the net after Kowalski passed into the middle to Kelsey Holbert, who turned once to shake a defender before ripping a 25-yard shot inside the left post.

"She's good at getting up and helping out in attack," Holbert said of Kowalski. "She's played defense all year but she's quick so she can get up the wings and that's helped us a lot.

"That's really how we got the goal. It was mostly Ari. I just had the shot."

"I read the ball and I stepped up and passed it off to Kelsey and then she got a nice shot off and scored," Kowalski said. "It got the energy up for our team. We had a good attitude right off the bat."

Kowalski's play at both ends allowed the Lions (13-3-1, 5-0) to get a key road victory against a tough opponent they may see again in the playoffs. The rookie has been stellar defensively and blocked two Oak Park shots in the box.

"Ari has been fantastic," LT coach Bill Lanspeary said. "What impresses me is her composure. As a freshman, she just doesn't seem like she gets rattled. She's always calm."

So is Holbert, who is fast gaining a reputation as one of the top players in the area. The junior creates most of her goals with her speed, so teams are trying to prevent her from getting into their penalty area.

The Huskies (9-6-1, 3-2) did a great job of that as defenders Victoria Gullo, Maggie Tansey, Dorothe Franklin, Stephanie Sullivan and Rennata Voci combined to limit her to just three shots overall.

The only one that came from inside the box was a 12-yarder that Oak Park keeper Katie Oldach made a diving save on with 13:30 left in the second half.

But Holbert showcased her versatility by finding ways to thwart those efforts.

"She creates a lot with her speed and athleticism but she's good on the ball and she's very good hitting the ball from distance, which is why sometimes we'll switch her and put her in the middle and put Katie [Nasenbenny] up top," Lanspeary said.

"Kelsey's got a very good shot from the outside. [That] makes her even more dangerous."

That made the result even more frustrating for the Huskies, who held the Iowa-bound Nasenbenny without a shot.

"I thought that we did everything that we were supposed to do," Oak Park coach Paul Wright said.

"The first minute-and-a-half of the game we make a crucial mistake and the young lady takes a shot from 25 yards out and puts it right in the corner."

The goal, Holbert believes, was a result of her team's focus on creating movement.

"Those first five to 10 minutes we were moving the ball around really well and getting everyone involved and I think that's what opened up the shot from the top," Holbert said.

"We've been talking about just hitting it and testing the keeper and getting some shots off on frame. So when it's open that's what you've got to do."

The Huskies, who came into the match having won six of their previous eight matches, played the Lions to a standstill for the rest of the first half and had the better of the play in the second half.

Junior forward Sarah McCall just missed an 18-yard shot over the crossbar six minutes after the break, and two minutes later her 23-yard free kick was headed just wide of the right post by Emily Gullo.

McCall and Gullo nearly teamed up for the equalizer with 24:53 left, but McCall's free kick from deep in the right corner was cut off by Lions goalie Renata Butikas (three saves) just before Gullo could get a head on it.

Despite the loss, McCall was encouraged.

"Absolutely. The fact that they scored early on and we could hold them for the whole game speaks volumes I think," McCall said. "I think it was one lapse in our defense and they scored on their one opportunity.

"I think the more we keep at it, it's going to come and we're going to see [results].

"I think all over the field we've been solid. We just have to keep going and keep taking shots because obviously the more we take them, the more are going to get in the back of the net."

The Lions and Huskies have earned the top two seeds in the Class 3A Lyons Sectional, meaning they are on a collision course to meet in the sectional final. Should that happen, both coaches anticipate a great match.

"We feel pretty confident that this is a game we can play at this level with these guys," Wright said. "We matched them pace for pace today. I don't think we change anything up. I think we just go out there and match them like we did today."

"They're very tough," Lanspeary said. "They play very hard, they make you play faster than you want to play. We didn't play as quickly as we needed to today and they made things tough because of it.

"They're one of those teams that can give you fits because they work so hard, and they've got enough good players to be dangerous, too."

Kowalski knows that but isn't fazed by playing such competition as a freshman.

"It's tough out there but it's good," Kowalski said. "[The season] has been a lot of fun, a great experience. I really love it."

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