OAK PARK — There’s a reason Lyons and Oak Park and River Forest are the number nine and 10 teams, respectively, in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.

The precision with which they play, the skill, the cohesiveness between the players on the pitch, the tenacity that all those in the stadium can see are just some of the things that set the two squads apart from others not only in the western suburbs but the Chicagoland area and state.

Before the West Suburban Conference Silver Division showdown on Tuesday, Oct. 5, night, Huskies manager Jason Fried told his squad that the game would probably come down to one goal.

Fried ended up being right. His squad scored the only goal to give the Huskies (12-2-0, 4-1) the shutout win over Lyons. It was the fifth-consecutive win for Oak Park and River Forest.

“We knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game. You’re not going to control the whole game,” he said. “We said to just try to play the game in four-minute increments. There’s going to be good moments and bad moments.

“We probably gave up a couple too many set pieces, but what I liked most is when they had control, we stayed organized and calm and for the most part diffused a lot of it.”

For both teams, playing in front of a crowd of approximately 200 fans and alongside and against their friends is what makes the game between the two schools a heated, yet enjoyable tradition.

“This is definitely a fun game,” Oak Park and River Forest’s Easton Bogard said. “It creates a rivalry, and you’ve got pride to fight for the result. And it’s a great show for the fans because of how fast the game was moving.”

“It’s always fun to play in front of a big crowd, it’s fun to play under the lights,” Lyons keeper Luke Stockbridge said. “It’s a disappointing finish, but I thought we played well. We just didn’t finish our chances.”

The Lions (12-5-1, 2-2-x) had a game plan coming into the contest: put as much pressure on Oak Park and River Forest as possible when they had the ball and make them uncomfortable.

For the first 10-20 minutes, they did that to perfection and did not allow the home squad to threaten in the Lyons defensive third. The Lions did not surrender a shot until more than halfway through the first half.

“We were trying to close down their space,” Lyons manager Paul Labbato said. “Oak Park is very possession-oriented. They want to try to keep the ball moving and passing. We were within five yards of every pass, so when the ball made it to their guy, we were on them. We created a few turnovers where they thought they had easy passes, but they weren’t easy anymore.

“We were able to win the ball and go, win the ball and go and stay in their end and build some pressure. Sadly, we weren’t able to get anything to go.”

“We had a containment strategy coming into this game, trying to get them consistently under pressure, and I think that worked really well, especially in the first half,” Stockbridge said. “They just never had time on the ball. We were always on them. They just didn’t have space.”

“They pressed us really well, and we were building out too slow,” Fried said. “They were doing a good job of bring two and forcing everything to one direction and then bringing everyone once they forced it.

“In our back, we were swinging the ball too slow and taking three touches. We were OK with them coming up. But then we had to get behind them quickly and we weren’t. 

“When we started having success, we realized we didn’t have to swing two, three, four passes, maybe just one or two. Then we started finding out center mids or even forwards and started getting those longer balls with a lot of control.

“But then we’d break it because they had three, four guys, and they were going in the other direction.”

Lyons had the first really good chance of the match with a 2-on-1 but a foul in the box against the Lions wiped out what would have been a goal with just over 18 minutes remaining in the first half.

Oak Park and River Forest’s first good chance came with 16 minutes remaining in the period when Caleb Robinson led Easton Bogard down the right sideline. Bogard put a cross right in front of the net from the right edge of the box, but nobody was there on the receiving end and the ball skidded harmlessly away.

After going into the half tied at 0-0, whatever Labbato said during the break seemed to resonate with his squad. The Lions attack got behind Oak Park and River Forest keeper Clark Turk when he came out to protect a dangerous throw-in. The visitors missed on the golden opportunity when their header went just over the crossbar.

Larry Martinez had a similar opportunity about three minutes later, but again the finish eluded the Lions.

Oak Park and River Forest didn’t miss its big chance.

With 34:21 remaining in the match, Bogard put a ball past Stockbridge for the game’s only goal.

“The ball came in to me in the box, I took one shot, the keeper saved it,” Bogard said. “The ball bounced back to my head, and I headed it; but the keeper got it really quick and saved it again. 

“It got stopped on the line, and I just did whatever I had to do kicking it over.”

The Huskies tried to add another tally with just over 16 minutes remaining. Stockbridge came off his line to try to end the attack, but Oak Park and River Forest got a shot away. Lyons defender Jackson Sullivan cleared the attempt.

The home team’s keeper consistently come out and challenged Lyons’ players before they could get too close to goal.

“Against a team like Lyons, they’ve got a guy who can throw the ball 30 yards, so you’ve got to be on your toes,” Turk said. “We don’t face a ton of teams who have guys with that. So in situations like that I definitely have to adjust and be able to come out or decide whether I have to stay in.”

“They have a great long throw,” Fried said. “So we told him he has to own the six. He started getting to the balls, getting his hands on a couple of those. That forced them to take corners and have longer throws, which decreases their percentage.

“He just stays calm. That’s a great quality he has. He doesn’t get over emotional, stays calm no matter what’s going on.”

Turk’s counterpart, Stockbridge, did much of the same and made some highlight reel saves of his own.

The win took the Huskies one step closer to a conference title. If they take out Glenbard West on Thursday, they’re guaranteed at least a share of the title.

In the meantime, Lyons prepares to use this game, as well as the others down the stretch for playoff motivation. The Lions are the third seed in the Morton Sectional, which includes Chicagoland Soccer’s second-ranked  team (Morton), no. 11 Benet and 22nd-ranked Hinsdale Central. Honorable mention Mount Carmel is also in the field.

“We played really well tonight,” Labbato said. “I wouldn’t say we made any mistakes. They played a moment in a 15-second window, played it wonderfully and scored. Our goalkeeper played a fantastic game.

“The reason we like playing these games is because they are playoff-atmosphere type of games. The kids get used to the pressure of the game. We had opportunities. On a different day, it hits a foot or hits a head and goes in. But working hard just shows the character of our team.”

Starting lineups

Lyons
GK: Luke Stockbridge
D: Liam Carolan
D: Fisher Daniels
D: Dom Panopoulos
D: Jackson Sullivan
MF: Will Swicionis
MF: Ryan Herchenroether
MF: Patrick Kracker
MF: Aidan Hilling
F: Zach Steck
F: Finn Mahoney

Oak Park and River Forest
GK: Clark Turk
D: David Schalich-Ayllon
D: Ben Nisbet
D: Josh Dennis
D: Eric Jackson
MF: Alex Hauck
MF: Charlie Maguire
MF: Isaac Cummings
F: Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey
F: Easton Bogard
F: Lindsey Foster

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Easton Bogard, so., F, Oak Park and River Forest

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring-

Second half
Oak Park and River Forest – Easton Bogard (unassisted), 34:21 remaining

Story link: https://www.chicagolandsoccer.org/gs-lyons-at-oprf-10-5-21.html