Lane, Jones play to riveting draw
2-2 tie leaves CPL Premier Division title up in the air
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- The showdown involving the city’s best two teams played out like a movie -- riven with subplots, storylines and flashbacks that clearly demonstrated this was no ordinary regular season game.
“I always tell the girls the same thing,” Lane coach Michelle Vale said. “Every team comes out here to beat you. Nobody comes out here to let you have anything. It was evident when we were down 2-0 that Jones wanted to destroy us.”
Jones had incentive, desire and memory.
“Our closest game ever with them has been five goals,” Jones’ coach Derek Bylsma said. “When I started here, eight years ago, the first time we played them, the score was 13-0. It has gone down since then but not by much. Two years ago when we played them it was still (a) 6-1 (defeat and) 5-0 at halftime.”
The Eagles, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, delivered an early haymaker -- two stunning goals four minutes apart -- that forced Lane to take notice. The no. 25 Indians responded with goals at the end of the first half and start of the second half which resulted in the scintillating 2-2 draw in Premier Division play here Monday afternoon on the North Side.
Just before the start of the game, a dense fog rolled off the lake, creating a peculiar mood and entrancing atmosphere. The game was played in intermittent rain and a ferocious downpour near the end. Recasting the game cinematically, the fact that the game ended without a clear resolution only magnified the drama.
“That was an adventure,” Lane star junior defender Leah Finkielsztein said. “We came (into the game) -- we were pretty confident -- but they definitely took us by surprise. They are a great team, and they came at us really hard. We were off our game a little bit, but I think after halfway through the first half, we were like the team we always are.”
Jones played with a daring and sureness at the start. The Eagles (6-0-1, 2-0-1) coordinated their attack seamlessly, passing the ball fluidly and generously. Jones dictated the early tempo. Midfielders Janai Cedeno and Dani Schulgasser made early shots on the Indians’ goal that Lane keeper Maggie Grossman handled.
The early tone was established.
“I don’t think they were expecting the performance we had,” sophomore Jones’ midfielder Lauren Nichols said. “We are a program that has gotten better and better the last three years. They were not on their top game at the beginning, because I don’t think they felt like they had to be with us.”
In the sixth minute star midfielder Zoe Wright delivered a cross from the left edge that Lane standout defender Kinuko Mrozik made a superb block on which negated an almost certain goal. The early opportunities only deepened the Eagles’ convictions.
Wright delivered in the 13th minute from a nearly identical location, from about 14 yards out on the left wing with a left-footed blast that took a wicked spin inside the far post for the Eagles’ 1-0 advantage.
It was Wright's team-best 10th goal of the year.
“I did the logical part at the end, but I owe that goal to all of those in the middle who helped create the play,” Wright said. “They did all of the work.”
Wright hurled the game’s first bolt as a sign of the Eagles’ developing confidence about their talent, skill and competitive level. Jones played as if the result was expected and maintained the early edge. Lane was a bit shellshocked, while their opponents played free and liberated.
Jones took advantage of repeated vulnerabilities in the middle of the Indians’ backline. Working the midfield like a conductor, Jones orchestrated a beguiling pincer attack, weaving beautifully and the movements synchronized. In the 17th minute, Nichols played her own part. Taking a deep through-ball from Cedeno up the middle, Nichols advanced the ball to the right edge and delivered a blistering ball inside the near post for the 2-0 lead.
“Janai had the assist from way out, and I don’t think they thought it was going to be anywhere near the goal,” Nichols said. “She had a great assist that came all the way from the side, and I think they were underestimating us.”
It was Nichols fourth goal of the year.
Jones exerted its own psychological edge. The Eagles were the instigators. Subtly the two sides exchanged roles. Jones was ecstatic but also suddenly a bit passive.
“I think we know we’re a good team,” Wright said. “We know Lane’s a good team. I think we kind of took our foot off the gas a little bit. It's usually a comfortable lead being up 2-0. We got tired, and I think we mentally checked out a bit.”
Lane was jolted out of its complacency and began taking the game much more seriously. Sophomore midfielder Johanna Bozic was the catalyst, finishing some strong runs and helping the Indians achieve greater possession and intertwined actions. Her shot, Lane’s first of the match, against the Eagles’ sophomore keeper Devin Barry signaled a more intense and direct style of play.
The Jones bench saw the tide starting to turn.
“We did the worst thing I think you can try to do, and that was we tried to hold the lead,” Bylsma said. “We were like, we’re winning, and then we were like, okay. And you just can’t do that against Lane. They’re too good. I don’t know if we took the foot off (the gas), but we started to hold it.
“They have great players all over the field. They are smart, and they never believed that they could not come back, because that’s the kind of team they are.”
If Jones dominated the first 20 minutes, Lane enjoyed a decisive edge the balance of the match. The Lane middle, keyed by Bozic and Caryle Makuch, asserted greater authority, pace and action. Junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan also got into the action, nearly scoring on a header in the 30th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Alana Coffman broke through in the 39th minute. Controlling the ball on the left flank, she created some separation and drilled a ball with a breathtaking trajectory that originally appeared slightly high. The ball floated just above the outstretched arm of Barry, hitting the underside of the crossbar and sliding into the back of the net.
Jones relished halftime and the opportunity to get its rhythm back. Momentum had clearly shifted to the Indians. Just before the Coffman goal, Dunaway flashed her breakneck speed with a great drive down the left edge was just behind Price-Johnson. The two lamented the lost opportunity. It was a foreshadowing.
In the 41st minute -- just 26 seconds into the second half -- Dunaway had a second chance, penetrating the left side and slotting a ball that Price-Johnson timed perfectly to knot the game at 2-2.
“I think we got ourselves into gear,” Price-Johnson said. “We were a lot more focused. We started to work more on controlling the ball.
“In the first half we were a little bit behind with the ball in the air. We were not making really focused passes out wide and we were trying to dribble through defenders too much. We focused more on opening space and not being so crowded and moving out wide.”
The turnaround was now complete. Lane (3-1-3, 1-0-1) was the aggressor, and Jones played in reaction to the Indians rather than shaping the action. The Indians had the better and more sustained play.
Following the equalizer, Lane was victimized by bad luck and somewhat indiscriminate bounces. Three times in the second half, the Indians had shots hit off the near post, including one from Dunaway immediately following her assist to Price-Johnson on the equalizer.
Barry saved the game, in more ways than one. She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her seven second half saves. Twice she denied rocket balls by athletic Lane sophomore Kayla Dutton. She also made a superb lunging stop in the 76th minute off a Sam Sorich free kick.
“We had so many shots in the goal, there were so many people with opportunities there,” Price-Johnson said. “That keeper was very good. She was tall and had a very good reach.”
In a game where Jones proved its legitimacy and Lane showed its resilience, Devin Barry was a revelation. She made a game-saving play by charging out of the the box to challenge a potential breakaway ball by Lane junior forward Alya Guvener.
Barry forced Guvener to shoot a moment early and the ball pushed just wide of the open net.
“That’s the thing that has been hidden so far this year is because we have a good defense, and we haven’t been tested,” Bylsma said. “She is one of the best keepers in the state. I believe she will be playing Division l. She’s fantastic.
“I was lucky enough to get her last year as a freshman, and she came in and started right away. She’s by far the best keeper I’ve ever had at Jones. She’s incredible and makes great saves like that all the time.”
Barry also made an excellent stop of a shot by Alya Guvener’s twin sister Ayser Guvener at the end of the first half.
Jones made a statement, and Lane countered. The Eagles are no longer on the outside looking in. And as good as Lane is -- still the standard in the Public League -- the Indians are not built to take plays off.
“I think today was a good wake up call for anybody who was getting comfortable in our role,” Vale said.
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Charlotte Geissler
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Dani Schulgasser
MF: Janai Cedeno
MF: Kassie Cortez
MF: Rachel Sohn
MF: Zoe Wright
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Sam Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Caryle Makuch
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Lena Price-Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Devin Barry, so., GK, Jones
2-2 tie leaves CPL Premier Division title up in the air
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- The showdown involving the city’s best two teams played out like a movie -- riven with subplots, storylines and flashbacks that clearly demonstrated this was no ordinary regular season game.
“I always tell the girls the same thing,” Lane coach Michelle Vale said. “Every team comes out here to beat you. Nobody comes out here to let you have anything. It was evident when we were down 2-0 that Jones wanted to destroy us.”
Jones had incentive, desire and memory.
“Our closest game ever with them has been five goals,” Jones’ coach Derek Bylsma said. “When I started here, eight years ago, the first time we played them, the score was 13-0. It has gone down since then but not by much. Two years ago when we played them it was still (a) 6-1 (defeat and) 5-0 at halftime.”
The Eagles, ranked 23rd in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, delivered an early haymaker -- two stunning goals four minutes apart -- that forced Lane to take notice. The no. 25 Indians responded with goals at the end of the first half and start of the second half which resulted in the scintillating 2-2 draw in Premier Division play here Monday afternoon on the North Side.
Just before the start of the game, a dense fog rolled off the lake, creating a peculiar mood and entrancing atmosphere. The game was played in intermittent rain and a ferocious downpour near the end. Recasting the game cinematically, the fact that the game ended without a clear resolution only magnified the drama.
“That was an adventure,” Lane star junior defender Leah Finkielsztein said. “We came (into the game) -- we were pretty confident -- but they definitely took us by surprise. They are a great team, and they came at us really hard. We were off our game a little bit, but I think after halfway through the first half, we were like the team we always are.”
Jones played with a daring and sureness at the start. The Eagles (6-0-1, 2-0-1) coordinated their attack seamlessly, passing the ball fluidly and generously. Jones dictated the early tempo. Midfielders Janai Cedeno and Dani Schulgasser made early shots on the Indians’ goal that Lane keeper Maggie Grossman handled.
The early tone was established.
“I don’t think they were expecting the performance we had,” sophomore Jones’ midfielder Lauren Nichols said. “We are a program that has gotten better and better the last three years. They were not on their top game at the beginning, because I don’t think they felt like they had to be with us.”
In the sixth minute star midfielder Zoe Wright delivered a cross from the left edge that Lane standout defender Kinuko Mrozik made a superb block on which negated an almost certain goal. The early opportunities only deepened the Eagles’ convictions.
Wright delivered in the 13th minute from a nearly identical location, from about 14 yards out on the left wing with a left-footed blast that took a wicked spin inside the far post for the Eagles’ 1-0 advantage.
It was Wright's team-best 10th goal of the year.
“I did the logical part at the end, but I owe that goal to all of those in the middle who helped create the play,” Wright said. “They did all of the work.”
Wright hurled the game’s first bolt as a sign of the Eagles’ developing confidence about their talent, skill and competitive level. Jones played as if the result was expected and maintained the early edge. Lane was a bit shellshocked, while their opponents played free and liberated.
Jones took advantage of repeated vulnerabilities in the middle of the Indians’ backline. Working the midfield like a conductor, Jones orchestrated a beguiling pincer attack, weaving beautifully and the movements synchronized. In the 17th minute, Nichols played her own part. Taking a deep through-ball from Cedeno up the middle, Nichols advanced the ball to the right edge and delivered a blistering ball inside the near post for the 2-0 lead.
“Janai had the assist from way out, and I don’t think they thought it was going to be anywhere near the goal,” Nichols said. “She had a great assist that came all the way from the side, and I think they were underestimating us.”
It was Nichols fourth goal of the year.
Jones exerted its own psychological edge. The Eagles were the instigators. Subtly the two sides exchanged roles. Jones was ecstatic but also suddenly a bit passive.
“I think we know we’re a good team,” Wright said. “We know Lane’s a good team. I think we kind of took our foot off the gas a little bit. It's usually a comfortable lead being up 2-0. We got tired, and I think we mentally checked out a bit.”
Lane was jolted out of its complacency and began taking the game much more seriously. Sophomore midfielder Johanna Bozic was the catalyst, finishing some strong runs and helping the Indians achieve greater possession and intertwined actions. Her shot, Lane’s first of the match, against the Eagles’ sophomore keeper Devin Barry signaled a more intense and direct style of play.
The Jones bench saw the tide starting to turn.
“We did the worst thing I think you can try to do, and that was we tried to hold the lead,” Bylsma said. “We were like, we’re winning, and then we were like, okay. And you just can’t do that against Lane. They’re too good. I don’t know if we took the foot off (the gas), but we started to hold it.
“They have great players all over the field. They are smart, and they never believed that they could not come back, because that’s the kind of team they are.”
If Jones dominated the first 20 minutes, Lane enjoyed a decisive edge the balance of the match. The Lane middle, keyed by Bozic and Caryle Makuch, asserted greater authority, pace and action. Junior midfielder Jazzmin Jordan also got into the action, nearly scoring on a header in the 30th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Alana Coffman broke through in the 39th minute. Controlling the ball on the left flank, she created some separation and drilled a ball with a breathtaking trajectory that originally appeared slightly high. The ball floated just above the outstretched arm of Barry, hitting the underside of the crossbar and sliding into the back of the net.
Jones relished halftime and the opportunity to get its rhythm back. Momentum had clearly shifted to the Indians. Just before the Coffman goal, Dunaway flashed her breakneck speed with a great drive down the left edge was just behind Price-Johnson. The two lamented the lost opportunity. It was a foreshadowing.
In the 41st minute -- just 26 seconds into the second half -- Dunaway had a second chance, penetrating the left side and slotting a ball that Price-Johnson timed perfectly to knot the game at 2-2.
“I think we got ourselves into gear,” Price-Johnson said. “We were a lot more focused. We started to work more on controlling the ball.
“In the first half we were a little bit behind with the ball in the air. We were not making really focused passes out wide and we were trying to dribble through defenders too much. We focused more on opening space and not being so crowded and moving out wide.”
The turnaround was now complete. Lane (3-1-3, 1-0-1) was the aggressor, and Jones played in reaction to the Indians rather than shaping the action. The Indians had the better and more sustained play.
Following the equalizer, Lane was victimized by bad luck and somewhat indiscriminate bounces. Three times in the second half, the Indians had shots hit off the near post, including one from Dunaway immediately following her assist to Price-Johnson on the equalizer.
Barry saved the game, in more ways than one. She earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her seven second half saves. Twice she denied rocket balls by athletic Lane sophomore Kayla Dutton. She also made a superb lunging stop in the 76th minute off a Sam Sorich free kick.
“We had so many shots in the goal, there were so many people with opportunities there,” Price-Johnson said. “That keeper was very good. She was tall and had a very good reach.”
In a game where Jones proved its legitimacy and Lane showed its resilience, Devin Barry was a revelation. She made a game-saving play by charging out of the the box to challenge a potential breakaway ball by Lane junior forward Alya Guvener.
Barry forced Guvener to shoot a moment early and the ball pushed just wide of the open net.
“That’s the thing that has been hidden so far this year is because we have a good defense, and we haven’t been tested,” Bylsma said. “She is one of the best keepers in the state. I believe she will be playing Division l. She’s fantastic.
“I was lucky enough to get her last year as a freshman, and she came in and started right away. She’s by far the best keeper I’ve ever had at Jones. She’s incredible and makes great saves like that all the time.”
Barry also made an excellent stop of a shot by Alya Guvener’s twin sister Ayser Guvener at the end of the first half.
Jones made a statement, and Lane countered. The Eagles are no longer on the outside looking in. And as good as Lane is -- still the standard in the Public League -- the Indians are not built to take plays off.
“I think today was a good wake up call for anybody who was getting comfortable in our role,” Vale said.
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Charlotte Geissler
D: Izzy Kamba
MF: Dani Schulgasser
MF: Janai Cedeno
MF: Kassie Cortez
MF: Rachel Sohn
MF: Zoe Wright
F: Avery Kaplan
F: Gillian Miller
Lane
GK: Maggie Grossman
D: Sam Sorich
D: Leah Finkielsztein
D: Izzy Oganovich
D: Kinuko Mrozik
MF: Johanna Bozic
MF: Alana Coffman
MF: Caryle Makuch
MF: Jazzmin Jordan
F: Grace Dunaway
F: Lena Price-Johnson
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Devin Barry, so., GK, Jones