CHICAGO – Stevenson at Lane is a marquee matchup. The host Champions are the seventh-ranked team in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, and the Patriots figure in at no. 20.

Unfortunately, the pair was unlikely to gain the desired prize – the Group A title and its automatic bid to a coveted semifinal spot in the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic. 

Stevenson tied group favorite New Trier in the first round. A Wednesday win would provide the Patriots with a 2-0-1 Group A record. But the Trevians figured to match that mark, and the Stevenson’s 4-2 win over Class AA Grayslake Central had likely not given it enough juice in the tiebreakers. 

Lane fell to New Trier, so it needed the Trevians to lose their final game to the Rams. Instead, the tournament host school won 6-0. Stevenson lost the pool on second tiebreaker, goal-differential. Then the Patriots had their displeasure doubled. The lost the wild card slot to Naperville North on the third tiebreaker -- fewest goals allowed.

On the bright side for Stevenson, the visitors scored twice in an eight-minute span in the last 15 minutes of the match to pull out a quality 2-1 win. 

That worked for manager Jay Bulev, whose charges experienced some difficulties in the match.

“They had some really nice attacking players, and we weren’t prepared for that,” he said. “They put us under a lot of stress, and we were able to hold them off in the end.”

Both teams had their chances in the first half, each controlling play at different points of the opening 40 minutes.

Stevenson keeper Renee Yoo came up big for the Patriots (5-2-1), making five saves before the break.

Lane felt it should have broken through.

“I think we were a little off, because we were waiting for the right opportunities instead of instantly attacking,” Lane’s Jackson Caffey said. “We just needed to get that confidence. What they did well was they matched our intensity.”

Stevenson noticed the fight in their opponents.

“They were winning what seemed like every first and second ball,” Stevenson’s Amira Chavez said. “We were kind of backing off, and they became really, really aggressive.”

The game of soccer, however, is one that often times hangs in the balance of how a team makes alterations when things aren’t working.
 
Bulev made some moves during halftime.

“We just couldn’t do anything in the first half,” he said. “So we changed it up. It didn’t work, we changed it again. We got a nice goal off a nice cross.

“Once we gave up the corner kick goal, we rebounded really well, and we knew they were susceptible for mistakes in the back from watching the film. We told our front like ‘If you can pressure them, they’ll give it up.’ And that’s what happened.

“We went to a 4-4-2 with the diamond in the middle to try to play the ball more centrally to our center forwards, because it wasn’t working with three in the first half. That didn’t work, so we went back to a 4-4-3, and we ended up getting the job done.”

The 4-4-2 diamond formation isn’t something that the team employs often.

“We’ve done it before, but not all of us on the field knew we were doing it,” Chavez said. “So, it was kind of unexpected.”

No. 7 Lane (7-2-0), which now finds itself on a two-match losing streak, played with a different lineup. The Champions are dealing with injuries. 

According to manager Sean Harkness, Lane played with its full squad healthy Monday. Unfortunately, that lasted just one game.

Still, Harkness was happy with what he saw from players competing in new spots.

“I thought they were really resilient,” he said. “We were upset with Monday’s result (a 2-0 loss to New Trier) and thought we could get a better one here. 

“We were down a number of players with injuries who play 80 minutes a game. I really liked seeing others step up, I really liked. Kristi (Sevova) playing defensive mid for 80 minutes, when she’s never played defensive mid. Brynn (Walter), a sophomore, stepped up as a defender for 80 minutes.

“I was really proud how they filled in where needed.”

Stevenson opened the scoring in the 65th minute when Ellie Egeland drove down the left flank toward the goal before crossing it to Samantha An in the box.

“I always try to go toward the center, because Ellie has a really good shot,” An said. “She can always cross it, so I’m there to finish it. We also had really good buildup play from our attacking mids, who fed Ellie.”

The Patriots lead didn’t last long though.

About three minutes later, Lane’s Grace Carman put a shot on net that required a diving stop from Yoo. Afterward, the ball deflected out of bounds.

From the corner kick, senior Jennifer Rodriguez put a beautiful ball into the box that Caffey finished.

“We’ve been practicing these four runs on corners, where we line up and each of us splits up in different runs,” Caffey said. “Personally, I like a specific run; I know how Jenny hits the ball. I timed it and baited the defender in, so she would run first and I would have time to see where the ball was coming.”

The sophomore forward had just run onto the pitch from the sideline before heading home the tying goal.

“Stevenson is always a game I’m looking forward to,” she said. “Having us struggling to get a goal, I just came in with the thought process that I’m really good with headers. I just needed to get one.”

Set pieces haven’t been the catalyst for many of Lane’s goals this season, but it’s something that the team it is working on improving.

Whether it be a free kick or corner kick, both Caffey and Harkness are excited to see how set pieces can become a valuable weapon.

“We have a number of players with a great kick and very good technique,” Caffey said. “I think it’s going to start becoming something significant in our scoring.”

“We haven’t been super successful on set pieces,” Harkness said. “We talked a lot about getting our head on the ball. We were thrilled we could score on a header. Our deliveries have been good, but we haven’t been attacking with conviction.”

Stevenson put the game away with just under eight minutes remaining.

Sophomore forward Chavez sent the visitors home happy.

“One of our forwards, Morgan (McKelvery), gave a high press to pressure them to play it back to their centerback,” she said. “I watched the ball and shifted over and stepped up. She had a mistouch and placed it over the goalie, who was still recovering from coming out of the goal right before.”

The tournament may not have ended how both teams wanted, but both squads took a lot from the pool play games.

“We’ve really gained a lot of confidence the past couple games,” Chavez said. “We’re becoming more aggressive, seeing things on the field better, reacting faster.”

Lane has become more adaptable.

“We’ve learned a lot about our ability to be resilient when facing injuries,” Harkness said. “We’ve learned the physicality and the conditioning we’re going to need when it comes to playoffs, when these games mean even more.”

“We all know that we need to play with higher intensity,” Caffey said. “Even though we might be down at times, we have to keep pressing, keep going 100 percent. Keep wanting it more than the other team.”

Both teams conclude the tournament with consolation matches Saturday: Lane faces no. 16 Lake Forest at 1 p.m. at New Trier; Stevenson travels to Loyola for a 2 p.m. match.

Starting lineups

Stevenson
GK: Reese Yoo
D: Grace Harper
D: Anabelle Egeland
D: Kelsey Krull
D: Alexa Karagiannis
MF: Madison Olsen
MF: Emma Mendoza
MF: Ashley Liang
F: Samantha An
F: Ellie Egeland
F: Arria Chavez

Lane
GK: Cynthia Waller
D: Aislin Anstee
D: Olive Tinucci
D: Brynn Walter
MF: Jennifer Rodroguez
MF: Kristi Sevova
MF: Grace Carman
F: Jackson Caffey
F: Abigail Snowden
F: Luzmarie Razo
F: Alyssa LoVerde

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Amira Chavez, so., F, Stevenson

Scoring summary

First half
No scoring

Second half
Stevenson - Samantha An (Ellie Egeland), 65th minute
Lane - Jackson Caffey (Jennifer Rodriguez), 69th minute
Stevenson - Amira Chavez (unassisted), 72nd minute