TINLEY PARK -- One of the worst scenarios a team can face is falling behind early in a matchup of unbeaten conference leaders on the road.

But that's just where Lemont found itself Thursday in the South Suburban Conference Blue Division showdown against Tinley Park. The squads did not only own long winning-streaks but also recently received second sectional seeds.

Although Lemont hasn't trailed very often in conference play this season, coach Rick Prangen's side remained poised. The longtime league champions quickly responded with two scores to put it up for good and went on to capture a 5-1 victory for their ninth-straight win. Their hosts saw a 10-match victory run end.

Senior Emma Amberg scored Lemont's first two goals and added a third tally in the final minutes. Junior Ella Simpson assisted on the trio and helped on freshman Gabriel Kuruc’s second half-opening score.

The victor, which is ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Class AA Super 7 poll, was also the beneficiary of an own-goal that helped them claim a 3-1 halftime lead.

"Obviously this was an important win for us, because now we control who will win the conference this year," said Prangen, one of the few coaches in IHSA history who has won more than 400 girls matches and 300-plus boys matches. 

"The game did not start well for us, going down. We have only been in that position a few times this year. I was happy with the quick response to go back ahead fairly quickly. 

"We knew that Tinley Park would be highly motivated and be a very confident team, because of the season they are having. Teams that have been winning are confident and dangerous. I think it was good for us to have a game that was a must-win game. It helps to prepare you for the playoffs when all games are must-win games." 

Lemont (15-3-0, 10-0-0) also won a league home match 7-0 over Eisenhower on Saturday. In contrast, the team’s early-season record was 5-3-0 after suffering a 5-1 loss to Wheaton North (now the top-seed in the Class 3A South Elgin Sectional) in the Porter Cup on April 9. That’s when the losing stopped.

The current 10-match winning streak started with eight-straight shutouts.

Lemont’s other losses this season have come against Class 3A teams Lincoln-Way West and Glenbrook South. Wheaton North and Glenbrook South are ranked sixth and 10th respectively in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.

The long winning streak of Tinley Park (13-2-0, 9-1-0) came after its only previous defeat on the season -- a 3-0 loss to Providence on March 21. Because of that result, the Celtics received the top-seed and the Titans are second-seeded in the Class AA Kankakee Sectional.

Not surprisingly, Lemont's players were disappointed to see their shutout streak end so quickly in the big matchup. Tinley Park scored in the sixth minute when two of its top scorers, Kit Gormley and Gianna Butler, connected to give the hosts an early boost.

Tinley Park's advantage didn't last for long.

Simpson’s assist spree followed. She set up Amberg for the first of three times on a corner kick in the ninth minute. The pair next collaborated in the 11th minute and put their team up for good.

"We knew that they were going to come out strong today, because they've never beaten us before," Amberg said. "Lemont is always the team in the conference that teams are trying to beat. When they scored that first goal, it kind of gave everybody on the field a wake-up call. We got back in it and got a goal and then other scores back-to-back. 

"I think that our confidence has been growing a lot. We want to play those hard games. We lost to 3A schools, and I think the losses against those teams were a better learning experience than some of the wins that we've had in conference. 

“When I'm losing, I know exactly what I need to do to get better. We've been working on our set pieces, and I scored two headers off of those, so what we've been doing in practice has paid off. 

"The quality that I like the most about our team is that we're like a family outside of just playing soccer. We're doing so many team-bonding things. And the traditions that we've built have been getting us through our games, as well. You can't just be a team on the field, you have to be doing things off of the field to have that sense of connection."

The visitors expanded on their lead in the 22nd minute when sophomore Chase Bergeson got past several Titans before sending a cross to Kuruc, whose shot glanced off of a Titan defender and in for the third goal in the 13th minute. The 3-1 lead held into the second half.

"I think that we've been doing a really good job of connecting and making plays off of each other and playing the way that we want," Bergeson said. "The set pieces are always crucial, and the through-balls behind the backline are also really important. 

"That's our goal every year, to win conference. We're really close and we're covering for each other’s mistakes and accepting that not everyone's going to have a perfect touch. 

“I think that we've just gotten a lot better at knowing each other's movements and knowing where we want to pass and where we want to play it. We're excited to be at home for the sectional."

While Lemont offense continued to apply pressure throughout the final 40 minutes, its defense featuring seniors Daria Koslosky and 2023 all-stater Casey Kittridge, sophomore Ava DeMaio and freshmen Alexandra Chrisman and Isabella Bradac prevented junior keeper Lauren Tracy from having to face many threats from a Titans team that came into the match with 74 goals scored.

After Simpson and Gormley exchanged attempts to open the final half, Kuruc was denied on a pair of shots by keeper Maggie Stachowicz. The forward converted on her third good try of the second half when Simpson sent a pass to her and the freshman broke away to connect from close range in the 53rd minute to give Lemont a 4-1 lead.

Later, Amberg was denied by a defender, and Simpson was turned away on another free kick before Tinley Park countered with one of its best sequences of the final half. Tracy deflected a shot by Gormley that led to a corner kick. The forward sent a pass to Weed, who was subsequently turned away by the Lemont keeper.

Lemont freshman Ava Bergeson joined her sister Chase in the midfield along with Simpson to build up the attack. The visitors continued to get opportunities to add to its lead. Junior Sarah Shields was turned away and a try by Kuruc deflected off a defender before getting stopped by the Titans' keeper, who later punched away a long free kick from Kittridge.

Prangen’s club used a familiar formula to finish the seventh of eight matches in which they've scored five or more goals. The scoring frenzy includes the last six outings. Simpson and Amberg linked up for the third and final time on another corner kick, Amberg header capped her hat-trick and the game’s scoring in the 79th minute.

Tinley Park made note of the match.

"We were talking to our girls about losses that you hang your head," Titans coach Kelsey Neylon said. “And obviously there were regrets throughout the game and we could have done things better. But there's also things that we're proud of. 

“We're not proud of the score, per se, but more proud of the girls for battling. We're proud of them for scoring first, which is a victory in my mind. And just their no-quit, fight-to-the-end attitude. 

"It's been going well. It's good to have these challenging games, because we have goals for playoffs. Having these games, I think, is something to learn from and to build from. Having a challenge is good. They're gritty and are just like a family."

Lemont returns to the Village of Tinley Park for a matchup against the top-seed in the Class 3A Joliet Central Sectional, Andrew, on Monday. The regular-season closes will a home league match against T.F. United (co-op).

The ultimate goals for Lemont are to win its ninth sectional title since 2008 under Prangen and qualify for the IHSA finals to claim a seventh trophy. Each of those feats were last accomplished in 2018, when Lemont hosted a Class AA sectional at its soccer-only stadium. 

Seeded second in its own Class AA sectional behind Wheaton Academy, Lemont will compete in the St. Francis Regional. That title match is scheduled for May 18.

Starting lineups

Lemont
GK: Lauren Tracy
D: Daria Koslosky
D: Alexandra Chrisman
D: Ava DeMaio
D: Casey Kittridge
MF: Ava Bergeson
MF: Ella Simpson
MF: Chase Bergeson
F: Emma Amberg
F: Gabriela Kuruc
F: Annabella DeMaio

Tinley Park
GK: Maggie Stachowicz
D: Gracie Fitzgerald
D: Abigail Loulousis
D: Kaitlyn Whelan
D: Taylor Perkins
MF: Gianna Butler
MF: Addison Weed
MF: Gabriella Siano
MF: Zoey Hill
F: Alexandria Rocha
F: Kit Gormley

Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Emma Amberg, sr., F, Lemont
Ella Simpson, jr., MF, Lemont

Scoring summary

First half
Tinley Park: Gianna Butler (Kit Gormley), 6'
Lemont: Emma Amberg (Ella Simpson), 9'
Lemont: Emma Amberg (Ella Simpson), 11'
Lemont: own-goal, 22'

Second half
Lemont: Gabriela Kuruc (Ella Simpson), 53'
Lemont: Emma Amberg (Ella Simpson), 79'