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Katie Ellsworth

Lyons Township defeated the girls’ varsity soccer team 1-0 in the conference championship game. 

Parents, students, and even past players supported Central yesterday. Fans were seen in red body paint and code red t-shirt, holding signs. 

Central has defeated LT in the past and are hoping to play them again this season. 

“It was a bit disappointing to lose because we had beaten them 3 times in a row,” said Meghan Schick, senior. “However, we will most likely have a chance to see them in the playoffs in sectionals.” 

The first half was slow, but the game picked up speed toward the end. Throughout the entire first half, the game was tied 0-0. Central and LT barely had any shots on goal, however, the opportunities LT created usually ended in shots on goal. Central was able to recover quickly, as many defenders cleared these opportunities out of the box. 

Alex Otto, senior, headed the ball out of the box. She also sent long passes up the field. Defensively, the team worked well together and used each other to bring the ball to the offensive side. The possession and plays created by defense were effective and successful.  

Other strong defenders included Christa Kuhlman, senior, who always sprinted to players and cleared the ball from the opposing team. She also had a clean slide tackle, regaining possession of the ball.

Even though there were limited shots on goal, Central was able to make plays and break through LT’s strong defense. One specific play occurred when Maeve McLaughlin, junior, played a through ball to Kaitlyn Livingston, junior. Livingston was then able to take defenders one on one and go to goal. However, having only a few shots on goal hurt the team in the end because they did not create opportunities for themselves. 

“We stuck to our system, but ran into some problems when trying to finish,” said Lily Chetosky, senior and team captain.  

The few opportunities LT had almost ended up in goals. At one point in the first half, Riley Glenn, senior and goalkeeper, came out to attack the ball. She ended up being defeated, but luckily defense was able to take over and clear the ball out of the box. 

The defense proved to be strong in the first half, holding a tie throughout. Central proved their desire to win in the second half, and LT came out with the same intensity with a shot on goal in the first minute of the half.  

Central came out strong and possessed the ball quickly. The team was also more aggressive in the second half. In result, LT was awarded free kicks, which gave them more opportunities for shots on goal. 

Central had more shots on goal during the second half. There was strong passing between players that lead to a shot on the ground. 

Near the middle of the second half, the pace of the game slowed down, and LT gained possession of the ball. When Central did gain possession, it was only to clear the ball out of bounds. 

Schick felt they could improve upon finding open teammates and “just continuing to play our style.”

With 10 minutes left in the game, LT took the ball down the field and defeated the goalie. They then proceeded to score the only goal of the game. During the last 10 minutes of game, Central picked up the pace and had more shots on goal. Schick had a good through ball to Alison Cerny, senior. Cerny was able to get a shot off of this pass, but it went right over the top of the goal. 

Though Central played a tough game, the team was not able to bring home a win. 

“I’m 100 percent sure we could have walked off that field with a win, but that’s soccer,” Chetosky said. “It only takes that one mistake to change a game. I’m proud of the way our girls played today. We’ve come along way and are hoping to see LT again during Sectionals so we can end their season.”