Lyons Township girls soccer coach Bill Lanspeary realizes there is only so much he can do these days with the weather conditions.
After a number of cancellations last week due to the poor conditions, Lyons was able to get back on the field Saturday and earn a 1-0 victory over Oswego in consolation play of the Pepsi Showdown at Concordia University in River Forest.
Ali Todhunter recorded the game’s lone goal off an assist from Kelsey Holbert.
“This wasn’t our best effort,” Lanspeary said. “The rain and cold didn’t help, but we just didn’t seem focused or have the intensity.
“Oswego played a flat back four and the offside trap. We struggled to figure out how to beat it.
“The few times we did and got around the keeper, we sent the ball wide of the open goal. They really sat back, compressed the field and made it tough for us to execute offensively.”
Oswego played with one forward and any attack it had was because of a defensive breakdown by the Lions.
“The Pepsi Showdown was a great experience for our kids,” Lanspeary said. “The competition was good, and it’s nice to get a chance to play teams that we wouldn’t normally play.
“But the weather has been miserable. It’s made it tough to get quality practices in. Luckily, we’ve been able to play all of our games on turf so far.”
Lyons has a big week ahead. After battling Hinsdale Central on Tuesday (after deadline), the Lions will take on St. Charles East and Naperville North in the opening round of the Naperville Invitational.
“The Hinsdale Central game is huge, because we haven’t played that many games up to this point,” Lanspeary said. “We think we belong in the top three with Downers South and Oak Park. The game (on Tuesday night) will go a long way to determining the order.”
Oak Park defeated Hinsdale Central 1-0 last week, while Downers South knocked off the Red Devils last month.
Todhunter and Katie Nasenbenny are LT’s leading scorers thus far with four goals apiece, while Holbert now has two goals and five assists.
