Lions top Rams in 4th annual Pink Out game
By Gary Larsen

CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME

Former players Katie Nasenbenny, Steph Condon, and Kelsey Holbert may have moved on from Lyons Township’s soccer program, but they helped leave a wonderful legacy behind.

LT held its fourth annual ‘Pink Out’ day on Saturday, when they hosted Glenbard East for a friendly and spent another week leading up to the game raising money for the Karen Dove Cabral Foundation, which provides financial assistance to young women -- particularly young mothers -- with breast cancer.

Karen Dove Cabral passed away in 2007 after a six-year battle with breast cancer. In four years, Pink Out week at LT has raised $20,000. Karen’s parents were present in LaGrange Park for Saturday’s event.”

“Mr. (Bob) Dove came over and talked to the girls at halftime,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said. “He’s a Glenbard East alum, and he put it in perspective for our girls. Yeah, we want to win and it’s important, but the big picture is why we’re out here today.”

Four years ago, former Lions Nasenbenny, Condon, and Holbert returned from a Pink Out weekend during a recruiting trip to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, “and when they got back they said ‘we’ve got to do something like that’,” LT coach Bill Lanspeary said.

“Our assistant coach was a college roommate of Karen’s husband so we already had a connection to the foundation. That’s how it started.”

The pervasiveness of breast cancer also makes the cause hit home for fans and players alike.

“My aunt had breast cancer so it means something to me on a personal level, and everyone in our community knows someone who has it or has had it,” LT senior Ari Kowalski said. “It’s really great to help out. It’s fun to raise money for a cause like this.”

To the game at hand, Lyons Township (11-4-2) won 2-1 over visiting Glenbard East (9-5-4), getting a pair of goals from Emily Lange and another blue-collar effort put in by defenders CC Holbert, Sarah Drew, Catherine King, and Grace Nasenbenny, with Liza Gabrek in front of the back four and keeper Lidia Breen behind them.

Saturday’s shutout was the 8th of the season for the Lions.

“They’ve really limited teams’ opportunities and they did that again today,” Lanspeary said of his defensive crew. “I thought we played one of our better games today. We were connecting passes and combining and our backs have played well all year.”

Kowalski agreed.

“I thought we did well possessing the ball,” Kowalski said. “We really turned it on for our biggest crowd of the year. We decided to have our best game today. We’ve got two more (regular-season) games but this is a good way to bring it into the end of the season.”

Kowalski found a shot five minutes in and Abbie Pasquinelli did the same at eight minutes, with East keeper Veronica Fairbairn saving both. At 13 minutes, Fairbairn sprawled to save a Liza Gabrek shot taken from 18 yards out on the right side.

But the Lions capped their early pressure with a goal at 14 minutes, which began with a Grace Nasenbenny throw-in, deep on the right side. Erin Fitzgerald flicked the ball to Emily Lange, who took a touch to her left and fired from 16 yards out.

LT had more of the ball throughout the contest, using its superior size and physicality well against a Rams team that sees plenty of that during its DuPage Valley Conference season.

“You just have to man up and go hard against them,” Rams sophomore Maria Berrum said of handling physical play against bigger opponents. “And you can’t give up. You have to keep going and keep fighting.”

“We’re used to it but the only difference is that we’re out two starters on our defense,” Overbey said. “We had to mover our outside defenders, Corie Ewoldt and Maria Berrum, to the inside. Then Taylor (Hallcox) dropped to the outside in back from midfield, and Jourdan Ewoldt stepped in on the other side.

“So we’re shuffling all around but we just told the girls that we’d love to see Lyons Township again in the regional.”

The Rams open regional play against Downers Grove North, while the Lions open against Addison Trail on May 14. Should the Lions and Rams meet again, a regional title will be on the line.

In the final minute before halftime, Fairbairn made a tremendous diving stop of a Fitzgerald shot, going parallel to her right to swat it over the endline and keep her side within a goal of equalizing.

Rams second-half keeper Haley Lydon also made a handful of quality saves, on shots taken by King and Grace Salvino.

“Haley Lydon stepped in in the second half because Veronica is a little banged up, and she did a very nice job,” Overbey said. “We’re very fortunate in that we have two sophomore goalies – Rachel Anderson is the other – and along with Veronica they’re very solid. They’ve made Veronica better and she has been a great example for them in terms of work ethic and how to go about things.”

LT got its second goal when Gabbie Gresge made a run up the left flank and crossed a ball to the far side at 73 minutes. Kristen Janicki was there to send it back across to Lange, whose low shot from 18 yards out hit the post on the left side and went in past a diving Lydon.

Lanspeary was happy to see Janicki get the assist on the play.

“Kristen Janicki has been coming back off an ACL (injury) and I’d say this was the first game where she looked real comfortable out there,” Lanspeary said. “It worked out well because we lost Margaret Lynch for the season against Hinsdale (Central). So we’re losing a player but we’re lucky to be getting one back.

Kowalski and Abbie Pasquinelli were instrumental in helping LT control the midfield. The Indiana-bound Kowalski was on the backline for three seasons at LT before Lanspeary moved her up into the midfield.

“We needed her there. She’s so good on the ball and we needed a player like that in the middle to help settle us down, really control things, and know when we can go forward and transition, and she’s obviously good defensively,” Lanspeary said. “And Abbie has played very well since we dropped her back into the midfield.  She’ll play up top for us, too, but she’s been very good in the midfield going forward.”

Overbey was also pleased with the efforts that Berrum and Corie Ewoldt provided in moving from outside to central defenders. Berrum was happy to oblige.

“I started as a forward, a keeper, now a defender – I’ll play anywhere,” Berrum said. “(Overbey) asked me where I played for my club team and we just went with it.”
The Rams host West Aurora on Tuesday in their final regular-season game and get a week off to heal up before squaring off with DG North in a Class 3A regional semifinal, hosted by Lyons Township.

The Lions play Oak Park and River Forest Tuesday at home before traveling to Rolling Meadows for a regular season finale on Thursday, then hosting Addison Trail in their regional opener.
“It’s a pretty cohesive group that thinks we have a shot,” Lanspeary said of this year’s Lions. “We’ve played many of the top teams and we feel like we’re competitive and we’re ready.

“Our sectional got tougher since they sent the Wheatons out here. Wheaton North and Wheaton South are in our sectional, and York is very good. York, Hinsdale, us – we may be the top three (seeds) but there are four other teams that can beat you, for sure.”