Lyons Township shocks Neuqua Valley in sectional final
Of all the top-notch teams Neuqua Valley played in the Class 3A playoffs this season, perhaps the last team the Wildcats wanted to see was Lyons Twp.
"The toughest thing in sports is beating a team a third time, because they know how you play," senior forward Scott Davis said. "They were really angry that we beat them the first two times."
"We were, I don't want to say nervous, but skeptical about playing Lyons for a third time," senior defender Keegan Balle added. "They're a great team, and tonight I don't know what it was. Maybe they outworked us, outplayed us, but I thought we did a lot of things right, a lot of things good. We just didn't make enough plays and they capitalized when they got their opportunity. That's what beat us today."
Lyons Twp. combined outstanding play from goalkeeper Sully Fox and his defenders and a 60th-minute goal from Horacio Sanchez to upset the No. 2-ranked team in the nation 1-0, handing the Wildcats (27-1-1) their only loss of the season in Tuesday's Class 3A Benedictine supersectional.
The Neuqua Valley game plan was to send long balls over the top of the Lyons Twp. defense, looking for space to go at Fox. But his back line usually seemed to have an answer to that attack, and Fox controlled his penalty area well when the Wildcats could get close.
"Sully comes up with some great saves, great punch-aways, getting it in his hands," Lions coach Paul Labbato said. "...(Neuqua) is so good, and they've had such a great season, and it's unfortunate that this game had to happen here at the final eight."
"We moved the ball like we wanted to, it came down to we just couldn't make any plays, and you've got to give credit to Lyons," Davis added. "They got an opportunity and they put it in. We just couldn't find the back of the net, just couldn't find that final pass."
The Lions' goal came off a free kick from Zach Pearsall, with Sanchez heading it in. Neuqua had tried to be patient in its attack to that point, possessing the ball well, but the goal forced the Wildcats to find a greater sense of urgency the final 20 minutes.
"Then all of a sudden here it comes and they're doing everything that they're used to doing," Labbato said. "The defense held strong."
"Whenever I got the ball I never got time to move or turn on them or run at their defense," Davis added. "You've got to give them credit for that. Their defense played outstanding."
Neuqua's best chance to tie the game came in the 76th minute, when the Lions were whistled for a hand ball that appeared to have occurred a yard inside their penalty area. Instead of a penalty kick, Neuqua Valley was awarded a free kick from the top of the box, and Lyons Twp. defended it well.
"A great season," Balle said. "We wanted to make it to state obviously, but one loss over 29 games, you can't argue with that."
"Our sport's cruel sometimes," Neuqua Valley coach Tony Kees said. "It doesn't always reward the better team. And LT is good enough where - I'm not going to say that they didn't deserve to win, because they did, they made a play and we didn't. End of story."