Girls soccer: McKenna header sends Lyons past Hinsdale Central in showdown of unbeatens
Lyons Township junior Caroline McKenna is one of the anchors of a defense that has been nearly impossible to get past this season.
Now opponents have to worry about stopping her at the other end.
McKenna scored her second goal in as many games Tuesday and this one proved to be the first game-winner of her career.
Star striker Katie O'Malley, an Illinois State recruit, served a corner kick in from the right side and McKenna rose up and headed the ball inside the right post with 16 minutes remaining. That was enough to give the Lions a 1-0 victory over rival Hinsdale Central in a key West Suburban Conference Silver Division match at Dickinson Field.
"It's just super exciting," McKenna said. "This is a really high-energy, high emotions game, so to put one away in a game like this is just amazing.
"It was a great ball from Katie, too."
The battle of unbeatens lived up to its billing as the Lions (11-0, 2-0) and Red Devils (7-1-2, 1-1) fought each other to a defensive standstill in the first half until the visitors began to take control in the second half.
O'Malley had taken five previous corner kicks, all from the left side, before taking her first one from the right side.
"I'm a lefty, so on the right side it's more of an in-swinger, so it goes a little more directly in the middle," O'Malley said. "So it helps being on that side."
It also helps the Lions to have an aggressive player like McKenna in the box on such set pieces.
"Caroline is always the one I look to because she's not afraid to head the ball," O'Malley said. "They played a man zone, so it kind of made it easier for us to run around and get open.
"So seeing her in the box, I tried to get it in the middle where she would be."
O'Malley got it there and McKenna headed it home.
"She's aggressive and strong in the air, so she likes getting into that mix," Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary said. "We wanted to get some bodies in there, create some havoc and see what happens, and she was in the right place at the right time."
McKenna and fellow defenders Chandler Lay, Avery Wengerd and Brennan Israel also seem to always be in the right place at the right time at the other end of the field, too. They allowed only two shots against the Red Devils and goalkeeper Sara Schnicker had to make one routine save in recording LT's 10th shutout of the season.
The Lions have allowed just one goal so far.
"I think our communication and our chemistry is just top notch this year," McKenna said. "Everyone is talking to each other and we're all working super-duper hard, we're marking our players really well.
"That's the key. The chemistry as a back line is super duper good."
The Red Devils weren't quite as good but still played tough in holding the third-ranked Lions without a goal in the run of play. Freshman goalkeeper Katherine Skinner made six saves and freshmen Addie Krogstie and Adrianna Giannini helped the back line hold O'Malley and Caroline Mortonson at bay for much of the match.
"I would say probably for 60 to 65 minutes of that game, we were severely evenly matched," Hinsdale Central coach Tony Madonia said. "We talked a lot about how we've got to go out there and play with pride.
"Obviously the Xs and Os are important too, but (assistant) coach (Mike) Gross and I always talk about what it means to be able to compete in a match like that. There's not much more I can ask for out of the girls."