Defending State Champs Lyons Soccer Roll Past Proviso West

With the IHSA playoff rankings released and the post-season swiftly approaching, the Lyons Township High School soccer squad needs as much in-game preparation as possible.

The Lions, earning a number two seed in the local sectional group, received such training at their home, West Fields—located on the corner of Cossit and Willow Springs avenues—on Tuesday as the reigning state champions overwhelmed Proviso West High School 5-1.

In what looked like an inter-squad match for most of the 80 minutes, LT dominated possession from the opening whistle and deservedly earned another conference triumph.

"Every win is important," senior defender Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr said. "We have to see what changes to make before the playoffs, so every game that could potentially be an eventual playoff game is big."

After coming close on several occasions, the home side went ahead midway through the first half through leading goal scorer senior Horacio Sanchez.

Lyons coach Paul Labbato commented on the added dimension Sanchez brings to the Lions' attack.

"When he's scoring goals, he's the most dangerous player on our team," Labbato said. "When his touches are on and he's seeing the game really well, that's when we're at our best."

Minutes later a Proviso hand ball in the 18 yard box was deemed intentional by the referee, and after senior outside midfielder David Ellis calmly stepped up to convert the penalty kick, the game looked out of reach for the Panthers.

Senior co-captain Kyle Kurfirst made sure the match was indeed put to bed before the halftime whistle with his fifth goal in three games.

The Panthers responded well after the break with a goal of their own, but following Sanchez's second strike of the afternoon—his twelfth goal of the season—and a sophomore Brett Heimerdinger half volley, the match was definitively settled.

Despite the success, Kralovec-Kirchherr believes there were some serious flaws in the team's performance.

"Today we just seemed disorganized all over," Kralovec- Kirchherr said. "I don't know what happened exactly, but we weren't on our marks and runs were getting through us. We just need to tighten things up and fix it."

Such mistakes will require attention quickly as the West Suburban Silver Conference leaders host division contender Oak Park- River Forest High School on Thursday.

"This is essentially a conference championship on Thursday, which is a big deal," Labbato said. "But more importantly, it lets us see where we stand as far as some of the good teams. [Oak Park] is that last team on our list where we'd like to match up and see how we do."

Senior midfielder and one of four co-captains Peter Gabrek concedes the match will bear special significance

"It's a big game," Gabrek said. "It's basically the conference championship, but it should be a good test to see if we can hold it together against a solid team in our conference. It's going to be important to get some quality opponents before the playoffs and hopefully we can continue playing at a high level.

The meeting between the two soccer powerhouses is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the West Fields in La Grange on Oct. 7.