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Sports

Still Undefeated, LTHS Soccer Squad Focuses on Pepsi Showdown at Toyota Park

The team is coming off a victory over St. Charles and a tie with St. Viator.

Lyons Township High School varsity boys soccer continued their undefeated streak with a 4-3 mid-week defeat of St. Charles East High School, and a 1-1 draw with reigning class 2A state champions St. Viator High School on Sept. 3.

The Lions met St. Charles on Sept. 1 at the North Campus West Fields, at the corner of Cossitt Avenue and Willow Springs Road, and after going down 2-0 early, they appeared to be worn out from a trying match against powerhouse rival Neuqua Valley high school the previous Saturday.

But LT bounced back to secure the 4-3 victory, with goals from seniors Horacio Sanchez and Alex Economou, junior Kovas Zygas, and an one goal off a throw-in from senior Peter Kralovec-Kirchherr.

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Going against St. Viator, LT was without star midfielder Peter Gabrek, who was given a red card in the roller-coaster win over St. Charles. It was the second red card shown to an LT player in four games.

Despite that loss, Lyons went ahead within five minutes thanks to Kyle Kurfirst's close range strike. The first half ended 1-1, however, as St. Viator snatched an equalizer mid-way through the half.

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A drawn out and balanced second half saw neither team go close to making the breakthrough, and in the end, a tie was the deserved result for both sides.

Now, the Lions look toward their Sept. 7 home game—the first qualification match for the Pepsi Showdown, the annual Illinois tournament with the championship played at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, home of the Chicago Fire.

In 2009, LTHS met Neuqua Valley in the final at Toyota Park, only to fall 2-1 in overtime.

Nevertheless, the 2010 campaign bears a clean slate, and Coach Paul Labbato acknowledges the fact that the competition is important to the program.

"Any time that you can lure playing at Toyota Park for a trophy, it's a goal," Labbato said.

The Lions, who touted a 24-3 regular season record last year, have begun this year in near perfect fashion, improving on corresponding results from last year and optimizing their potential early in the season. One boost for the team comes in the example set by the returning players.

"You have to have kids who are committed," Labbato said. "We have Lyons Township on our shirts, and the fact that the seniors have maintained such a high amount of leadership and work ethic is great."

Senior David Ellis said the squad needs to work on team play.

 "We have some really good players, but sometimes it takes going down one or two goals to get us playing," Ellis said. "We need to play hard from the start."

Despite LT's need for moderate improvement, the fan support provided by the Lion's Den student section inspired the squad during the match.

"The fan support is overwhelming," Ellis said. "They help us win each and every one of our games."

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