A day after finding a slot on ESPN’s Powerade Fab 50 Rankings — at No. 47 in the nation — the OPRF soccer team found itself not in the mood to celebrate. The Huskies endured a 1-0 loss to Lyons Township early last week that wiped out a shot at claiming the West Suburban (Silver) Conference title and concluded a home field win-streak that stretched back to the 2009 season.
The good news is, OPRF could see Lyons again late in the Class 3A playoffs.
Kevin Shaw’s header at the 33:02 mark of the second half ended up being the game winner for the Lions, who captured their third-straight conference championship.
OPRF held their ground against Lyons, a team it has yet to earn a win against spanning four years now. The Huskies (17-3-1) outshot the Lions 9-3 in the second half.
“We played well and had chances, but just did not have the high intensity we have had in the past few games,” said OPRF head coach Paul Wright, who added that the loss could be a perfect motivator for his team with the playoffs beginning this week. “It provides a reality check that we do not have next year for our seniors, and that you can play a pretty good game but still lose.”
Lyons Township, a formidable team that made it to the Pepsi Showdown title game earlier this season before falling to Libertyville 2-1 in overtime, is someone OPRF could very well face again this season.
The Huskies, the No. 1 seed in the Hinsdale Central Sectional, were scheduled to begin the Class 3A playoffs against either Whitney Young (17th seed) or Curie (16) on Tuesday, Oct. 18 (after print deadline) at Downers Grove South (6 p.m.). A win would likely pit them against the host on Oct. 21 in the regional championship.
Assuming they make it out of the regional, the Huskies will likely encounter some familiar teams in the sectional. OPRF could face conference foe Hinsdale Central on the Red Devils’ home field in the sectional semifinal on Oct. 25 (7 p.m.). In a match in late September, it took a game-winning goal by OPRF’s Gian Luca LoCasto in overtime to topple the Red Devils 2-1.
Looming beyond the sectional semifinal is likely to be either No. 2 seed Morton or No. 3 seed Lyons, who will have to first duke it out in the other sectional semifinal.
The Huskies closed out the regular season on Friday at home with a 5-1 victory over Nazareth, which is led by former OPRF soccer coach Doug Hunt.