Orlowski lifts Lyons to finals

Updated: April 25, 2011 6:22AM

Trying to catch the ball in howling winds and pouring rain is a difficult chore for any goalkeeper, especially in the crucible of a penalty kick shootout, but Lyons junior Maggie Orlowski was up to the task on Saturday.

As a result, the Lions will be playing in the Pepsi Showdown championship game for the first time.

After making two saves in regulation and two more in overtime, Orlowski made another in the shootout to help Lyons to a 1-0 victory over Glenbrook South in semifinal action at Olympic Park in Schaumburg. The Lions (9-1-1) will face Loyola (10-0-2) in Sunday's final at Toyota Park.

"The rain is hard, the ball is slippery, the wind was atrocious, but we played through it and we got through it," Orlowski said. "You've just got to stay mentally tough, stay in it and do your best."

Glenbrook South (6-4), which has shut out its last six opponents and has not given up a goal in the run of play in 566 minutes, found itself in a bad spot when Sara Meinecke opened the shootout by hitting the left post.

Sarah Snow and April Cronin converted their penalty kicks but then Orlowski stopped senior Kathryn Ficho. Ficho, thinking Orlowski would dive to either side, shot the ball right down the middle but Orlowski stayed home.

"I was glad I got it in front of me and kept it in front of me," Orlowski said. "[On penalty kicks] I've just got to follow the ball and I did my best."

Following Orlowski's save, senior defender Elise Gordon fired the clinching penalty into the upper right corner of the net.

"I tried not to think about it too much," said Gordon, who has been battling a sore right hamstring. "I just kind of wanted to go up there and just put it away. I've been practicing taking PKs and it definitely paid off. The team played so well, so it's great to get that win."

Mackie Furlong, Kelsey Holbert and Juliet Lusson also made their shots for the Lions, who have won five straight games, all by shutout, and have blanked nine opponents this spring.

"This next step is a big one for us," said Orlowski, who has yet to allow a goal in the tournament. "Our eyes have been on that prize since the beginning of the year and we're just so excited to be there."

The Lions nearly won the game at the end of regulation when the dangerous Holbert, a Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit, was fouled hard outside the top of the box. Holbert's 25-yard free kick went through the wall but Titans goalie Kelsey Byers dove to her left to make the save as time expired.

Fifth-seeded Lyons will be a slight underdog against No. 3 seed Loyola, which won the 2009 title at Toyota Park and was a semifinalist last year. But that's okay with the Lions, who upset top-seeded and previously unbeaten New Trier 2-0 on the road in the quarterfinals.

"I think we were a little underrated coming into this season," Gordon said. "We lost some great players [from] last year. That was what a lot of people were worried about but the younger players have been stepping up and I think we just work really well as a team. We work hard and it's been a really fun season so far."

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