LT suffers tough loss to rival Hinsdale Central

Senior James Brenson emerged as one of the leading scorers on the Lyons Township boys soccer team this season.

He just wishes he could have found the back of the net Oct. 29.

Hinsdale Central put an end to the Lions' season for the second year in a row with a 1-0 victory in the Class 3A St. Ignatius Sectional semifinals in Chicago.

"It's disappointing," Brenson said. "We came out to win and I thought we could've beaten them. You just want to play your hardest as a senior in your last season, but sometimes it just doesn't happen."

No. 3 seed Hinsdale Central (17-6-2) beat top-seeded Morton in the sectional final Friday and played Neuqua Valley in the Lisle Super-Sectional Tuesday for a chance at a state berth.

The Red Devils scored with about 17 minutes remaining in the first half when Robert LaRocque headed in a free kick from Cameron Legan, and the goal held up against the No. 2-seeded Lions.

LT (15-5-2) also lost to the Red Devils 1-0 in overtime Sept. 23, but ended up tying York for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division championship, with Hinsdale Central taking third.

"We give up one free kick header for a goal and that's the end of the season," said LT coach Paul Labbato, whose team lost to Hinsdale Central 1-0 in last season's LT Sectional final. "I thought we came out in the second half and did a good job of possessing the ball and trying to get in. They're just very difficult to score on. They defend as well as anyone. It's very difficult to get chances and then when you do, you have to beat Sean Donovan, who is an all-state caliber goalkeeper."

The shutout was the 15th of the season for Hinsdale Central, which broke the program record of 14 set last season.

LT had a couple of quality scoring opportunities, including when Chris Meingast corralled a ball that Hinsdale Central wasn't able to clear on a corner kick and fired a shot that sailed just over the crossbar with 10:35 left in the first half.

In the second half, Stefan Luetkehans had a header in front of the goal that Donovan easily stopped, and Zach Pearsall hit a rocket shot over the crossbar from long range.

LT junior goalkeeper Sullivan Fox came up with numerous clutch saves to keep the Lions within striking distance.

"It's hard for everybody right now, but we had a very good year," Labbato said. "This was a special team. We had one rough week and today. Those are really the only losses that have come our way. Overall, it was a very strong season."

Brenson finished the season with seven goals to tie senior Kyle Magnesen and sophomore Horacio Sanchez, while Luetkehans had five goals and six assists.

"With a lot of the seniors last year leaving, a lot of players just had to step up," Brenson said of his increased production. "We knew we had to keep it going to make the season a success. We started out a little shaky, but we made a few changes and had a good mental focus. We ended up winning a lot of our games in the last part of the season."

Brenson is one of 11 seniors that will graduate, along with Magnesen, Luetkehans, Jake Mannos, Sam Gabrek, David Thomas, Todd Shinall, Peter Molnar, Zach Jellish, Alex Molnar and Mike Moberg.

"I can't tell you how much these seniors meant," Labbato said. "They've just worked so hard for four years and the past two with me have just been wonderful. They're great kids and they deserved a (positive) result. We have a lot of really good juniors, sophomores and freshmen coming through, so we'll see what happens."