Girls Soccer: Hinsdale Central Tops Lyons for Sectional Championship

Casey May scored a goal 38 seconds into Hinsdale Central's match against Lyons Township in the sectional championship Friday night and added another early on to lead the Red Devils to a 3-1 win against its rival. 

We talked about, from the beginning of the match, that we had to impose our style on them," Hinsdale Central coach Michael Smith said. "We wanted to play with agressiveness. It gave us a great cushion."

Central (16-3-3) will face Sandburg at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Lewis University supersectional in Romeoville. LT finished the season 16-5-2.

The Red Devils controlled the pace for much of the first half, but Lyons' Catherine King nailed a beautiful kick. 

"That's a world-class kick," Smith said. "Amazing shot," Lyons coach Bill Lanspeary added. 

It was 2-1 at the half, and it would stay that way until the final minutes. Hinsdale Central was playing a bit more frantic, giving LT some scoring opportunities. But they couldn't connect on several free and corner kicks.  

LT tried to push the ball upfield to tie the game late, but Jenn Jarmy got the ball and outran two Lions defenders to seal the game with a goal, making it 3-1 for good with 2:40 remaining. 

"We dug ourselves a hole there," Lanspeary said. "But we fought back, and I give our kids credit for that. We tried to make some adjustments, but it wasn't enough. This team exceeded our expectations. I can't say enough about our seniors." 

Smith said his players were excited to get the sectional win after losing 3-2 to Downers Grove South in the sectional title last season. But the win over Lyons is always special, he said. 

"It's Hinsdale Central-LT. You throw out seeds," he said. "It's a rivalry. It's special, it's magical. These girls grow up knowing the rivalry."