Lyons Soccer Clinches Conference Championship

In almost any game, there is always somebody that makes an argument about an official's refereeing capabilities, or lack thereof.

In Lyons Township High School's 2-1 victory at York Community High School Tuesday night, however, nearly all the spectators were left unhappy with the infrequency of the ref's whistle, allowing for hostility to breed on the field.

"For the last three days, we talked about not allowing this [game] to get emotional," Lyons head coach Paul Labbato said. "We're going to try and make sure that it's not us retaliating, and we did a good job of calming down and playing the game out."

LT senior goalkeeper Jeremiah Enright attributes to the Lions' composed play to Labbato's example.

"[Labbato's] pre-game speech was to keep our mouths shut and to not say anything," Enright said. "We kept our kids already carded kids quiet, and we just kept our heads in the game to win."

With its triumph, LTHS (16-1-2) claims its second conference championship in as many years, solidifying the program's reputation as an elite Illinois soccer power.

"It's a goal that these kids work for, and I'm pretty happy that they were able to achieve that goal," Labbato said. "But a lot of bigger things are coming. We have a big game tomorrow, and we move on."

LT moves on from a controversial match, as complaints with the referees from parents and students could be heard throughout the match. Amidst the suspect officiating, Lyons could be considered unfortunate to only win by a single score.

The highly criticized field referee did, however, make a critical call in the first half when he awarded the Lions a penalty kick, which junior standout Elliot Borge took to make the score 2-1.

Borge scored the first goal of the affair, and of his brace, within 10 minutes before the Dukes equalized on a contact-filled scramble inside the 6 yard box.

Junior center back Matt Thomas commented on Borge's impact on the squad.

"[Borge] brings a maturity to the team," Thomas said. "He keeps us cool, he keeps us focused and he keeps us going."

Borge-- who scored in the Lions' 3-2 win against Argo High School on Friday—has again proved his worth in 2010, contributing strong performances in crucial matches this season.

"We have four or five guys that can take over on any particular night," Labbato said. "The last few nights it's been [Borge], before that it was [senior Kyle Kurfirst], and a few nights before that it was [senior Horacio Sanchez]. It's nice to have interchangeable big-game guys."

The referee exerted his control again in the final five minutes of the match, as a rash challenge followed by a minor physical altercation led to a York red card, sealing the Dukes' fate.

Lyons matches up with Lockport High School at Bennet Field tomorrow at 4:30 before the regular season concludes Saturday morning with another home match against Benet Academy High School.

Enright believes winning the final two matches is still important to the squad, despite the conference title and playoff seeds having been determined.

"[Winning] will give us good momentum going into the playoffs," Enright said. "It will keep us on a high note for the rest of the season.