It’s playoff time, and the players from Riverside-Brookfield and Oak Lawn will be amped up heading into Monday night’s 7 p.m. Class 3A Lyons Regional semifinal match.
The postseason can bring unpredictability and that is certainly the case when the teams take the stadium turf at Lyons Western Springs campus.
Riverside-Brookfield assistant coach Kevin Gawne said his team is ready to go.
“Honestly, we don’t know too much about Oak Lawn,” said Gawne. “It looks like they have had a nice season at 12-6-0.
“Our game plan will be the same. We’re going to go out there tonight, play R-B soccer and execute to the best of our abilities.”
The Bulldogs enter the game as the number seven-seed in the Hinsdale Central Sectional, while the Spartans were rated as the 11th-seed.
All of Oak Lawn’s defeats came in South Suburban Conference play. They’re undefeated out of conference, and have played a stingy brand of soccer all season.
Riverside-Brookfield has been in a ton of close contests. The Bulldogs have scored 55 goals on the year and conceded 39.
The team has played a a rollercoaster campaign, but excelled in the Metro Suburban Conference and emerged as co-champions with a 5-1-x mark.
The team reached its pinnacle mid-season, when it won six-consecutive games. During that stretch, the Bulldogs outscored the opposition 40-6.
They enter the postseason on a three-match losing streak but should be toughened by the experience. The defeats came against solid sides Fenwick, Morton and Downers Grove South.
Gawne said the Riverside-Brookfield’s points are “spread out pretty evenly” between seniors Niamh Larson, Madison Bisiules and Hazel Hall, junior Ella Caputo and sophomore MIchelle Panduro.
“Honestly,” said Gawne, “everyone has been playing well and contributing. Our captains (Larson, Bisiules and Hall) have set a good example and have taken charge offensively.”
Oak Lawn coach John Faro said that his team has not played against Riverside-Brookfield in recent years, but he definitely expects a difficult match.
“I know that they finished conference play strong,” said Faro, “and did well against our common opponents.”
Faro pointed out his outstanding contributors in 2024.
“Many girls have stepped up and played different positions of need due to injuries and such,” he said. “Our senior captain Ashley Marquez leads the team in goals with 15, and our junior captains Sinead Conroy and Cassandra Gutierrez each have five goals and help run our system through the midfield.
“Our record (this year) is the best it’s been in over a decade, and our girls have been working hard during training sessions. That’s shown in the matches.
“Until recently most (players in the program) have not played organized soccer, let alone club soccer, so we are often teaching basic skills and technical development.
“Our program has grown a lot in the past two seasons with more girls coming in with soccer experience, and those who are participating in club in the off-season.”
Riverside-Brookfield’s overall record striding into Monday’s match is 12-7-2.
“The season has been good for us,” said Gawne. “We were champions of the Glenbard South Invitational, and co-champions of the Metro Suburban.
“We are meeting our goals and continuing to improve as a team. We have played some pretty tough nonconference competition which always helps us better prepare for the playoffs.”
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