By Olivia Bent-Cole

For Lane Tech, winning a city championship may seem routine. 

Lane secured a 3-1 win against Whitney Young in the CPL city championship at Hanson Stadium on May 13th, winning its 11th consecutive city title.

“Sometimes people kind of expect, ‘Oh yeah, Lane’s gonna win,’ but it’s not always just boom — Lane wins. We have to work hard for that,” said senior forward Caitlyn Shane. “We want to continue that legacy, but also make a name for ourselves and leave our own mark.” 

Head coach Sean Harkness said that mindset starts in practice, where Lane works to balance maintaining a competitive edge with preserving their team chemistry.

“They do a good job of balancing the intensity, but also keeping it fun and light,” said Harkness. “You’re only going to get ready for really intense, tough games like this if you are like that in training.”

With just four minutes into the game,  Shane scored the first goal of the game and her third of the season.   

Shane emphasized that capturing another city championship is something Lane wants to continue fighting for. “It’s a combination of continuing that, but also being our own team and being our unique group of individuals,” said Shane. 

Shane will now pass the torch to younger players like freshman Olivia Winters, who have already begun to make their mark on the field.

Winters knocked in two goals to solidify the win for the Champions. 

“It’s amazing to contribute to the team,” said Winters. 

With Winters being one of four freshmen on varsity, she is in a unique spot to contribute and learn from her teammates.

Harkness said Winters has grown throughout the season by taking more initiative, even as one of the younger players on the team. 

 “At first, it was a bit intimidating coming in with a lot of seniors, but I think it’s awesome to contribute and play my part,” said Winters. 

A major part of Lane’s championship came from the trust built between goalkeeper Avery Beitel and her teammates. As a goalie, Beitel is not always actively in the action, but her view of the entire field makes her voice one of the most important on the team. 

Harkness said Beitel’s communication from the back line helps keep Lane organized, especially in high-pressure situations. 

“The communication keeps everybody together,” said Harkness. “She has done such a good job being that vocal leader that we need.”

“I totally trust my entire team. Defense, offense — I know that we can produce goals, I know that we can stop their forwards,” said Beitel.

For Shane, that communication is key. 

“It makes all of us more confident in ourselves, and then we can all, as a team, trust each other more,” she said. “When she’s telling us those things, we know to listen because she can see the whole field.” 

With 13 minutes left in the second half, the Dolphins’ Ana Senuta was able to sneak one past Beitel on a penalty kick for her team’s lone goal of the game. 

Even after the goal, Harkness said Beitel’s voice helped Lane stay connected. 

“When Whitney scored the goal, having her being vocal and talking from the back, keeping everybody together, sometimes it just takes that,” said Harkness. 

With the program’s championship secured, the Lane manager and his team prepared to make another deep run into the state playoffs and hoped to make it to the state’s final weekend at North Central College for the second consecutive season. 

“Its just sticking together and learning from today,” Harkness said. “We’d like to make a deep run again.”

Unfortunately, the team fell short of its goal, falling to New Trier in the sectional semifinals, ending their season with an impressive 16-6-1 mark.

Photos by Ashley Harris/OSA