Carmel's sudden strike overcomes Benet
Late 1st-half goal reaffirms Corsairs' ESCC supremacy
By Dave Owen
MUNDELEIN -- When Benet and Carmel square off on the soccer field, even the slightest miscue or tick of the clock can make all the difference.
That was maybe never more true than in Saturday’s showdown for the East Suburban Catholic Conference title.
The Redwings and Corsairs played even soccer except for one play, and it happened in the usually harmless last 30 seconds of the first half.
On a nice send to the top of the box by Kayla Hendel, sophomore Angela Salvi showed great poise in producing the difference-making shot in a 1-0 win for Carmel (14-1-1, 10-0-0 in the ESCC).
After a moment’s hesitation as players seemed to anticipate a possible offsides call, Salvi sidestepped a Benet defender and touched the ball toward open space.
That created just enough room for her to line a low 15-yarder inside the right post with just 25.7 seconds left in the first half.
“I’m pretty sure everyone thought that was offsides, but I just kept playing,” said Salvi, whose 11th goal of the year earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“Kayla had just hit it back into the middle," she said. "I was ready for it, and when I saw the girl coming across I knew I had to take a touch. Then the goalie was out of position, and I just laid it in.”
The improbable late-half goal against Benet’s strong defense was just the latest part of an already rough day for the Redwings (14-3-2, 7-1-0).
“We missed Jacquie Kaufman, who’s probably our best offensive player,” Benet coach Bob Gros said. “She had her appendix out this morning. But like I told the girls, there are no excuses.
“We just had a bad defensive breakdown (on the goal), and the goalie didn’t react to it. Other than that, we played them pretty solid.”
Carmel didn’t have an ideal morning either. The school’s grass soccer field flooded from overnight rains, forcing the match to be delayed one hour and played on the artificial turf football and lacrosse field.
In Kaufman’s absence, the Redwing offense was still a handful. One extended threat to the Carmel defense 18 minutes before halftime required consecutive blocked shots by Corsair defenders Lily Sykes and Haley Miller.
That challenge and all others by both sides were denied, but it wasn’t easy.
“When you get into a game like this with the level of concentration you’re trying to stay at, it’s hard to maintain for 80 minutes,” Carmel coach John Halloran said. “We usually focus on ourselves when we play. If we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, things will take care of themselves.
“But Benet is an exception to that because they’re such a high-quality team and so well coached. We really were doing some specific things that we were targeting toward them. We were making sure that we always had someone on No. 10 (Benet forward Kerry Abello) and moving players to her side of the field. Normally we wouldn’t be focusing on things like that, but it’s because of who they are.”
Who the Corsairs are is also impressive. Since a 2-0 loss to Lake Zurich on April 11, Carmel has allowed just two goals during an 11-game winning streak.
“I think that loss really set us up for the rest of the season,” Salvi said. “It put us in check that we need to be focused and ready every game.”
Carmel generated several good chances in the last eight minutes of the first half. After Erin Johnston was fouled, Megan Runyan lined a 21-yard direct kick just over the net with 7:15 left.
Then at the 3:40 mark, a nice combination play from McKenzie Runyan to Mandi Lasso to Salvi was thwarted on a great block and steal in the box by Benet’s Ellie Bumpus.
“Especially as a forward, it’s very different than playing other conference teams,” said McKenzie Runyan, Carmel’s scoring leader this year. “Going into Benet, we obviously knew it was going to be a lot tougher -- very hard fought, with hard tackles. This game obviously means a ton to us. We knew we really had to maintain focus, play hard and work together as a team.”
Salvi’s last-seconds score naturally produced extremes in emotions heading into halftime.
“With 30 seconds left, that’s really an unfortunate position to be put in going into the next half,” Benet senior midfielder Loretta Elder said. “We still came out and played a good second half, which was really important.
“It was a tough game. We knew coming in that it could go either way, depending on who came to play. I think we both did. But unfortunately they put one in the back of the net, and we didn’t.”
Carmel was well aware that the Redwings wouldn’t be rattled by the 1-0 deficit.
“We knew Benet was going to come out in the first 10 minutes of the second half and really pressure it,” Runyan said. “We had to play smart and really possess.”
The Redwings came out swinging.
With 36:50 left to play, Benet’s Betsy Keefe burst in on the wing and sent an 8-yard rocket just wide of the post.
Then just over a minute later, defender Eleni McCarthy’s interception ignited a strong counterattack. Bumpus eluded a defender left of the net and lined a 10-yarder that Carmel goalkeeper Christina O’Block stopped at the left post.
The back and forth continued. Benet’s Rachel Bernicky blocked a shot by Erin Johnston with 34:30 left. Then after Johnston was fouled, Hendel’s 33-yard free kick went inches over the crossbar and Hlavin, the leaping Benet goalkeeper.
A four-year standout in goal, Hlavin made a nice high catch of a Hendel 31-yard shot with 26:40 to go. She then swatted away a dangerous Madeline Lombardo corner kick to the crease at the 17:30 mark.
Hlavin even created one of Benet’s late offensive chances. With punting distance NFL teams would envy, Hlavin sent a punt ball more than 70 yards on two bounces. O’Block raced to cover the kick as a Benet player charged in.
The Redwings nearly created even more havoc from distance with 2:25 to go. Bumpus’ 45-yard direct kick after a foul skipped to the far post between two players, where Abello’s great sliding kick near the end line went just wide.
“We created some good chances,” Gros said. “There were two surges that we had, but we just didn’t put it in.”
Defenders on both sides also were strong at preventing shots. For Carmel in the final 15 minutes, Emma Kobitter won two 50-50 balls deep in the defensive end. Then Sykes and Grace Nolan teamed up to deny a Benet attack right of the frame.
“We didn’t play that bad of a game,” Gros said. “It’s just a really good team we played, and they scored and we didn’t.”
Carmel goal scorer Salvi had high praise for the rival Redwings.
“They’re always a great team,” the sophomore said. “This is definitely one of the biggest accomplishments thus far in my soccer career, especially at Carmel.
“It was a great win. They’re a very, very tough team, and I know everyone came into this game extremely focused. And it was a battle until the last seconds. It was a physical game, it was mentally challenging -- it was hard just to stay in it because Benet has so much talent.”
As with every year, the Benet game was prominent on Carmel’s calendar.
“Once we beat (other top ESCC team) Saint Viator (on April 29), we knew that we had to beat Benet,” senior defender Mary Beth Murphy said. “This is our last conference game, so it’s like our whole season has been building to this game. It was pretty exciting.”
The Redwings hope the narrow loss will have them that much better prepared for the challenges ahead. Regional play begins in just over a week, when Benet will seek its fourth-straight trip to sectionals.
“This hopefully lights a fire under us,” Elder said, “and will give us that edge to push on, especially going into the postseason.”
The narrow loss continued a stretch of elite north suburban opponents for Benet, coming on the heels of losses against New Trier and Loyola.
“We were right with them,” Elder said. “Each game’s been pretty tough, but I think we’ll do well.”
While Benet plays in Class 3A, Carmel heads to a big sectional challenge in the smaller school Class 2A state tournament. Defending 2A state champ Lake Forest is on track to face the Corsairs in the sectional semifinals, with a Saint Viator rematch also possible in the finals.
But Carmel isn’t about to look too far ahead.
“We have two more nonconference games, and I know Loyola (on Friday) is a good team,” Murphy said. “We have to maintain our focus and keep the momentum going into the playoffs.”
Runyan has similar focus.
“As a team, technically we’re there,” she said. “We’re athletic, we’re technical. It’s just the mentality part. Sometimes we get down mentally and it affects our play a lot. It’s just maintaining focus, knowing what we’re capable of doing and just going after it.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK- Emma Hlavin
D- Sophia Elbchiri
D- Katherine Gesior
D- Elena McCarthy
D- Rachel Bernicky
M- Ellie Bumpus
M- Loretta Elder
M- Kathryn Hennessy
M- Erin Flynn
F- Kerry Abello
F- Betsy Keefe
Carmel
GK- Christina O’Block
D- Emma Kobitter
D- Haley Miller
D- Mary Beth Murphy
M- Mandi Lasso
M- Erin Johnston
M- Kayla Handel
M- Megan Runyan
M- MacKenzie Sheehan
F- McKenzie Runyan
F- Angela Salvi
MVP of the Match: Angela Salvi, F, Carmel
Late 1st-half goal reaffirms Corsairs' ESCC supremacy
By Dave Owen
MUNDELEIN -- When Benet and Carmel square off on the soccer field, even the slightest miscue or tick of the clock can make all the difference.
That was maybe never more true than in Saturday’s showdown for the East Suburban Catholic Conference title.
The Redwings and Corsairs played even soccer except for one play, and it happened in the usually harmless last 30 seconds of the first half.
On a nice send to the top of the box by Kayla Hendel, sophomore Angela Salvi showed great poise in producing the difference-making shot in a 1-0 win for Carmel (14-1-1, 10-0-0 in the ESCC).
After a moment’s hesitation as players seemed to anticipate a possible offsides call, Salvi sidestepped a Benet defender and touched the ball toward open space.
That created just enough room for her to line a low 15-yarder inside the right post with just 25.7 seconds left in the first half.
“I’m pretty sure everyone thought that was offsides, but I just kept playing,” said Salvi, whose 11th goal of the year earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
“Kayla had just hit it back into the middle," she said. "I was ready for it, and when I saw the girl coming across I knew I had to take a touch. Then the goalie was out of position, and I just laid it in.”
The improbable late-half goal against Benet’s strong defense was just the latest part of an already rough day for the Redwings (14-3-2, 7-1-0).
“We missed Jacquie Kaufman, who’s probably our best offensive player,” Benet coach Bob Gros said. “She had her appendix out this morning. But like I told the girls, there are no excuses.
“We just had a bad defensive breakdown (on the goal), and the goalie didn’t react to it. Other than that, we played them pretty solid.”
Carmel didn’t have an ideal morning either. The school’s grass soccer field flooded from overnight rains, forcing the match to be delayed one hour and played on the artificial turf football and lacrosse field.
In Kaufman’s absence, the Redwing offense was still a handful. One extended threat to the Carmel defense 18 minutes before halftime required consecutive blocked shots by Corsair defenders Lily Sykes and Haley Miller.
That challenge and all others by both sides were denied, but it wasn’t easy.
“When you get into a game like this with the level of concentration you’re trying to stay at, it’s hard to maintain for 80 minutes,” Carmel coach John Halloran said. “We usually focus on ourselves when we play. If we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, things will take care of themselves.
“But Benet is an exception to that because they’re such a high-quality team and so well coached. We really were doing some specific things that we were targeting toward them. We were making sure that we always had someone on No. 10 (Benet forward Kerry Abello) and moving players to her side of the field. Normally we wouldn’t be focusing on things like that, but it’s because of who they are.”
Who the Corsairs are is also impressive. Since a 2-0 loss to Lake Zurich on April 11, Carmel has allowed just two goals during an 11-game winning streak.
“I think that loss really set us up for the rest of the season,” Salvi said. “It put us in check that we need to be focused and ready every game.”
Carmel generated several good chances in the last eight minutes of the first half. After Erin Johnston was fouled, Megan Runyan lined a 21-yard direct kick just over the net with 7:15 left.
Then at the 3:40 mark, a nice combination play from McKenzie Runyan to Mandi Lasso to Salvi was thwarted on a great block and steal in the box by Benet’s Ellie Bumpus.
“Especially as a forward, it’s very different than playing other conference teams,” said McKenzie Runyan, Carmel’s scoring leader this year. “Going into Benet, we obviously knew it was going to be a lot tougher -- very hard fought, with hard tackles. This game obviously means a ton to us. We knew we really had to maintain focus, play hard and work together as a team.”
Salvi’s last-seconds score naturally produced extremes in emotions heading into halftime.
“With 30 seconds left, that’s really an unfortunate position to be put in going into the next half,” Benet senior midfielder Loretta Elder said. “We still came out and played a good second half, which was really important.
“It was a tough game. We knew coming in that it could go either way, depending on who came to play. I think we both did. But unfortunately they put one in the back of the net, and we didn’t.”
Carmel was well aware that the Redwings wouldn’t be rattled by the 1-0 deficit.
“We knew Benet was going to come out in the first 10 minutes of the second half and really pressure it,” Runyan said. “We had to play smart and really possess.”
The Redwings came out swinging.
With 36:50 left to play, Benet’s Betsy Keefe burst in on the wing and sent an 8-yard rocket just wide of the post.
Then just over a minute later, defender Eleni McCarthy’s interception ignited a strong counterattack. Bumpus eluded a defender left of the net and lined a 10-yarder that Carmel goalkeeper Christina O’Block stopped at the left post.
The back and forth continued. Benet’s Rachel Bernicky blocked a shot by Erin Johnston with 34:30 left. Then after Johnston was fouled, Hendel’s 33-yard free kick went inches over the crossbar and Hlavin, the leaping Benet goalkeeper.
A four-year standout in goal, Hlavin made a nice high catch of a Hendel 31-yard shot with 26:40 to go. She then swatted away a dangerous Madeline Lombardo corner kick to the crease at the 17:30 mark.
Hlavin even created one of Benet’s late offensive chances. With punting distance NFL teams would envy, Hlavin sent a punt ball more than 70 yards on two bounces. O’Block raced to cover the kick as a Benet player charged in.
The Redwings nearly created even more havoc from distance with 2:25 to go. Bumpus’ 45-yard direct kick after a foul skipped to the far post between two players, where Abello’s great sliding kick near the end line went just wide.
“We created some good chances,” Gros said. “There were two surges that we had, but we just didn’t put it in.”
Defenders on both sides also were strong at preventing shots. For Carmel in the final 15 minutes, Emma Kobitter won two 50-50 balls deep in the defensive end. Then Sykes and Grace Nolan teamed up to deny a Benet attack right of the frame.
“We didn’t play that bad of a game,” Gros said. “It’s just a really good team we played, and they scored and we didn’t.”
Carmel goal scorer Salvi had high praise for the rival Redwings.
“They’re always a great team,” the sophomore said. “This is definitely one of the biggest accomplishments thus far in my soccer career, especially at Carmel.
“It was a great win. They’re a very, very tough team, and I know everyone came into this game extremely focused. And it was a battle until the last seconds. It was a physical game, it was mentally challenging -- it was hard just to stay in it because Benet has so much talent.”
As with every year, the Benet game was prominent on Carmel’s calendar.
“Once we beat (other top ESCC team) Saint Viator (on April 29), we knew that we had to beat Benet,” senior defender Mary Beth Murphy said. “This is our last conference game, so it’s like our whole season has been building to this game. It was pretty exciting.”
The Redwings hope the narrow loss will have them that much better prepared for the challenges ahead. Regional play begins in just over a week, when Benet will seek its fourth-straight trip to sectionals.
“This hopefully lights a fire under us,” Elder said, “and will give us that edge to push on, especially going into the postseason.”
The narrow loss continued a stretch of elite north suburban opponents for Benet, coming on the heels of losses against New Trier and Loyola.
“We were right with them,” Elder said. “Each game’s been pretty tough, but I think we’ll do well.”
While Benet plays in Class 3A, Carmel heads to a big sectional challenge in the smaller school Class 2A state tournament. Defending 2A state champ Lake Forest is on track to face the Corsairs in the sectional semifinals, with a Saint Viator rematch also possible in the finals.
But Carmel isn’t about to look too far ahead.
“We have two more nonconference games, and I know Loyola (on Friday) is a good team,” Murphy said. “We have to maintain our focus and keep the momentum going into the playoffs.”
Runyan has similar focus.
“As a team, technically we’re there,” she said. “We’re athletic, we’re technical. It’s just the mentality part. Sometimes we get down mentally and it affects our play a lot. It’s just maintaining focus, knowing what we’re capable of doing and just going after it.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK- Emma Hlavin
D- Sophia Elbchiri
D- Katherine Gesior
D- Elena McCarthy
D- Rachel Bernicky
M- Ellie Bumpus
M- Loretta Elder
M- Kathryn Hennessy
M- Erin Flynn
F- Kerry Abello
F- Betsy Keefe
Carmel
GK- Christina O’Block
D- Emma Kobitter
D- Haley Miller
D- Mary Beth Murphy
M- Mandi Lasso
M- Erin Johnston
M- Kayla Handel
M- Megan Runyan
M- MacKenzie Sheehan
F- McKenzie Runyan
F- Angela Salvi
MVP of the Match: Angela Salvi, F, Carmel