MacDonald's late goal
pushes Benet past Carmel
Redwings take key early league points in ranked battle
By Mike Garofola
MUNDELEIN -- In Benet and Carmel, we have two powerhouse soccer clubs this season in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. They met Wednesday in an important early league contest. In matches such as this one, it’s rare for the game-winner to come through the run of play after a dazzling combination of passes.
In many cases, the result comes down to dead ball opportunities.
Reese MacDonald knows her role whenever a Benet corner kick was created. And the trust her manager Gerard Oconer has in the junior in these situations was evident and validated once again at Carmel’s Baker Stadium.
It was demonstrated when MacDonald got on the end of a marvelous inward swinging corner from her teammate Brinkley Douglas in the 66th minute. The driving effort found the far inside netting to give the 17th-ranked Redwings (5-2-0, 2-0-0) the only goal of the game.
"My responsibility is to provide cover at the back post,” MacDonald said with a smile. “When the ball fell to me, it first went off my knee, then my foot. “I just had to put it in from there for us."
"In close game like this one, set pieces are what make the difference," begins Benet manager Gerard Oconer.
"Reese did a great job of being disciplined about maintaining her position at the back post and showed the composure needed to put her shot on target in heavy traffic with bodies all around her in the box.”
Benet claimed its important first three points of the season in league play ahead of a trio of league fixtures in the week ahead.
With much at stake, this proved to be an exciting, entertaining, and intensely contested soccer match. The beauty of it was just how much purpose, intent and movement there was during the 80 minutes. Every field player was engaged from start to finish
"It was a tough loss to take," said Carmel manager Stephanie Kile. “In our pre-game talk, and again at the break, we asked everyone to play whistle-to-whistle, with a full 80-minute effort. I thought that's exactly what each and every one of my girls did against a very good opponent. I am very proud of them for never giving up until the final whistle.”
Despite the nasty conditions, which featured high winds throughout, it was clear from the get-go that Benet’s intention was to push their backs forward despite playing into the wind. Sophomore holding midfielder Bailey Abbott collected, disrupted and distributed as needed whenever the ball came her way.
Abbott did well stationed as the anchor of the Redwings 4-4-2 formation, which allowed midfield mates Rachel Burns, Douglas, and Katie Lewellyn the freedom to go forward or link up with Anna Casmere and Mariana Pinto up-top.
"Pinto has been a force up-front for us and tonight, especially in the first half, her ability to receive and hold the ball, then turn on their defenders made her very dangerous," said Oconer of his 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater.
"As far as Casmere, she was so good at stretching their defense, especially in the second half when she used her speed and quickness."
Casmere forced a save out of Carmel keeper Lisete Astudillo early on, as did Pinto shortly thereafter as the visitors enjoyed most of the play in the first 10 minutes.
With the Redwings recording high percentage numbers in possession and pass completions, the home side was forced to keep numbers back to withstand the pressure. The Corsairs backline of Zkylah Barnes, Peyton Carney, Macaire Everett and Grace Harvey was entrusted to keep the visitors rampant attack at bay.
"Peyton and Grace did very well at the outside back positions,” said Kile. “They got involved in the attack and positioned themselves well to limit opportunities.
"Macaire (Everett), along with Kate Jones in the midfield are both learning new positions this season. It was their improved communication in the second half, as they sorted out their marking, which helped limit some of Benet's play through the middle."
"I thought Harvey and Bella (D'Amore) played really well, as did so many other players," said Emily Fix. “It was a total team effort that fell just short.”
The impressive box-to-box effort of Fix, whose pace, ability to attack, distribute, create and on the flipside track back to defend and win balls earned her co-honors for Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match with Benet’s Pinto.
"Emily came back from club to play with us, and we are so fortunate to have her on our roster,” Kile said. “She has been a terrific addition. She plays both sides of the ball equally strong, has a great work rate and work ethic, and along with all of her teammates showed a lot of heart all night long."
Fix came off only when she suffered a bloody nose after a 50/50 challenge and again from a cramp in her calf, but it only kept her out long enough to receive care.
While the Corsairs backline deserved the praise of their manager, the Benet backfield of Nora Hanson, Sadie Sterbenz, Annastacia Thiel and goal-scoring heroine MacDonald was also noteworthy.
This unit stayed organized and sharp in front of junior keeper Shannon Clark, who unlike her counterpart Astudillo, enjoyed a relatively quiet first half. However after the intermission, the Corsairs attack got on its collective front foot and pressured Benet.
"I thought we defended really well as a group in the first half,” said Thiel, who wears the captains armband along with Lewellyan and Pinto. “We won most of our tackles and balls in the air, and we were able to help the attack with our outside backs who got forward when there was an opportunity.
"We knew that no. 24 (Anna Hartman, 5 goals, 6 assists) was dangerous, and I thought we did a pretty good job on her all night, but no. 11 (Fix) gave us a lot of trouble."
"Once we lost possession, it was important for us to track no. 24 and to be aware of where she was on the field,” said Oconer. “She is a real threat. We had to try to slow her down, and delay her. That's why we always had cover in behind, in case she beat one of our defenders."
Pinto's snap-shot from 25 yards wend just wide in the 28th minute. Then some quick combination work from Douglas and Casmere allowed Pinto to force Astudillo into a save moments later.
Casmere's darting run through the middle of the park helped send Pinto through. If not wrong-footed after the delivery, Pinto would have likely been 1-v-1 with Astudillo just before the break.
"They had a lot more of the ball,” said Fix. “In possession, we were a little too frantic when we had the ball in the first half. We were so much better after the half."
"Benet did a great job working the ball through the middle of the field and switching the point of attack," said Kile. “It created opportunities for them, which we mentioned at the half
"I thought we limited the switching in the second half, which helped take away so many of their opportunities and chances.
Fix dashed one of the hopes of the Redwings when on a tracking mission, she tackled the ball away from Casmere, who nearly got in on Shannon Clark. Then on the other end, the junior, along with Jillian Miller sent Hartman through. The excitement from the play disappeared when she was flagged offside.
This early sequence signaled a wide-open second half of soccer. Each side had chances and kept their opponent on high alert.
An early ball from Hartmann nearly put junior Maddie Nikolai in if not for a quality challenge off the line by Clark.
Casmere beat two to the endline before whipping a wicked ball to the Carmel back post, only to see not a single white shirt there to receive it.
The hosts began to create a handful of deep throws and free kicks right up to conceding the MacDonald goal 14 minutes from time.
"We were so much better after the break with Emily, Hartman and Madison Konen up-top and coming together as a group," said Kile. “Plus Jillian (Miller) so involved in the midfield as well
Pinto's angled effort for Benet off a corner forced an Astudillo save. The subsequent corner, when Douglas served her magnificent helper to an appreciative MacDonald, thrilled the Redwings’ faithful.
"We were struggling to keep the ball out of our own end in the 10 minutes before we scored," “When we created that corner, it was really important for us to take advantage of that chance
"Just a great goal by Reese," added Thiel. “We really needed something like that to happen for us.”
The visitors were much more conservative after the MacDonald's opener, keeping numbers back in anticipation of an all-out effort by the Corsairs to find the equalizer.
The only chance the Redwings allowed was in the 77th minute when a lovely looping ball from Hartman found Nikolai, whose effort from 12 yards was saved with confidence by Shannon Clark.
"This was a crucial conference win for us against a much-improved Carmel team from a year ago," said Oconer.
“So we're happy with the result, and we hope to build on this momentum with three conference games ahead of us this week.”
The Redwings have Marian, Nazareth, and longtime rival Saint Viator all within five days before going to Oak Park and River Forest on April 16.
Twentieth-ranked Carmel (4-1-0, 0-1-0) took the result in stride.
"Even in defeat, there were a lot of good, positive things to take away," said Kile.
"Last year was a much different result (a 5-1 loss). It was never close at all. But tonight, we battled and fought against a very good and highly ranked team that truly gave us our best test thus far.
"It's always tough to lose on a corner. Despite all that, I am very proud of the girls, and I am happy to see us improving in so many parts of our game. We look forward to this upcoming Malnati's Classic were we will have the chance to play even more terrific opponents.”
The Corsairs opener at the Malnati's Classic Deep Dish is against host New Trier at 11 a.m. Saturday in Northfield.
Starting linenups
Benet (4-4-2)
G- Shannon Clark
D- Reese MacDonald
D- Annastacia Thiel
D- Sadie Sterbenz
D- Nora Hanson
M- Brinkley Douglas
M- Rachel Burns
M- Bailey Abbott
M- Katie Lewellyan
F- Anna Casmere
F- Mariana Pinto
Carmel (4-3-3)
G- Lisete Astudillo
D- Grace Harvey
D- Zkylah Barnes
D- Macaire Everett
D- Peyton Carney
M- Kate Jones
M- Jillian Miller
M- Bella D'Amore
F- Emily Fix
F- Madison Konen
F- Anna Hartman
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Mariana Pinto, sr., F, Benet;
Emily Fix, jr., F, Carmel
Referee: John Andersson
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
MacDonald (Douglas), 66'
pushes Benet past Carmel
Redwings take key early league points in ranked battle
By Mike Garofola
MUNDELEIN -- In Benet and Carmel, we have two powerhouse soccer clubs this season in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. They met Wednesday in an important early league contest. In matches such as this one, it’s rare for the game-winner to come through the run of play after a dazzling combination of passes.
In many cases, the result comes down to dead ball opportunities.
Reese MacDonald knows her role whenever a Benet corner kick was created. And the trust her manager Gerard Oconer has in the junior in these situations was evident and validated once again at Carmel’s Baker Stadium.
It was demonstrated when MacDonald got on the end of a marvelous inward swinging corner from her teammate Brinkley Douglas in the 66th minute. The driving effort found the far inside netting to give the 17th-ranked Redwings (5-2-0, 2-0-0) the only goal of the game.
"My responsibility is to provide cover at the back post,” MacDonald said with a smile. “When the ball fell to me, it first went off my knee, then my foot. “I just had to put it in from there for us."
"In close game like this one, set pieces are what make the difference," begins Benet manager Gerard Oconer.
"Reese did a great job of being disciplined about maintaining her position at the back post and showed the composure needed to put her shot on target in heavy traffic with bodies all around her in the box.”
Benet claimed its important first three points of the season in league play ahead of a trio of league fixtures in the week ahead.
With much at stake, this proved to be an exciting, entertaining, and intensely contested soccer match. The beauty of it was just how much purpose, intent and movement there was during the 80 minutes. Every field player was engaged from start to finish
"It was a tough loss to take," said Carmel manager Stephanie Kile. “In our pre-game talk, and again at the break, we asked everyone to play whistle-to-whistle, with a full 80-minute effort. I thought that's exactly what each and every one of my girls did against a very good opponent. I am very proud of them for never giving up until the final whistle.”
Despite the nasty conditions, which featured high winds throughout, it was clear from the get-go that Benet’s intention was to push their backs forward despite playing into the wind. Sophomore holding midfielder Bailey Abbott collected, disrupted and distributed as needed whenever the ball came her way.
Abbott did well stationed as the anchor of the Redwings 4-4-2 formation, which allowed midfield mates Rachel Burns, Douglas, and Katie Lewellyn the freedom to go forward or link up with Anna Casmere and Mariana Pinto up-top.
"Pinto has been a force up-front for us and tonight, especially in the first half, her ability to receive and hold the ball, then turn on their defenders made her very dangerous," said Oconer of his 2021 Chicagoland Soccer all-stater.
"As far as Casmere, she was so good at stretching their defense, especially in the second half when she used her speed and quickness."
Casmere forced a save out of Carmel keeper Lisete Astudillo early on, as did Pinto shortly thereafter as the visitors enjoyed most of the play in the first 10 minutes.
With the Redwings recording high percentage numbers in possession and pass completions, the home side was forced to keep numbers back to withstand the pressure. The Corsairs backline of Zkylah Barnes, Peyton Carney, Macaire Everett and Grace Harvey was entrusted to keep the visitors rampant attack at bay.
"Peyton and Grace did very well at the outside back positions,” said Kile. “They got involved in the attack and positioned themselves well to limit opportunities.
"Macaire (Everett), along with Kate Jones in the midfield are both learning new positions this season. It was their improved communication in the second half, as they sorted out their marking, which helped limit some of Benet's play through the middle."
"I thought Harvey and Bella (D'Amore) played really well, as did so many other players," said Emily Fix. “It was a total team effort that fell just short.”
The impressive box-to-box effort of Fix, whose pace, ability to attack, distribute, create and on the flipside track back to defend and win balls earned her co-honors for Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match with Benet’s Pinto.
"Emily came back from club to play with us, and we are so fortunate to have her on our roster,” Kile said. “She has been a terrific addition. She plays both sides of the ball equally strong, has a great work rate and work ethic, and along with all of her teammates showed a lot of heart all night long."
Fix came off only when she suffered a bloody nose after a 50/50 challenge and again from a cramp in her calf, but it only kept her out long enough to receive care.
While the Corsairs backline deserved the praise of their manager, the Benet backfield of Nora Hanson, Sadie Sterbenz, Annastacia Thiel and goal-scoring heroine MacDonald was also noteworthy.
This unit stayed organized and sharp in front of junior keeper Shannon Clark, who unlike her counterpart Astudillo, enjoyed a relatively quiet first half. However after the intermission, the Corsairs attack got on its collective front foot and pressured Benet.
"I thought we defended really well as a group in the first half,” said Thiel, who wears the captains armband along with Lewellyan and Pinto. “We won most of our tackles and balls in the air, and we were able to help the attack with our outside backs who got forward when there was an opportunity.
"We knew that no. 24 (Anna Hartman, 5 goals, 6 assists) was dangerous, and I thought we did a pretty good job on her all night, but no. 11 (Fix) gave us a lot of trouble."
"Once we lost possession, it was important for us to track no. 24 and to be aware of where she was on the field,” said Oconer. “She is a real threat. We had to try to slow her down, and delay her. That's why we always had cover in behind, in case she beat one of our defenders."
Pinto's snap-shot from 25 yards wend just wide in the 28th minute. Then some quick combination work from Douglas and Casmere allowed Pinto to force Astudillo into a save moments later.
Casmere's darting run through the middle of the park helped send Pinto through. If not wrong-footed after the delivery, Pinto would have likely been 1-v-1 with Astudillo just before the break.
"They had a lot more of the ball,” said Fix. “In possession, we were a little too frantic when we had the ball in the first half. We were so much better after the half."
"Benet did a great job working the ball through the middle of the field and switching the point of attack," said Kile. “It created opportunities for them, which we mentioned at the half
"I thought we limited the switching in the second half, which helped take away so many of their opportunities and chances.
Fix dashed one of the hopes of the Redwings when on a tracking mission, she tackled the ball away from Casmere, who nearly got in on Shannon Clark. Then on the other end, the junior, along with Jillian Miller sent Hartman through. The excitement from the play disappeared when she was flagged offside.
This early sequence signaled a wide-open second half of soccer. Each side had chances and kept their opponent on high alert.
An early ball from Hartmann nearly put junior Maddie Nikolai in if not for a quality challenge off the line by Clark.
Casmere beat two to the endline before whipping a wicked ball to the Carmel back post, only to see not a single white shirt there to receive it.
The hosts began to create a handful of deep throws and free kicks right up to conceding the MacDonald goal 14 minutes from time.
"We were so much better after the break with Emily, Hartman and Madison Konen up-top and coming together as a group," said Kile. “Plus Jillian (Miller) so involved in the midfield as well
Pinto's angled effort for Benet off a corner forced an Astudillo save. The subsequent corner, when Douglas served her magnificent helper to an appreciative MacDonald, thrilled the Redwings’ faithful.
"We were struggling to keep the ball out of our own end in the 10 minutes before we scored," “When we created that corner, it was really important for us to take advantage of that chance
"Just a great goal by Reese," added Thiel. “We really needed something like that to happen for us.”
The visitors were much more conservative after the MacDonald's opener, keeping numbers back in anticipation of an all-out effort by the Corsairs to find the equalizer.
The only chance the Redwings allowed was in the 77th minute when a lovely looping ball from Hartman found Nikolai, whose effort from 12 yards was saved with confidence by Shannon Clark.
"This was a crucial conference win for us against a much-improved Carmel team from a year ago," said Oconer.
“So we're happy with the result, and we hope to build on this momentum with three conference games ahead of us this week.”
The Redwings have Marian, Nazareth, and longtime rival Saint Viator all within five days before going to Oak Park and River Forest on April 16.
Twentieth-ranked Carmel (4-1-0, 0-1-0) took the result in stride.
"Even in defeat, there were a lot of good, positive things to take away," said Kile.
"Last year was a much different result (a 5-1 loss). It was never close at all. But tonight, we battled and fought against a very good and highly ranked team that truly gave us our best test thus far.
"It's always tough to lose on a corner. Despite all that, I am very proud of the girls, and I am happy to see us improving in so many parts of our game. We look forward to this upcoming Malnati's Classic were we will have the chance to play even more terrific opponents.”
The Corsairs opener at the Malnati's Classic Deep Dish is against host New Trier at 11 a.m. Saturday in Northfield.
Starting linenups
Benet (4-4-2)
G- Shannon Clark
D- Reese MacDonald
D- Annastacia Thiel
D- Sadie Sterbenz
D- Nora Hanson
M- Brinkley Douglas
M- Rachel Burns
M- Bailey Abbott
M- Katie Lewellyan
F- Anna Casmere
F- Mariana Pinto
Carmel (4-3-3)
G- Lisete Astudillo
D- Grace Harvey
D- Zkylah Barnes
D- Macaire Everett
D- Peyton Carney
M- Kate Jones
M- Jillian Miller
M- Bella D'Amore
F- Emily Fix
F- Madison Konen
F- Anna Hartman
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Mariana Pinto, sr., F, Benet;
Emily Fix, jr., F, Carmel
Referee: John Andersson
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
MacDonald (Douglas), 66'