Late surge powers Benet over Marist
Redwings click for 5-goal 2nd half in 6-0 ESCC win
By Tim O’Brien
CHICAGO -- With the first 40 minutes in the books, Benet Academy junior Kayla Brannigan headed to the halftime huddle with her teammates.
The Redwings dominated possession with an efficient passing game while slowing down host Marist’s offensive chances. Still, Benet held only a 1-0 lead.
“We talked a lot about it at halftime that just because we were confident and were dominating possession, it doesn’t mean the game will end that way,” Brannigan said. “Any ball, any missed pass could result in a goal for them. We needed to pick it, keep moving the ball and keep doing what we do.”
Scoring five goals in just under 19 minutes late in the second half, Benet rolled to a convincing 6-0 victory over Marist on Tuesday in an East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) showdown.
Benet improved to 10-2-0, 3-0-0 with the win. Marist fell to 6-9-2, 1-3-0.
Sophomore Mia Tommasone, junior Mia Ullmer, Brannigan, junior Mary Kate Hansen and sophomores Sarah Bozych and Cami Picha tallied a goal apiece for the Redwings.
In recording the team’s seventh shutout, junior Eva Frantzen (three saves) and freshman Lauren Lukitsh (two) anchored the Benet defense.
Chasing the team’s first ESCC title since 2016, the Marist win kicked off a busy stretch for Benet, including key conference games against Saint Viator (April 25) and defending champ Carmel (May 8).
“We are focused on winning the conference,” second-year Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “We don’t want to take any games off. If you take a game off, in conference or the state tournament, it’s over. We have to maintain that focus through every game no matter who the opponent is.”
Setting the tone early, Benet knocked in a score just seven minutes into the game. On a push deep in Marist territory, Tommasone found herself in the right place at the right time. The Marist defense cleared the ball, but on the deflection, Tommasone was there for a blasted shot on the right side to the left post for a 1-0 lead.
Holding off a Marist charge in the opening minutes of the second half, Benet extended its lead at the 22-minute mark. Senior Erin Flynn drove up the left side of the field, delivering a pass through the defense to a waiting Ullmer on the right side.
“We really worked as a team on not letting anything slip,” Bozych said. “The game easily could be flipped. Nothing was set in stone. We worked as a team on continuing to build and not resting, especially in a 1-0 game. Once we get into it and get going, we connect.”
Flynn added her second assist less than two minutes later as she set up Brannigan for a score. Flynn returned to action after missing Benet’s previous two games, a 7-0 loss to Neuqua Valley and a 1-0 win over Conant, both in the Naperville Invitational.
The offensive onslaught had just begun as Benet’s efficient, quick-passing attack continued. Hansen scored the game’s prettiest goal off a Nicole Burns assist on a corner kick.
Hansen found an opening at the back post, skying for a header untouched.
“Off the Neuqua loss, what we tried and do is see what we did wrong and improve off that,” Picha said. “We’re mostly a passing team, and we function really well as a unit. Sometimes, we need to learn from our mistakes to have wins like this.”
Bozych and Picha knocked in a goal apiece over the game’s final six minutes. For Picha, a sophomore forward, it was a bit of a relief to see the ball in the back of the net.
“I had a streak where I couldn’t score, so this kind of broke that curse,” Picha said. “I would hit the post or the goalkeeper would make an unbelievable save. I’d barely miss the goal, so it was always close. I put my mind to it that I was going to score this one.”
Benet will compete in the Class AA Hinsdale South Sectional. Illinois High School Association (IHSA) seedings will come out April 26 with matchups released April 27.
Bozych can think of nothing better than riding into the playoffs on the wave of a conference championship.
“Before the season, we talked about what we wanted as a team, and the big goal was winning conference,” Bozych said. “It would be great as we head into state to have that under our belt.”
For a young Marist squad, the ESCC loss was a tough one to swallow. The RedHawks held their own through the first 60-minutes of the game.
Heading into the home stretch though, Marist coach Chris Roe wants to see a more consistent effort.
“I want to see a full 80-minute game. They were attacking, and our intensity went down,” Roe said. “We have to keep going defensively. We stopped communicating defensively, and that’s where the breakdowns killed us.”
Trailing 1-0 in the first half, Marist had chances to score the equalizer, including a hard shot from senior team captain Amanda Rizzo at the 11-minute mark.
Junior Annie Callaghan delivered a beautiful ball off a free kick at midfield into the box late in the half. A waiting Rizzo headed the ball in a sea of defenders, but Benet’s Frantzen was able to make the save.
Roe credited Rizzo, fellow senior and team captain Michelle Lenz and freshman midfielder Ciara Bridges for their strong play despite the loss.
Marist was coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Latin on April 22 in the PepsiCo Showdown Air Force bracket championship. Senior forward Ally Corcoran (2 goals) and sophomore Alexis O’Brien (assist) paced the RedHawks in the defeat.
Marist defeated Farragut 5-1, Northside 3-1 and rival Mother McAuley 2-0 to reach the championship game.
“It’s really frustrating when you know you’ve had a good run through the tournament, and you get to the final game and can’t push through,” Lenz said. “We can build off this. It’s a step back from the momentum we’ve been building, so we’ll have to work to build it back up.”
With freshmen and sophomores logging plenty of key minutes for the RedHawks, the potential is certainly there for a young squad to click and take off in the last month of the season.
“We need to stay positive, and that will help a lot throughout the season,” Corcoran said. “We’ll start connecting and playing well. We’ve got good skill, good players, so once we play together, we’ll be really good.”
Starting lineups
Benet
G -- Eva Frantzen
D -- Lauren Fischer
D -- Kate Flynn
D -- Mary Kate Hansen
D -- Clare Bumpus
M – Maddie Becker
M – Mia Ullmer
M – Jackie Schuman
F – Erin Flynn
F – Abby Casmere
F – Mia Tommasone
Marist
G – Lauren Stapleton
D – Michelle Lenz
D – Alexis O’Brien
D – Anne Callaghan
D – Katherine Pappas
M – Cecilia Light
M – Lindsey Richter
M – Ciara Bridges
F – Anyssa Pazmino
F – Ally Corcoran
F – Amanda Rizzo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Erin Flynn, sr. F, Benet
Referees: Don Robertson (center), Michelle Balcerzak, Carlos Aguilar
Game summary
Benet 1 – 5 6
Marist 0 – 0 0
First half
Benet: Mia Tommasone 33:09
Second half
Benet: Mia Ullmer (Erin Flynn) 22:47
Benet: Kayla Brannigan (Erin Flynn) 20:40
Benet: Mary Kate Hansen (Nicole Burns) 13:19
Benet: Sarah Bozych (Cami Picha) 5:52
Benet: Cami Picha 3:54
Goalies (saves)
Benet: Eva Frantzen (3), Lauren Lukitsh (2)
Marist: Lauren Stapleton (7), Cassandra Eraci (5)
Redwings click for 5-goal 2nd half in 6-0 ESCC win
By Tim O’Brien
CHICAGO -- With the first 40 minutes in the books, Benet Academy junior Kayla Brannigan headed to the halftime huddle with her teammates.
The Redwings dominated possession with an efficient passing game while slowing down host Marist’s offensive chances. Still, Benet held only a 1-0 lead.
“We talked a lot about it at halftime that just because we were confident and were dominating possession, it doesn’t mean the game will end that way,” Brannigan said. “Any ball, any missed pass could result in a goal for them. We needed to pick it, keep moving the ball and keep doing what we do.”
Scoring five goals in just under 19 minutes late in the second half, Benet rolled to a convincing 6-0 victory over Marist on Tuesday in an East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) showdown.
Benet improved to 10-2-0, 3-0-0 with the win. Marist fell to 6-9-2, 1-3-0.
Sophomore Mia Tommasone, junior Mia Ullmer, Brannigan, junior Mary Kate Hansen and sophomores Sarah Bozych and Cami Picha tallied a goal apiece for the Redwings.
In recording the team’s seventh shutout, junior Eva Frantzen (three saves) and freshman Lauren Lukitsh (two) anchored the Benet defense.
Chasing the team’s first ESCC title since 2016, the Marist win kicked off a busy stretch for Benet, including key conference games against Saint Viator (April 25) and defending champ Carmel (May 8).
“We are focused on winning the conference,” second-year Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “We don’t want to take any games off. If you take a game off, in conference or the state tournament, it’s over. We have to maintain that focus through every game no matter who the opponent is.”
Setting the tone early, Benet knocked in a score just seven minutes into the game. On a push deep in Marist territory, Tommasone found herself in the right place at the right time. The Marist defense cleared the ball, but on the deflection, Tommasone was there for a blasted shot on the right side to the left post for a 1-0 lead.
Holding off a Marist charge in the opening minutes of the second half, Benet extended its lead at the 22-minute mark. Senior Erin Flynn drove up the left side of the field, delivering a pass through the defense to a waiting Ullmer on the right side.
“We really worked as a team on not letting anything slip,” Bozych said. “The game easily could be flipped. Nothing was set in stone. We worked as a team on continuing to build and not resting, especially in a 1-0 game. Once we get into it and get going, we connect.”
Flynn added her second assist less than two minutes later as she set up Brannigan for a score. Flynn returned to action after missing Benet’s previous two games, a 7-0 loss to Neuqua Valley and a 1-0 win over Conant, both in the Naperville Invitational.
The offensive onslaught had just begun as Benet’s efficient, quick-passing attack continued. Hansen scored the game’s prettiest goal off a Nicole Burns assist on a corner kick.
Hansen found an opening at the back post, skying for a header untouched.
“Off the Neuqua loss, what we tried and do is see what we did wrong and improve off that,” Picha said. “We’re mostly a passing team, and we function really well as a unit. Sometimes, we need to learn from our mistakes to have wins like this.”
Bozych and Picha knocked in a goal apiece over the game’s final six minutes. For Picha, a sophomore forward, it was a bit of a relief to see the ball in the back of the net.
“I had a streak where I couldn’t score, so this kind of broke that curse,” Picha said. “I would hit the post or the goalkeeper would make an unbelievable save. I’d barely miss the goal, so it was always close. I put my mind to it that I was going to score this one.”
Benet will compete in the Class AA Hinsdale South Sectional. Illinois High School Association (IHSA) seedings will come out April 26 with matchups released April 27.
Bozych can think of nothing better than riding into the playoffs on the wave of a conference championship.
“Before the season, we talked about what we wanted as a team, and the big goal was winning conference,” Bozych said. “It would be great as we head into state to have that under our belt.”
For a young Marist squad, the ESCC loss was a tough one to swallow. The RedHawks held their own through the first 60-minutes of the game.
Heading into the home stretch though, Marist coach Chris Roe wants to see a more consistent effort.
“I want to see a full 80-minute game. They were attacking, and our intensity went down,” Roe said. “We have to keep going defensively. We stopped communicating defensively, and that’s where the breakdowns killed us.”
Trailing 1-0 in the first half, Marist had chances to score the equalizer, including a hard shot from senior team captain Amanda Rizzo at the 11-minute mark.
Junior Annie Callaghan delivered a beautiful ball off a free kick at midfield into the box late in the half. A waiting Rizzo headed the ball in a sea of defenders, but Benet’s Frantzen was able to make the save.
Roe credited Rizzo, fellow senior and team captain Michelle Lenz and freshman midfielder Ciara Bridges for their strong play despite the loss.
Marist was coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Latin on April 22 in the PepsiCo Showdown Air Force bracket championship. Senior forward Ally Corcoran (2 goals) and sophomore Alexis O’Brien (assist) paced the RedHawks in the defeat.
Marist defeated Farragut 5-1, Northside 3-1 and rival Mother McAuley 2-0 to reach the championship game.
“It’s really frustrating when you know you’ve had a good run through the tournament, and you get to the final game and can’t push through,” Lenz said. “We can build off this. It’s a step back from the momentum we’ve been building, so we’ll have to work to build it back up.”
With freshmen and sophomores logging plenty of key minutes for the RedHawks, the potential is certainly there for a young squad to click and take off in the last month of the season.
“We need to stay positive, and that will help a lot throughout the season,” Corcoran said. “We’ll start connecting and playing well. We’ve got good skill, good players, so once we play together, we’ll be really good.”
Starting lineups
Benet
G -- Eva Frantzen
D -- Lauren Fischer
D -- Kate Flynn
D -- Mary Kate Hansen
D -- Clare Bumpus
M – Maddie Becker
M – Mia Ullmer
M – Jackie Schuman
F – Erin Flynn
F – Abby Casmere
F – Mia Tommasone
Marist
G – Lauren Stapleton
D – Michelle Lenz
D – Alexis O’Brien
D – Anne Callaghan
D – Katherine Pappas
M – Cecilia Light
M – Lindsey Richter
M – Ciara Bridges
F – Anyssa Pazmino
F – Ally Corcoran
F – Amanda Rizzo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Erin Flynn, sr. F, Benet
Referees: Don Robertson (center), Michelle Balcerzak, Carlos Aguilar
Game summary
Benet 1 – 5 6
Marist 0 – 0 0
First half
Benet: Mia Tommasone 33:09
Second half
Benet: Mia Ullmer (Erin Flynn) 22:47
Benet: Kayla Brannigan (Erin Flynn) 20:40
Benet: Mary Kate Hansen (Nicole Burns) 13:19
Benet: Sarah Bozych (Cami Picha) 5:52
Benet: Cami Picha 3:54
Goalies (saves)
Benet: Eva Frantzen (3), Lauren Lukitsh (2)
Marist: Lauren Stapleton (7), Cassandra Eraci (5)