Newcomer Cibulka leads Benet past Metea V
Redwings soph scores on season-opening shot in 3-0 win over Mustangs
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA -- Benet returns eight of its nine top scorers from last year’s Class AA supersectional team, so the Redwings have high hopes for 2019.
Jaimee Cibulka was not one of those eight, but she will be among the team’s scoring leaders if she keeps playing the way she did in Tuesday night’s season opener.
Cibulka, a sophomore forward who played club soccer last year, made her high school debut a memorable one, scoring on the first shot of the game.
It turned out to be the game-winner as the visiting Redwings went on to beat Metea Valley 3-0 in an opening Wheaton North Kickoff Tournament match.
“I wanted to represent my school, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to come out this year,” Cibulka said. “I’m really excited.”
So are her teammates. The Redwings (1-0-0) have the most experienced and deepest roster they have fielded in recent memory. But they have some big shoes to fill since the graduation of four-year starter Erin Flynn.
Cibulka could be that player. She’s similar in size to Flynn and also possesses a lot of the same attributes.
“We knew that she was going to be a very dynamic forward for us,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “Especially losing Erin Flynn, it was important that we had some other kids step up.
“You’re never going to replace Erin, but Jaimee adds another dimension to us because she’s tremendously fast and quick, very good skill on the ball, and it was a really great finish on that first goal.”
Cibulka’s prep coming-out party got off to a fast start, and it set the tone for the match. Miami of Ohio-bound forward Abby Casmere sent a cross from the right wing to the top of the box, where Cibulka put a move on a defender and ripped a 15-yard shot inside the right post just 2:59 into the game.
“It was a perfect cross. I just saw the girl was on my left, and so I made a move and saw an opening in the goal,” Cibulka said. “I don’t expect to score. I just kind of let the game kind of go as it is, and obviously it’s nice when it goes in.”
While the Redwings have 18 upperclassmen on the roster, Casmere is glad to have some promising young players like Cibulka join the group.
“Hearing that Jaimee was going to play was really exciting,” said Casmere, who finished with a goal and an assist. “I heard good things about her, and I’m so excited to have her join the team.”
Though Cibulka had not played with the Redwings before and the team hasn’t practiced outside due to the weather, she’s fitting in well.
“She’s doing amazing as of right now, but I expect her to keep playing the way she plays,” Casmere said. “We know we’re independently all very good players and respect each other’s playing abilities and skills, so I think it’s important for her to keep playing the way she plays.”
For her part, Cibulka is glad to be able to play with a lot of veterans who have helped make the adjustment to high school soccer a smooth one.
“There are a lot of really good leaders on the team, so it is really easy to work with and play with them, and they help me out in the field,” Cibulka said. “Playing with 10 new girls on the field is not easy coming in, but they’ve been super great and welcoming so it’s been good.”
It was all good for Benet, which controlled the midfield in impressive fashion against a team that is shooting to win a sixth-straight regional championship.
The Redwings held an 11-4 edge in shots, including an 8-1 advantage in the second half. While they didn’t have many great scoring chances, the visitors wore down the Mustangs as the game went on, scoring on two-consecutive shots in the second half.
Mia Ullmer converted a penalty kick to make it 2-0 with 23:57 remaining and Casmere capped the scoring at the 10:52 mark when she took a pass from Cami Picha and blasted a shot past Metea goalkeeper Nikki Coryell.
“I’m very happy with how it turned out,” Casmere said. “We connected very well for our first game.
“I know a lot of us are returning, but the chemistry on this team is so important. We all get along, and we know where everyone is going.”
The Mustangs (0-1-0) are still trying to figure that out. They unveiled a 3-5-2 formation, taking advantage of their strength, which is experience in the back with Nicole Dawson and Paige Buranosky and between the pipes with Coryell, who is one of the top keepers in the area.
Benet was able to split that defense only twice and Coryell made six saves, five of them in the second half as the Redwings started to tilt the field.
“We are trying a new formation so we’re just trying to adjust to that,” Dawson said. “Our goal was trying to cover for each other.
“Our big thing is covering for each other and staying close in the middle and also trying not to get split. So if we just focus on that, then it will be good.”
With a strong defense and five in the middle, the Mustangs figure to be tough to score on. The only question is where the offense will come from as most of the attackers are untested.
Benet goalkeeper Eva Frantzen had to make only one save, though the Mustangs did have a couple of good chances off of set pieces in the first half, both on mid-range free kicks off the foot of Dawson.
The first, a 34-yarder from the left wing, sailed over Benet’s backline into the box, but Buranosky’s strong header went just over the crossbar 94 seconds after Cibulka’s goal.
Dawson sent the second, from 30 yards, over the pipe at the 13:30 mark.
“They capitalized on a few opportunities, but they’re a good team,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “They have strong girls, fast girls, lot of good energy about them.
“Obviously they’ve got a lot of girls back from last year. They’re a good opponent, and that’s what we want so we can see how our girls respond to good competition.”
Dawson, a third-year starter, thinks the Mustangs will respond well.
“I think this season is going to go pretty well for us once we get comfortable with each other, and we get more comfortable with how we play and in our style of play,” Dawson said. “I think it will go well.”
Like most coaches, Whaley is still in the process of figuring out what he has, especially with the newcomers, some of whom are not yet 100 percent healthy.
“We’ve got a lot of new girls that we’re trying to work in,” Whaley said. “We’re just trying to figure it out like everybody else, just trying to set our kids up for success based on who we have and what our strengths are.
“The goal is to improve so we can beat teams like (Benet) later in the season.”
Benet, which was eliminated in the supersectional last year by eventual state champion St. Francis, is a legitimate contender to win Class AA. But the Redwings know better than to get ahead of themselves.
“We have a lot of high hopes, but we also have a long way to go,” Casmere said. “We can’t focus on the future too far ahead, because we’re just going to take it one game at a time and keep working.
“This is my last year, and I know I’m just going to enjoy it and make the year fun for everyone. I know I had fun out there tonight, so I’m going to keep playing like that.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Eva Frantzen
D Brooke Pullen
D Kate Flynn
D Mary Kate Hansen
D Mary Kate Wilhelm
M Kayla Brannigan
M Mae Tully
M Mia Ullmer
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Abby Casmere
F Mia Tommasone
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Kaiya Hansen
M Halle Lange
M Sydney Rohm
M Jocelyn Grabow
M Sarah Davies
M Katie Flanders
F Kayla Hurst
F Kiley McKee
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jaimee Cibulka, F, Benet
Redwings soph scores on season-opening shot in 3-0 win over Mustangs
By Matt Le Cren
AURORA -- Benet returns eight of its nine top scorers from last year’s Class AA supersectional team, so the Redwings have high hopes for 2019.
Jaimee Cibulka was not one of those eight, but she will be among the team’s scoring leaders if she keeps playing the way she did in Tuesday night’s season opener.
Cibulka, a sophomore forward who played club soccer last year, made her high school debut a memorable one, scoring on the first shot of the game.
It turned out to be the game-winner as the visiting Redwings went on to beat Metea Valley 3-0 in an opening Wheaton North Kickoff Tournament match.
“I wanted to represent my school, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to come out this year,” Cibulka said. “I’m really excited.”
So are her teammates. The Redwings (1-0-0) have the most experienced and deepest roster they have fielded in recent memory. But they have some big shoes to fill since the graduation of four-year starter Erin Flynn.
Cibulka could be that player. She’s similar in size to Flynn and also possesses a lot of the same attributes.
“We knew that she was going to be a very dynamic forward for us,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “Especially losing Erin Flynn, it was important that we had some other kids step up.
“You’re never going to replace Erin, but Jaimee adds another dimension to us because she’s tremendously fast and quick, very good skill on the ball, and it was a really great finish on that first goal.”
Cibulka’s prep coming-out party got off to a fast start, and it set the tone for the match. Miami of Ohio-bound forward Abby Casmere sent a cross from the right wing to the top of the box, where Cibulka put a move on a defender and ripped a 15-yard shot inside the right post just 2:59 into the game.
“It was a perfect cross. I just saw the girl was on my left, and so I made a move and saw an opening in the goal,” Cibulka said. “I don’t expect to score. I just kind of let the game kind of go as it is, and obviously it’s nice when it goes in.”
While the Redwings have 18 upperclassmen on the roster, Casmere is glad to have some promising young players like Cibulka join the group.
“Hearing that Jaimee was going to play was really exciting,” said Casmere, who finished with a goal and an assist. “I heard good things about her, and I’m so excited to have her join the team.”
Though Cibulka had not played with the Redwings before and the team hasn’t practiced outside due to the weather, she’s fitting in well.
“She’s doing amazing as of right now, but I expect her to keep playing the way she plays,” Casmere said. “We know we’re independently all very good players and respect each other’s playing abilities and skills, so I think it’s important for her to keep playing the way she plays.”
For her part, Cibulka is glad to be able to play with a lot of veterans who have helped make the adjustment to high school soccer a smooth one.
“There are a lot of really good leaders on the team, so it is really easy to work with and play with them, and they help me out in the field,” Cibulka said. “Playing with 10 new girls on the field is not easy coming in, but they’ve been super great and welcoming so it’s been good.”
It was all good for Benet, which controlled the midfield in impressive fashion against a team that is shooting to win a sixth-straight regional championship.
The Redwings held an 11-4 edge in shots, including an 8-1 advantage in the second half. While they didn’t have many great scoring chances, the visitors wore down the Mustangs as the game went on, scoring on two-consecutive shots in the second half.
Mia Ullmer converted a penalty kick to make it 2-0 with 23:57 remaining and Casmere capped the scoring at the 10:52 mark when she took a pass from Cami Picha and blasted a shot past Metea goalkeeper Nikki Coryell.
“I’m very happy with how it turned out,” Casmere said. “We connected very well for our first game.
“I know a lot of us are returning, but the chemistry on this team is so important. We all get along, and we know where everyone is going.”
The Mustangs (0-1-0) are still trying to figure that out. They unveiled a 3-5-2 formation, taking advantage of their strength, which is experience in the back with Nicole Dawson and Paige Buranosky and between the pipes with Coryell, who is one of the top keepers in the area.
Benet was able to split that defense only twice and Coryell made six saves, five of them in the second half as the Redwings started to tilt the field.
“We are trying a new formation so we’re just trying to adjust to that,” Dawson said. “Our goal was trying to cover for each other.
“Our big thing is covering for each other and staying close in the middle and also trying not to get split. So if we just focus on that, then it will be good.”
With a strong defense and five in the middle, the Mustangs figure to be tough to score on. The only question is where the offense will come from as most of the attackers are untested.
Benet goalkeeper Eva Frantzen had to make only one save, though the Mustangs did have a couple of good chances off of set pieces in the first half, both on mid-range free kicks off the foot of Dawson.
The first, a 34-yarder from the left wing, sailed over Benet’s backline into the box, but Buranosky’s strong header went just over the crossbar 94 seconds after Cibulka’s goal.
Dawson sent the second, from 30 yards, over the pipe at the 13:30 mark.
“They capitalized on a few opportunities, but they’re a good team,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “They have strong girls, fast girls, lot of good energy about them.
“Obviously they’ve got a lot of girls back from last year. They’re a good opponent, and that’s what we want so we can see how our girls respond to good competition.”
Dawson, a third-year starter, thinks the Mustangs will respond well.
“I think this season is going to go pretty well for us once we get comfortable with each other, and we get more comfortable with how we play and in our style of play,” Dawson said. “I think it will go well.”
Like most coaches, Whaley is still in the process of figuring out what he has, especially with the newcomers, some of whom are not yet 100 percent healthy.
“We’ve got a lot of new girls that we’re trying to work in,” Whaley said. “We’re just trying to figure it out like everybody else, just trying to set our kids up for success based on who we have and what our strengths are.
“The goal is to improve so we can beat teams like (Benet) later in the season.”
Benet, which was eliminated in the supersectional last year by eventual state champion St. Francis, is a legitimate contender to win Class AA. But the Redwings know better than to get ahead of themselves.
“We have a lot of high hopes, but we also have a long way to go,” Casmere said. “We can’t focus on the future too far ahead, because we’re just going to take it one game at a time and keep working.
“This is my last year, and I know I’m just going to enjoy it and make the year fun for everyone. I know I had fun out there tonight, so I’m going to keep playing like that.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Eva Frantzen
D Brooke Pullen
D Kate Flynn
D Mary Kate Hansen
D Mary Kate Wilhelm
M Kayla Brannigan
M Mae Tully
M Mia Ullmer
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Abby Casmere
F Mia Tommasone
Metea Valley
GK Nikki Coryell
D Nicole Dawson
D Paige Buranosky
D Kaiya Hansen
M Halle Lange
M Sydney Rohm
M Jocelyn Grabow
M Sarah Davies
M Katie Flanders
F Kayla Hurst
F Kiley McKee
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jaimee Cibulka, F, Benet