Naperville North turns the table on Benet
Zielke goal tops 2-1 comeback victory, earns BOTW title berth
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Naperville North has perfected the art of positionless play.
At their best, the Huskies invert the normal order. Defenders are sometimes the most dangerous weapons.
Senior Adam Zielke fits the mold. At nearly 6–foot-3, his size makes him an elite presence in the back.
He also takes advantage on the Huskies’ brilliant set pieces.
“I think it’s mainly we have a bunch of guys who want it, and they want to show to everyone what we can do,” he said.
“We want to play how we are capable, and we know we have to represent ourselves in the program.”
Zielke executed a perfect flick into the net off a throw-in from defender Alex Arredondo in the 70th minute to give the Huskies, who are ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, a 2-1 comeback victory over visiting and 14th-ranked Benet in the final Group 2 pool-play game of the Best of West tournament Saturday morning.
In winning its third-straight game, Naperville North (4-2-0) advanced to the title game for the seventh-consecutive year.
The Huskies faced off against top-ranked Plainfield North in the championship game Saturday evening at Naperville Central.
Benet (4-1-0) was the equal of the Huskies, absorbing their playmaking and pressure. After a scoreless first half, the Redwings created the opening goal in the 52nd minute on a beautiful sidewinder shot from forward Drew Fieldman from 16 yards.
“It was a throw in from Ryan (Augustyn), and I got the ball out of the air,” Fieldman said.
“In that situation, I just had to take what I could get. We really put our hearts into this game. The results didn’t show it, but we are going to continue working it.”
The team’s stellar performance was all the more impressive given the absence of elite midfielder Nico Picha, who missed the game with complications of a high ankle sprain he suffered Thursday night against Oswego.
“Not having Nico in a massive game like this was tough,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said.
“He’s a special player, and he is super talented. He creates a lot, so that probably subtracts three, four or five good chances.”
Benet unveiled another dynamic player new to its system—an elite two-sport athlete and player who is bound to make his mark.
Brayden Fagbemi is one of the top point guard prospects in the senior class in basketball.
A transfer from Neuqua Valley, he was not eligible to play until the end of last season.
His reputation as an athletic playmaker and shot-creator in extends to soccer. Like in basketball, he is blazing fast and quick off the dribble.
In the 80th minute, he nearly created the equalizer by outracing two Naperville North defenders and getting to the end line.
He was knocked down from behind, setting up a possible penalty kick. The center official ruled incidental contact.
His presence adds another threat that diversifies the attack.
“Brayden is a special player,” Wesley said. “And Drew was great on top today with that goal.”
Naperville North wore down Benet with its pressure and ability to create opportunities.
“I thought we invited too much pressure,” Wesley said. “You can’t do that with North. We gave up throw-ins at our end, corner kicks, fouls at midfield.
“They are so dangerous on all of those moments. I thought that really got us.”
Indiana recruit Alex Barger was the catalyst for the Huskies. In the aftermath of the Fieldman goal, he took charge of the game.
Working off the left edge, the forward drove against two defenders and crossed the ball into the box.
The ball was punched back about 12 yards before midfielder Sam Hess hammered a ball.
Benet keeper Evan Lucas made a nice, initial stop. His block ricochet off his body, giving North defender Connor Hanrahan the ideal situation to nail a left-footed rebound. The
shot from about eight yards created the equalizer in the 54th minute.
“Before the game started, the coaches were telling us the game was not going to be easy, and that it would probably come down to the last second,” Hanrahan said.
“That’s exactly what happened.”
He was a last-minute starting replacement for sophomore forward Jaxson Stokes, who suffered a sprained ankle in the Huskies’ victory over South Elgin on Thursday night.
He underscored a key principle of the game. So much of soccer is about timing and place.
He was in the right place at the perfect moment.
“The coaches said to stay wide when I was coming in, and I just happened to be there,” Hanrahan said.
“I got in front of the other kid, got my foot in front; and I put it in.”
After suffering back-to-back shutout losses against no. 6 Lyons and seventh-ranked Morton last week, Naperville North is finding its scoring identity.
At their best, the Huskies attack from all sides.
“Coming from behind was also tough, but we knew we had it,” Hanrahan said. “We had a lot of shots on goal, and we put two in.”
Benet has another crucial scoring threat in Owen McCarry.
He showed great touch and accuracy on deep free kicks. One from 43 yards from the left edge with the game still tied at 1-1 required a great leaping stab from Huskies’ keeper Reed Goss.
He has three assists in the first part of the season.
“I feel like getting Nick Roe open on the back post is really dangerous,” McGarry said.
The two collaborated on the game-winner against West Chicago in the second game of the season.
“If I can pick him out of the back when he is open, I know he is going to get his head on the ball,” McGarry said.
“We have so many guys who win the ball in the air, and it’s a very dangerous part of our game. My job is to find them and pick them out.”
Zielke nearly followed the Hanrahan goal with another trademark set piece goal, another beautiful cross from Barger.
He leapt high and smashed a header that Lucas made a great denial of in front of the box.
“We are getting where we need to be, putting the working in, and doing the little things right and representing the program every way we can,” Zielke said.
“After they scored, that forced us to be a little more direct and get to the goal. From there, it was paying anyway we could to get the ball down and in the back of the net.”
Benet proved to be equal to the task. Augustyn flashed strength and quickness at the top of the attack.
As Picha regains his health and returns, the Redwings attack will regain its diversity and explosiveness..
“The positives today were very good,” Wesley said. “Our record is now 4-1-0, and we took North to 2-1 at their place.
“I think we have a chance to build this year, and really be good.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Jack Kuelthau
D: Nick Roe
D: Nick Nirtaut
MF: Danny Boyle
MF: Peter Hepburn
MF: Owen McGarry
F: Ryan Augustyn
F: Drew Fieldman
F: Brayden Fagbemi
Naperville North
GK: Reed Goss
D: Alex Arredondo
D: Adam Zielke
D: Ryan Konrad
D: Connor Hanrahan
MF: Owen Gaccione
MF: Caden Hill
MF: Noah Radeke
F: Aidan McMahon
F: Hindo Allie
F: Alex Barger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Adam Zielke, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Benet — Drew Fieldman (Ryan Augustyn), 52nd minute
Naperville North — Connor Hanrahan (Sam Hess), 54th minute
Naperville North — Adam Zielke (Alex Arredondo), 70th minute
Zielke goal tops 2-1 comeback victory, earns BOTW title berth
By Patrick Z. McGavin
NAPERVILLE -- Naperville North has perfected the art of positionless play.
At their best, the Huskies invert the normal order. Defenders are sometimes the most dangerous weapons.
Senior Adam Zielke fits the mold. At nearly 6–foot-3, his size makes him an elite presence in the back.
He also takes advantage on the Huskies’ brilliant set pieces.
“I think it’s mainly we have a bunch of guys who want it, and they want to show to everyone what we can do,” he said.
“We want to play how we are capable, and we know we have to represent ourselves in the program.”
Zielke executed a perfect flick into the net off a throw-in from defender Alex Arredondo in the 70th minute to give the Huskies, who are ranked 10th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, a 2-1 comeback victory over visiting and 14th-ranked Benet in the final Group 2 pool-play game of the Best of West tournament Saturday morning.
In winning its third-straight game, Naperville North (4-2-0) advanced to the title game for the seventh-consecutive year.
The Huskies faced off against top-ranked Plainfield North in the championship game Saturday evening at Naperville Central.
Benet (4-1-0) was the equal of the Huskies, absorbing their playmaking and pressure. After a scoreless first half, the Redwings created the opening goal in the 52nd minute on a beautiful sidewinder shot from forward Drew Fieldman from 16 yards.
“It was a throw in from Ryan (Augustyn), and I got the ball out of the air,” Fieldman said.
“In that situation, I just had to take what I could get. We really put our hearts into this game. The results didn’t show it, but we are going to continue working it.”
The team’s stellar performance was all the more impressive given the absence of elite midfielder Nico Picha, who missed the game with complications of a high ankle sprain he suffered Thursday night against Oswego.
“Not having Nico in a massive game like this was tough,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said.
“He’s a special player, and he is super talented. He creates a lot, so that probably subtracts three, four or five good chances.”
Benet unveiled another dynamic player new to its system—an elite two-sport athlete and player who is bound to make his mark.
Brayden Fagbemi is one of the top point guard prospects in the senior class in basketball.
A transfer from Neuqua Valley, he was not eligible to play until the end of last season.
His reputation as an athletic playmaker and shot-creator in extends to soccer. Like in basketball, he is blazing fast and quick off the dribble.
In the 80th minute, he nearly created the equalizer by outracing two Naperville North defenders and getting to the end line.
He was knocked down from behind, setting up a possible penalty kick. The center official ruled incidental contact.
His presence adds another threat that diversifies the attack.
“Brayden is a special player,” Wesley said. “And Drew was great on top today with that goal.”
Naperville North wore down Benet with its pressure and ability to create opportunities.
“I thought we invited too much pressure,” Wesley said. “You can’t do that with North. We gave up throw-ins at our end, corner kicks, fouls at midfield.
“They are so dangerous on all of those moments. I thought that really got us.”
Indiana recruit Alex Barger was the catalyst for the Huskies. In the aftermath of the Fieldman goal, he took charge of the game.
Working off the left edge, the forward drove against two defenders and crossed the ball into the box.
The ball was punched back about 12 yards before midfielder Sam Hess hammered a ball.
Benet keeper Evan Lucas made a nice, initial stop. His block ricochet off his body, giving North defender Connor Hanrahan the ideal situation to nail a left-footed rebound. The
shot from about eight yards created the equalizer in the 54th minute.
“Before the game started, the coaches were telling us the game was not going to be easy, and that it would probably come down to the last second,” Hanrahan said.
“That’s exactly what happened.”
He was a last-minute starting replacement for sophomore forward Jaxson Stokes, who suffered a sprained ankle in the Huskies’ victory over South Elgin on Thursday night.
He underscored a key principle of the game. So much of soccer is about timing and place.
He was in the right place at the perfect moment.
“The coaches said to stay wide when I was coming in, and I just happened to be there,” Hanrahan said.
“I got in front of the other kid, got my foot in front; and I put it in.”
After suffering back-to-back shutout losses against no. 6 Lyons and seventh-ranked Morton last week, Naperville North is finding its scoring identity.
At their best, the Huskies attack from all sides.
“Coming from behind was also tough, but we knew we had it,” Hanrahan said. “We had a lot of shots on goal, and we put two in.”
Benet has another crucial scoring threat in Owen McCarry.
He showed great touch and accuracy on deep free kicks. One from 43 yards from the left edge with the game still tied at 1-1 required a great leaping stab from Huskies’ keeper Reed Goss.
He has three assists in the first part of the season.
“I feel like getting Nick Roe open on the back post is really dangerous,” McGarry said.
The two collaborated on the game-winner against West Chicago in the second game of the season.
“If I can pick him out of the back when he is open, I know he is going to get his head on the ball,” McGarry said.
“We have so many guys who win the ball in the air, and it’s a very dangerous part of our game. My job is to find them and pick them out.”
Zielke nearly followed the Hanrahan goal with another trademark set piece goal, another beautiful cross from Barger.
He leapt high and smashed a header that Lucas made a great denial of in front of the box.
“We are getting where we need to be, putting the working in, and doing the little things right and representing the program every way we can,” Zielke said.
“After they scored, that forced us to be a little more direct and get to the goal. From there, it was paying anyway we could to get the ball down and in the back of the net.”
Benet proved to be equal to the task. Augustyn flashed strength and quickness at the top of the attack.
As Picha regains his health and returns, the Redwings attack will regain its diversity and explosiveness..
“The positives today were very good,” Wesley said. “Our record is now 4-1-0, and we took North to 2-1 at their place.
“I think we have a chance to build this year, and really be good.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Jack Kuelthau
D: Nick Roe
D: Nick Nirtaut
MF: Danny Boyle
MF: Peter Hepburn
MF: Owen McGarry
F: Ryan Augustyn
F: Drew Fieldman
F: Brayden Fagbemi
Naperville North
GK: Reed Goss
D: Alex Arredondo
D: Adam Zielke
D: Ryan Konrad
D: Connor Hanrahan
MF: Owen Gaccione
MF: Caden Hill
MF: Noah Radeke
F: Aidan McMahon
F: Hindo Allie
F: Alex Barger
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Adam Zielke, sr., D, Naperville North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Benet — Drew Fieldman (Ryan Augustyn), 52nd minute
Naperville North — Connor Hanrahan (Sam Hess), 54th minute
Naperville North — Adam Zielke (Alex Arredondo), 70th minute