Benet shows muscle at Wheaton Academy
High-flying Redwings soar past Warriors 8-0
By Ken Keenan
WEST CHICAGO -- Showing it means business as a state contender this season, Benet overwhelmed host Wheaton Academy 8-0 in nonconference action Tuesday night at Performance Trust Field.
Paced by junior forward Sarah Bozych (3 goals, 2 assists), Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, along with sophomore forward Jaimee Cibulka (goal, 3 assists) and a host of others, the Redwings -- ranked no. 5 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- improved to 17-2-1 overall with the decisive victory.
Benet exploded for six goals in the first 31 minutes of the match and then induced a running clock with a pair of tallies 33 seconds apart in the 70th minute.
"This is a really good confidence boost against a good team heading into the (IHSA Class AA) tourney," said Bozych, whose squad will begin postseason play in the Hinsdale South Regional on May 15 after concluding the regular season at Evanston on Friday night. "We want to go in strong to the state tourney."
"We're never comfortable," added Bozych. "We know we have a target on our backs. But we have a good attitude. We all want to get to (state finals), and we won't be satisfied until we get there."
Utilizing the entire field with sharp passes to patiently maintain possession before speeding ahead to create dangerous chances, Benet kept the Warriors (10-9-0) on the defensive throughout the match.
"Benet played really well," said Wheaton Academy head coach Jeff Brooke, whose crew wraps up regular-season play at University (Chicago) on Thursday and then returns home to compete in its own regional, beginning May 15. "They opened us up and used the space. When we gave up a few early it was hard to slow them down. Across the field, they're really talented. Hats off to them."
Redwings senior forward Abby Casmere got the scoring party started in the 6th minute. After settling a cross from shifty junior forward Cami Picha, Casmere cut from the left to the middle and tapped the ball with her left foot past Wheaton Academy freshman goalkeeper Sara Swoboda.
A minute later, Swoboda -- filling in for injured starting sophomore keeper Julia Liposky -- made a fine diving stop to spoil a solid strike by Benet's Cibulka. One more minute elapsed before Cibulka nabbed a pass from Picha on the left side and beat Swoboda with a low shot inside the far post to make it 2-0.
The Redwings didn't let up. With 26:10 to go before halftime, Casmere cranked a 15-yard rocket off the crossbar. In the 17th minute, Swoboda rushed out to make a spectacular save on a short try by Benet senior midfielder Nicole Burns.
Bozych then notched the first of her three markers to give the Redwings a 3-0 lead in the 24th minute. The play began when Burns was stopped in-close on a great save by Swoboda, who instantly deflected Bozych's rebound try off the crossbar which went right to Bozych for the finishing touch.
A multi-touch passing sequence led to the fourth goal. Senior forward Mae Tully nettted the honor in the 26th minute on a shot from the right side that settled inside the left post. Bozych earned the assist.
"When everyone's moving and making quick decisions, we're hard to defend," said Benet skipper Gerard Oconer. "From the middle to the outside, we have balance all over the field. But quality of shooting is also important, and (Tuesday night) we took good, solid shots."
Added Picha: "Our team does a great job of connecting and finding people. Patience is key."
Tully added her second goal with 10:05 left in the first half to give Benet a 5-0 bulge. After taking a pass from Cibulka, Tully cut to her left, faked out a defender and curled a shot into the top right corner.
It took merely 17 seconds for the Redwings to tally once more. Cibulka again earned the assist, sending Bozych on a run that ended with a right-footed blast into the left side of the cage.
"No team is easy, so you want to keep the intensity the whole game," Bozych said. "We like to keep the momentum going."
Added Benet senior mid Kayla Brannigan. "We don't want to settle once we get a couple goals. If we can, we'll score more. We want to move the ball and keep the energy up."
Wheaton Academy used the break to regroup, and the Warriors took the field with a more focused approach in the second half despite the lopsided score.
"At halftime, we were a little bit shocked," said stellar Wheaton Academy senior midfielder Sophia Lindquist. "We tried to ignore the score and come out in the second half and fight, and we did that a bit more. It wasn't our best game, but we didn't want to let (Benet) walk through us. Pride is never giving up."
Following several minutes of back-and-forth play, Benet opened the lead to 7-0 when Burns (assisted by Bozych) snapped a 30-yard shot just under the crossbar with 10:57 remaining. Thirty-three seconds later, Bozych completed her hat-trick by finishing a cross from Cibulka with a swift one-timer on the doorstep.
"This was a good game to keep up our intensity," Picha said. "We strive to be better each game we play. That's our mentality heading into state."
Oconer said, "The state tourney has been our target all year long. Now our focus is on Evanston, another good game for us, and then we can focus on state tourney preparation."
Down for a night -- but not out of the race -- Wheaton Academy plans to do the same.
"We'll gather and talk and move forward," Brooke said. "We'll be ready for regionals next week."
Starting lineups
Benet Academy
G: Eva Frantzen
D: Brooke Pullen
D: Kate Flynn
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
M: Kayla Brannigan
M: Nicole Burns
M: Mia Ullmer
F: Jamiee Cibulka
F: Cami Picha
F: Abby Casmere
Wheaton Academy
G: Sara Swoboda
D: Sara VanderKlok
D: Kat Sezonov
D: Kelsey Bowling
D: Lydia Sedjo
M; Faith Pollino
M: Emma Goebel
M: A.C. Hardy
M: Sophia Lindquist
M: Amy Alexander
F: Rebecca Steininger
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Bozych, jr., F, Benet Academy
Officials: Dave Sharma, Bret Richter, Vinh Trinh
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Abby Casmere (assisted by Cami Picha) in 6th minute
Benet: Jaimee Cibulka (assisted by Picha) in 8th minute
Benet: Sarah Bozych (assisted by Nicole Burns) in 24th minute
Benet: Mae Tully (assisted by Bozych) in 26th minute
Benet: Tully (assisted by Cibulka) in 30th minute
Benet: Bozych (assisted by Cibulka) in 31st minute
Second half
Benet: Burns (assisted by Bozych) in 70th minute
Benet: Bozych (assisted by Cibulka) in 70th minute
High-flying Redwings soar past Warriors 8-0
By Ken Keenan
WEST CHICAGO -- Showing it means business as a state contender this season, Benet overwhelmed host Wheaton Academy 8-0 in nonconference action Tuesday night at Performance Trust Field.
Paced by junior forward Sarah Bozych (3 goals, 2 assists), Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, along with sophomore forward Jaimee Cibulka (goal, 3 assists) and a host of others, the Redwings -- ranked no. 5 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 -- improved to 17-2-1 overall with the decisive victory.
Benet exploded for six goals in the first 31 minutes of the match and then induced a running clock with a pair of tallies 33 seconds apart in the 70th minute.
"This is a really good confidence boost against a good team heading into the (IHSA Class AA) tourney," said Bozych, whose squad will begin postseason play in the Hinsdale South Regional on May 15 after concluding the regular season at Evanston on Friday night. "We want to go in strong to the state tourney."
"We're never comfortable," added Bozych. "We know we have a target on our backs. But we have a good attitude. We all want to get to (state finals), and we won't be satisfied until we get there."
Utilizing the entire field with sharp passes to patiently maintain possession before speeding ahead to create dangerous chances, Benet kept the Warriors (10-9-0) on the defensive throughout the match.
"Benet played really well," said Wheaton Academy head coach Jeff Brooke, whose crew wraps up regular-season play at University (Chicago) on Thursday and then returns home to compete in its own regional, beginning May 15. "They opened us up and used the space. When we gave up a few early it was hard to slow them down. Across the field, they're really talented. Hats off to them."
Redwings senior forward Abby Casmere got the scoring party started in the 6th minute. After settling a cross from shifty junior forward Cami Picha, Casmere cut from the left to the middle and tapped the ball with her left foot past Wheaton Academy freshman goalkeeper Sara Swoboda.
A minute later, Swoboda -- filling in for injured starting sophomore keeper Julia Liposky -- made a fine diving stop to spoil a solid strike by Benet's Cibulka. One more minute elapsed before Cibulka nabbed a pass from Picha on the left side and beat Swoboda with a low shot inside the far post to make it 2-0.
The Redwings didn't let up. With 26:10 to go before halftime, Casmere cranked a 15-yard rocket off the crossbar. In the 17th minute, Swoboda rushed out to make a spectacular save on a short try by Benet senior midfielder Nicole Burns.
Bozych then notched the first of her three markers to give the Redwings a 3-0 lead in the 24th minute. The play began when Burns was stopped in-close on a great save by Swoboda, who instantly deflected Bozych's rebound try off the crossbar which went right to Bozych for the finishing touch.
A multi-touch passing sequence led to the fourth goal. Senior forward Mae Tully nettted the honor in the 26th minute on a shot from the right side that settled inside the left post. Bozych earned the assist.
"When everyone's moving and making quick decisions, we're hard to defend," said Benet skipper Gerard Oconer. "From the middle to the outside, we have balance all over the field. But quality of shooting is also important, and (Tuesday night) we took good, solid shots."
Added Picha: "Our team does a great job of connecting and finding people. Patience is key."
Tully added her second goal with 10:05 left in the first half to give Benet a 5-0 bulge. After taking a pass from Cibulka, Tully cut to her left, faked out a defender and curled a shot into the top right corner.
It took merely 17 seconds for the Redwings to tally once more. Cibulka again earned the assist, sending Bozych on a run that ended with a right-footed blast into the left side of the cage.
"No team is easy, so you want to keep the intensity the whole game," Bozych said. "We like to keep the momentum going."
Added Benet senior mid Kayla Brannigan. "We don't want to settle once we get a couple goals. If we can, we'll score more. We want to move the ball and keep the energy up."
Wheaton Academy used the break to regroup, and the Warriors took the field with a more focused approach in the second half despite the lopsided score.
"At halftime, we were a little bit shocked," said stellar Wheaton Academy senior midfielder Sophia Lindquist. "We tried to ignore the score and come out in the second half and fight, and we did that a bit more. It wasn't our best game, but we didn't want to let (Benet) walk through us. Pride is never giving up."
Following several minutes of back-and-forth play, Benet opened the lead to 7-0 when Burns (assisted by Bozych) snapped a 30-yard shot just under the crossbar with 10:57 remaining. Thirty-three seconds later, Bozych completed her hat-trick by finishing a cross from Cibulka with a swift one-timer on the doorstep.
"This was a good game to keep up our intensity," Picha said. "We strive to be better each game we play. That's our mentality heading into state."
Oconer said, "The state tourney has been our target all year long. Now our focus is on Evanston, another good game for us, and then we can focus on state tourney preparation."
Down for a night -- but not out of the race -- Wheaton Academy plans to do the same.
"We'll gather and talk and move forward," Brooke said. "We'll be ready for regionals next week."
Starting lineups
Benet Academy
G: Eva Frantzen
D: Brooke Pullen
D: Kate Flynn
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
M: Kayla Brannigan
M: Nicole Burns
M: Mia Ullmer
F: Jamiee Cibulka
F: Cami Picha
F: Abby Casmere
Wheaton Academy
G: Sara Swoboda
D: Sara VanderKlok
D: Kat Sezonov
D: Kelsey Bowling
D: Lydia Sedjo
M; Faith Pollino
M: Emma Goebel
M: A.C. Hardy
M: Sophia Lindquist
M: Amy Alexander
F: Rebecca Steininger
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sarah Bozych, jr., F, Benet Academy
Officials: Dave Sharma, Bret Richter, Vinh Trinh
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Abby Casmere (assisted by Cami Picha) in 6th minute
Benet: Jaimee Cibulka (assisted by Picha) in 8th minute
Benet: Sarah Bozych (assisted by Nicole Burns) in 24th minute
Benet: Mae Tully (assisted by Bozych) in 26th minute
Benet: Tully (assisted by Cibulka) in 30th minute
Benet: Bozych (assisted by Cibulka) in 31st minute
Second half
Benet: Burns (assisted by Bozych) in 70th minute
Benet: Bozych (assisted by Cibulka) in 70th minute