Playoff-tested Sterbenz drives
Benet past Wheaton Academy
Junior trades high tops for cleats, scores twice in 4-0 win
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO -- Benet junior Sadie Sterbenz is ready to make another run at the state title.
Eleven days after watching Benet’s dream of a Class 4A state basketball championship fall by the wayside on Doug Collins Court at Illinois State, Sterbenz switched gears to play for another school team with state championship aspirations.
A reserve guard on Benet’s fourth place basketball team, Sterbenz made a big statement in her season debut on the pitch Tuesday night at Wheaton Academy.
The defender scored two goals and added an assist to spark Benet to a rousing 4-0 win on their hosts’ Performance Trust Field.
Not too bad for a basketball player.
“I got not even a day off after basketball,” Sterbenz said. “I came from basketball on Saturday to soccer on Sunday. Both teams were great, and I loved it today. I was pretty nervous, because I haven’t been playing soccer too much lately.
“But when my team needed me to score, I did it. I’m just trying to use my speed to get a chance to score. This is a great win for us, right off the bat. We want to win it all this season, including state. The first win is a big confidence boost for our team.”
Benet coach Gerald Oconer said Sterbenz’s strong showing in the opener against a quality opponent showed her potential for this season and beyond.
“Sadie has grown so much both ways, and her confidence is just pretty much sky high right now,” he said. “She’s just coming off basketball season, so she hasn’t even really played quite as much as she normally would. For her to come out and have a performance like this in her first game, she’s going to be a big part of what we want to do.”
In a matchup of two teams that want to end their seasons on the final day, the Redwings (1-0) and Warriors could meet up potentially in the Class AA playoffs. Wheaton Academy moved up a class afte finishing third in Class A last spring.
Benet scored just once in the first half but eventually wore down the Warriors (0-1). The Redwings scored three second half goals to finish a signature road win.
The team celebrated by getting together for a short video that showed off some deft dance moves before boarding the team bus. It was the squad’s first such ride as a full team since defeating Wauconda 2-1 in the Class AA state championship game in 2019.
"We just had parents drive to away games last year due to COVID safety issues, and I purposely scheduled our away games to be close to Benet," said Oconer. "We had a bus for our game against Saint Viator last year, but only about nine players took it."
After losing in the Class 3A sectional finals to eventual state-runnerup Lyons last season, the Redwings drop down a class to compete in AA. The move makes Benet one of the top contenders in the state championship chase. Its roster includes 16 returnees including nine starters from a team that recorded the program’s first undefeated regular season in 2021.
The Redwings, who were no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll,’ put their depth and talent on full display against the Warriors with tri-captain Mariana Pinto and Rachel Burns joining Sterbenz in the goal-scoring column. The Redwings were flush with chances for goals, especially in a 15-minute segment early in the second half.
Wheaton Academy coach Maria Selvaggio admitted her team wasn’t ready for Benet’s experienced group so early in the season. The Warriors sit at no. 29 in the First 50.
“We knew scheduling Benet would be difficult,” Selvaggio said. “Benet is always great, so scheduling them early in our first game was a good challenge for us. It exposes a lot of things we need to work on.
“Hats off to them. They’re very fit, skilled and aggressive. We’re still figuring out who we are. Playing out of the gates such a good team was tough. We had really good moments, especially in the first 10 to 15 minutes.
“Fitness was an issue for us. You could tell the legs got heavy. We started making silly mistakes and breakdowns started happening. We have a lot to work on, and we know it.
“I’m not concerned. This is not a true reflection of our team. We could see them again. This is the AA competition you have to play if you want to go the distance. It was helpful for us, just not the result you want. But it was the first game. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
On a warm evening with a picturesque background, the Redwings started their quest to win another state championship.
With both teams enduring a feeling-out process in the first 12 minutes, Benet started taking advantage of some cracks in Wheaton Academy’s backline. Burns, a junior midfielder, drilled a bullet shot from 25 yards to stun Wheaton Academy goalie Sara Swoboda with 14:58 left until halftime.
“I got a really good pass from Sadie, then saw an opening and just took it,” Burns said of her goal. “This year we have a lot of new and young players who did a great job stepping into their roles, and we have really good captains that helped them. Sadie had a great game today.”
Leading 1-0 at halftime, the Redwings opened up the floodgates in the second half. Sterbenz scored off a corner kick, chipping in a slow-rolling shot to the left of Swoboda for a 2-0 lead with 29:19 left in regulation.
Seventeen minutes later, Sterbenz came right back with an excellent header from 17 yards to extend the lead to 3-0.
Sterbenz said the header was her favorite of her two goals.
“I’m pretty good with my head, and I love header goals,” Sterbenz said, while giggling and smiling. “I went up for it.”
Pinto, who scored 12 goals and tallied 10 assists last season, joined the goal-scoring party with a nice shot with just under five minutes remaining to ice the victory for the Redwings.
“It was all about the grit, as we were super excited to get our first win,” said Pinto, a Lewis recruit. “As a captain, I try to lead the team. One of the ways is by scoring and giving other people that opportunity. I saw my opportunity, and took it right away. This win was a good look into the future for us.”
Benet goalie Shannon Clark, the 2021 East Suburban Catholic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, had an uneventful evening, registering three easy saves to record the shutout. She had 10 shutouts last season.
“It’s always good to start off 1-0-0, playing a quality team under the lights,” Oconer said. “We took this opportunity to learn more about our team. This is a great starting point for us to build off.
“We’re an extremely deep team. Wheaton Academy had the better play in the first 15 minutes, but once we were able to rotate and get settled into the game, our subs did what we needed them to do. We took over from there. Once we settle in, we should be a pretty good team.”
Selvaggio said the Warriors can learn from the tough loss. It can serve as a motivating factor for the rest of the season.
“We played with a ton of heart, and never quit and hustled,” she said. “We told the girls after the game that it was awesome to see them never quit and not stop working. I’m very optimistic about this group. I’m glad that we played Benet now, and maybe we will see them again.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Reese MacDonald
D Sadie Sterbenz
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
MF Brinkley Douglas
MF Rachel Burns
MF Rania Fikri
F Anna Casmere
F Mariana Pinto
F Chloe Sentman
Wheaton Academy
GK Sara Swoboda
D Jillian Paulson
D Britta Love
D Lexi Rojek
MF Sydney Abbot
MF Emily Setran
MF Jocelyn Royce
MF Grace Platt
MF Lily Lebo
F Eva DeSouza
F Anna Africa
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sadie Sterbenz, jr., D, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet — Rachel Burns (Sterbenz), 14:58
Second half
Benet — Sadie Sterbenz (unassisted), 29:19
Benet — Sadie Sterbenz (Burns), 12:33
Benet —Mariana Pinto (unassisted), 4:28
Benet past Wheaton Academy
Junior trades high tops for cleats, scores twice in 4-0 win
By Bobby Narang
WEST CHICAGO -- Benet junior Sadie Sterbenz is ready to make another run at the state title.
Eleven days after watching Benet’s dream of a Class 4A state basketball championship fall by the wayside on Doug Collins Court at Illinois State, Sterbenz switched gears to play for another school team with state championship aspirations.
A reserve guard on Benet’s fourth place basketball team, Sterbenz made a big statement in her season debut on the pitch Tuesday night at Wheaton Academy.
The defender scored two goals and added an assist to spark Benet to a rousing 4-0 win on their hosts’ Performance Trust Field.
Not too bad for a basketball player.
“I got not even a day off after basketball,” Sterbenz said. “I came from basketball on Saturday to soccer on Sunday. Both teams were great, and I loved it today. I was pretty nervous, because I haven’t been playing soccer too much lately.
“But when my team needed me to score, I did it. I’m just trying to use my speed to get a chance to score. This is a great win for us, right off the bat. We want to win it all this season, including state. The first win is a big confidence boost for our team.”
Benet coach Gerald Oconer said Sterbenz’s strong showing in the opener against a quality opponent showed her potential for this season and beyond.
“Sadie has grown so much both ways, and her confidence is just pretty much sky high right now,” he said. “She’s just coming off basketball season, so she hasn’t even really played quite as much as she normally would. For her to come out and have a performance like this in her first game, she’s going to be a big part of what we want to do.”
In a matchup of two teams that want to end their seasons on the final day, the Redwings (1-0) and Warriors could meet up potentially in the Class AA playoffs. Wheaton Academy moved up a class afte finishing third in Class A last spring.
Benet scored just once in the first half but eventually wore down the Warriors (0-1). The Redwings scored three second half goals to finish a signature road win.
The team celebrated by getting together for a short video that showed off some deft dance moves before boarding the team bus. It was the squad’s first such ride as a full team since defeating Wauconda 2-1 in the Class AA state championship game in 2019.
"We just had parents drive to away games last year due to COVID safety issues, and I purposely scheduled our away games to be close to Benet," said Oconer. "We had a bus for our game against Saint Viator last year, but only about nine players took it."
After losing in the Class 3A sectional finals to eventual state-runnerup Lyons last season, the Redwings drop down a class to compete in AA. The move makes Benet one of the top contenders in the state championship chase. Its roster includes 16 returnees including nine starters from a team that recorded the program’s first undefeated regular season in 2021.
The Redwings, who were no. 11 in the Chicagoland Soccer First 50 preseason poll,’ put their depth and talent on full display against the Warriors with tri-captain Mariana Pinto and Rachel Burns joining Sterbenz in the goal-scoring column. The Redwings were flush with chances for goals, especially in a 15-minute segment early in the second half.
Wheaton Academy coach Maria Selvaggio admitted her team wasn’t ready for Benet’s experienced group so early in the season. The Warriors sit at no. 29 in the First 50.
“We knew scheduling Benet would be difficult,” Selvaggio said. “Benet is always great, so scheduling them early in our first game was a good challenge for us. It exposes a lot of things we need to work on.
“Hats off to them. They’re very fit, skilled and aggressive. We’re still figuring out who we are. Playing out of the gates such a good team was tough. We had really good moments, especially in the first 10 to 15 minutes.
“Fitness was an issue for us. You could tell the legs got heavy. We started making silly mistakes and breakdowns started happening. We have a lot to work on, and we know it.
“I’m not concerned. This is not a true reflection of our team. We could see them again. This is the AA competition you have to play if you want to go the distance. It was helpful for us, just not the result you want. But it was the first game. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
On a warm evening with a picturesque background, the Redwings started their quest to win another state championship.
With both teams enduring a feeling-out process in the first 12 minutes, Benet started taking advantage of some cracks in Wheaton Academy’s backline. Burns, a junior midfielder, drilled a bullet shot from 25 yards to stun Wheaton Academy goalie Sara Swoboda with 14:58 left until halftime.
“I got a really good pass from Sadie, then saw an opening and just took it,” Burns said of her goal. “This year we have a lot of new and young players who did a great job stepping into their roles, and we have really good captains that helped them. Sadie had a great game today.”
Leading 1-0 at halftime, the Redwings opened up the floodgates in the second half. Sterbenz scored off a corner kick, chipping in a slow-rolling shot to the left of Swoboda for a 2-0 lead with 29:19 left in regulation.
Seventeen minutes later, Sterbenz came right back with an excellent header from 17 yards to extend the lead to 3-0.
Sterbenz said the header was her favorite of her two goals.
“I’m pretty good with my head, and I love header goals,” Sterbenz said, while giggling and smiling. “I went up for it.”
Pinto, who scored 12 goals and tallied 10 assists last season, joined the goal-scoring party with a nice shot with just under five minutes remaining to ice the victory for the Redwings.
“It was all about the grit, as we were super excited to get our first win,” said Pinto, a Lewis recruit. “As a captain, I try to lead the team. One of the ways is by scoring and giving other people that opportunity. I saw my opportunity, and took it right away. This win was a good look into the future for us.”
Benet goalie Shannon Clark, the 2021 East Suburban Catholic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, had an uneventful evening, registering three easy saves to record the shutout. She had 10 shutouts last season.
“It’s always good to start off 1-0-0, playing a quality team under the lights,” Oconer said. “We took this opportunity to learn more about our team. This is a great starting point for us to build off.
“We’re an extremely deep team. Wheaton Academy had the better play in the first 15 minutes, but once we were able to rotate and get settled into the game, our subs did what we needed them to do. We took over from there. Once we settle in, we should be a pretty good team.”
Selvaggio said the Warriors can learn from the tough loss. It can serve as a motivating factor for the rest of the season.
“We played with a ton of heart, and never quit and hustled,” she said. “We told the girls after the game that it was awesome to see them never quit and not stop working. I’m very optimistic about this group. I’m glad that we played Benet now, and maybe we will see them again.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Reese MacDonald
D Sadie Sterbenz
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
MF Brinkley Douglas
MF Rachel Burns
MF Rania Fikri
F Anna Casmere
F Mariana Pinto
F Chloe Sentman
Wheaton Academy
GK Sara Swoboda
D Jillian Paulson
D Britta Love
D Lexi Rojek
MF Sydney Abbot
MF Emily Setran
MF Jocelyn Royce
MF Grace Platt
MF Lily Lebo
F Eva DeSouza
F Anna Africa
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sadie Sterbenz, jr., D, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet — Rachel Burns (Sterbenz), 14:58
Second half
Benet — Sadie Sterbenz (unassisted), 29:19
Benet — Sadie Sterbenz (Burns), 12:33
Benet —Mariana Pinto (unassisted), 4:28