Casmere's 2nd half goals lift
Benet past Deerfield
Redwings gain finals berth on late, long-distance floater
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE -- Benet freshman Eleanor Mahan called it “probably the craziest win I’ve ever had to see.”
It was certainly one of the most memorable, and Mahan played a key role in it.
Mahan, a reserve forward, came off the bench to set up Anna Casmere’s game-tying goal and also witnessed Casmere’s terrific game-winner as Benet knocked off Deerfield in a thrilling Class AA state semifinal Friday at North Central College.
The victory extended the Redwings’ winning streak to 13 and vaulted them into Saturday’s 1 p.m. state title match against defending champion Triad, which beat Fenwick 3-1 in double overtime in the first semifinal.
“The coaches have told us all season that one of the biggest differences between us and other teams is that our starters are amazing, but we have so many people on the bench that can come in and work hard and do what you have to do,” Mahan said. “I think that’s what really makes us special. It’s gotten us this far.”
At one point, it didn’t appear Benet (22-4-0) would go any further. The Redwings were on the losing end of a seesaw match when Mahan checked in during a stretch in which Deerfield (22-4-2) was threatening to break the game open.
Emily Fox’s bid for a hat-trick was barely denied by Benet goalkeeper Shannon Clark, who made a leaping effort to tip Fox’s 25-yard shot over the crossbar at the 31:45 mark of the second half.
That kept the score 2-1 in favor of the Warriors, who had responded well after Katie Lewellyan gave Benet a 1-0 lead by scoring on a breakaway one minute into the game.
But Mahan changed the complexion of the game when she broke into the dleft side of the box and sent a sharp cross past a defender to an open Casmere, whose left-footed strike went inside the right post to tie the game with 21:39 to go.
“It was an amazing assist,” Casmere said. “It just went through everyone, and I happened to be there at the right time.”
Benet’s Clark was in the right spot to snare a pair of long free kicks off the toe of Holly Deutsch and that kept Benet in position to go for the go-ahead goal, which Casmere produced in spectacular fashion at the 8:18 mark.
Casmere, a junior forward whose older sister, Abby, was the leading scorer on Benet’s 2019 state championship team, was alone on the right wing when she uncorked a high-arching shot from 30 yards out.
The ball proved to be perfectly struck, bending over the head of Deerfield goalkeeper Lauren Gottlieb. It hit the inside netting high up on the far post for Casmere’s ninth goal of the season.
“To be honest, I was praying ‘Please go in. Please go in,’” Casmere said. “I was very tired, and I knew it was either now or never, so I just hit it. I’m really glad it went in.”
Benet coach Gerard Oconer was, too, though he wasn’t surprised.
“She just has to put it on target,” Oconer said. “You get it up in the air, and you just never know. Goalkeepers have trouble with balls like that.”
Casmere has had trouble finding the back of the net as often as she’d like. She now has nine goals and seven assists.
“Anna has been snake-bitten all year as far as scoring goals, so she was due,” Oconer said. “She is dangerous, she creates lots of opportunities.
“She just has not been able to score as much as she’d like in the regular season.
But once the state tournament came around, she’s been money for us.”
Fox has been money for Deerfield. After racking up 17 goals and 10 assists as a freshman, the midfielder has been even better as a sophomore and currently has 27 goals and 14 assists.
Fox tied the game at 1-1 when she headed home senior Holly Deutsch’s corner kick at the 25:14 mark of the first half, then boomed a 26-yard shot over Clark’s head and under the crossbar to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead just 2:23 before halftime.
It’s the third-straight playoff game in which Fox has scored twice.
“It’s definitely really exciting to score in a big game,” Fox said. “Me and other players definitely had to step up to fill the shoes of a major player that we lost.
“I think it would have been a lot different if she was there, because everything just changes. But I knew I had to step up for her.”
Fox was referring to senior forward Riley Schimanski, who suffered a torn ACL in the sectional semifinal
“(Fox) has just taken over,” Grady said. “We’ve had to change our lineup, and she’s picked up the slack.
“She’s an unbelievable player and knows that everybody is going to be focused on her and still deals with it very well. She’s been tremendous.
“The first goal today, she gets inside on the corner kick and just redirects it in with her head. Second one was typical Emily – beats somebody, creates space and pops one over the keeper’s head. She’s fun to watch.”
Even Fox’s teammates find themselves watching her.
“We’ve played together for four years now, and she continues to amaze me,” Deutsch said. “I love watching her play and her shine and being by her side.
“I’m sad that I don’t get to be by her side next year. I’m sure she’ll do amazing things. I’m very proud of her, especially this game.”
Despite the loss, Grady was proud of his team’s effort.
“It was a great game,” Grady said. “I give us credit for the comeback in the first half after we gave one away.
“It’s two teams that like to attack. We said we were going to come out and attack. That’s our personality.
“I think it was a good advertisement for high school soccer. I was happy with a lot of our performance today. They just finished one more than we did.”
Three years after winning their first state championship, the Redwings have a chance to win one more on Saturday. Benet, whose only losses have come against Class 3A schools, will be in the rare position of underdog against Triad, which has won 48 of its last 49 games.
“This is what we were hoping for from the beginning of the season,” Oconer said. “We wanted to be in this moment. We wanted to have this opportunity, and that’s all you can ask for.”
While acknowledging the tall task ahead of the Redwings, Casmere is focused on continuing a family tradition by capturing another championship.
“The last game we lost, we were all on the same page. And we decided we’re not going to lose the rest of the season,” Casmere said. “We’re still determined to hold that up.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Sadie Sterbenz
D Bailey Abbott
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
M Reese MacDonald
M Brinkley Douglas
M Katie Lewellyan
F Keira Petrucelli
F Mariana Pinto
F Gabi DiMatteo
Deerfield
GK Lauren Gottlieb
D Emma Gassman
D Katie Morgan
D Madeline Stevens
M Ally Linn
M Emily Fox
M Erin Emory
M Jessie Fisher
M Holly Deutsch
F Aubrey Galvan
F Ryane Emory
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Anna Casmere, jr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Katie Lewellyan (Kiera Petrucelli) 39:00 remaining
Deerfield – Emily Fox (Holly Deutsch) 25:14 remaining
Deerfield – Fox 2:23 remaining
Second half
Benet – Anna Casmere (Eleanor Mahan) 21:39 remaining
Benet – Casmere (Marianna Pinto) 8:18 remaining
Benet past Deerfield
Redwings gain finals berth on late, long-distance floater
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE -- Benet freshman Eleanor Mahan called it “probably the craziest win I’ve ever had to see.”
It was certainly one of the most memorable, and Mahan played a key role in it.
Mahan, a reserve forward, came off the bench to set up Anna Casmere’s game-tying goal and also witnessed Casmere’s terrific game-winner as Benet knocked off Deerfield in a thrilling Class AA state semifinal Friday at North Central College.
The victory extended the Redwings’ winning streak to 13 and vaulted them into Saturday’s 1 p.m. state title match against defending champion Triad, which beat Fenwick 3-1 in double overtime in the first semifinal.
“The coaches have told us all season that one of the biggest differences between us and other teams is that our starters are amazing, but we have so many people on the bench that can come in and work hard and do what you have to do,” Mahan said. “I think that’s what really makes us special. It’s gotten us this far.”
At one point, it didn’t appear Benet (22-4-0) would go any further. The Redwings were on the losing end of a seesaw match when Mahan checked in during a stretch in which Deerfield (22-4-2) was threatening to break the game open.
Emily Fox’s bid for a hat-trick was barely denied by Benet goalkeeper Shannon Clark, who made a leaping effort to tip Fox’s 25-yard shot over the crossbar at the 31:45 mark of the second half.
That kept the score 2-1 in favor of the Warriors, who had responded well after Katie Lewellyan gave Benet a 1-0 lead by scoring on a breakaway one minute into the game.
But Mahan changed the complexion of the game when she broke into the dleft side of the box and sent a sharp cross past a defender to an open Casmere, whose left-footed strike went inside the right post to tie the game with 21:39 to go.
“It was an amazing assist,” Casmere said. “It just went through everyone, and I happened to be there at the right time.”
Benet’s Clark was in the right spot to snare a pair of long free kicks off the toe of Holly Deutsch and that kept Benet in position to go for the go-ahead goal, which Casmere produced in spectacular fashion at the 8:18 mark.
Casmere, a junior forward whose older sister, Abby, was the leading scorer on Benet’s 2019 state championship team, was alone on the right wing when she uncorked a high-arching shot from 30 yards out.
The ball proved to be perfectly struck, bending over the head of Deerfield goalkeeper Lauren Gottlieb. It hit the inside netting high up on the far post for Casmere’s ninth goal of the season.
“To be honest, I was praying ‘Please go in. Please go in,’” Casmere said. “I was very tired, and I knew it was either now or never, so I just hit it. I’m really glad it went in.”
Benet coach Gerard Oconer was, too, though he wasn’t surprised.
“She just has to put it on target,” Oconer said. “You get it up in the air, and you just never know. Goalkeepers have trouble with balls like that.”
Casmere has had trouble finding the back of the net as often as she’d like. She now has nine goals and seven assists.
“Anna has been snake-bitten all year as far as scoring goals, so she was due,” Oconer said. “She is dangerous, she creates lots of opportunities.
“She just has not been able to score as much as she’d like in the regular season.
But once the state tournament came around, she’s been money for us.”
Fox has been money for Deerfield. After racking up 17 goals and 10 assists as a freshman, the midfielder has been even better as a sophomore and currently has 27 goals and 14 assists.
Fox tied the game at 1-1 when she headed home senior Holly Deutsch’s corner kick at the 25:14 mark of the first half, then boomed a 26-yard shot over Clark’s head and under the crossbar to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead just 2:23 before halftime.
It’s the third-straight playoff game in which Fox has scored twice.
“It’s definitely really exciting to score in a big game,” Fox said. “Me and other players definitely had to step up to fill the shoes of a major player that we lost.
“I think it would have been a lot different if she was there, because everything just changes. But I knew I had to step up for her.”
Fox was referring to senior forward Riley Schimanski, who suffered a torn ACL in the sectional semifinal
“(Fox) has just taken over,” Grady said. “We’ve had to change our lineup, and she’s picked up the slack.
“She’s an unbelievable player and knows that everybody is going to be focused on her and still deals with it very well. She’s been tremendous.
“The first goal today, she gets inside on the corner kick and just redirects it in with her head. Second one was typical Emily – beats somebody, creates space and pops one over the keeper’s head. She’s fun to watch.”
Even Fox’s teammates find themselves watching her.
“We’ve played together for four years now, and she continues to amaze me,” Deutsch said. “I love watching her play and her shine and being by her side.
“I’m sad that I don’t get to be by her side next year. I’m sure she’ll do amazing things. I’m very proud of her, especially this game.”
Despite the loss, Grady was proud of his team’s effort.
“It was a great game,” Grady said. “I give us credit for the comeback in the first half after we gave one away.
“It’s two teams that like to attack. We said we were going to come out and attack. That’s our personality.
“I think it was a good advertisement for high school soccer. I was happy with a lot of our performance today. They just finished one more than we did.”
Three years after winning their first state championship, the Redwings have a chance to win one more on Saturday. Benet, whose only losses have come against Class 3A schools, will be in the rare position of underdog against Triad, which has won 48 of its last 49 games.
“This is what we were hoping for from the beginning of the season,” Oconer said. “We wanted to be in this moment. We wanted to have this opportunity, and that’s all you can ask for.”
While acknowledging the tall task ahead of the Redwings, Casmere is focused on continuing a family tradition by capturing another championship.
“The last game we lost, we were all on the same page. And we decided we’re not going to lose the rest of the season,” Casmere said. “We’re still determined to hold that up.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Sadie Sterbenz
D Bailey Abbott
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
M Reese MacDonald
M Brinkley Douglas
M Katie Lewellyan
F Keira Petrucelli
F Mariana Pinto
F Gabi DiMatteo
Deerfield
GK Lauren Gottlieb
D Emma Gassman
D Katie Morgan
D Madeline Stevens
M Ally Linn
M Emily Fox
M Erin Emory
M Jessie Fisher
M Holly Deutsch
F Aubrey Galvan
F Ryane Emory
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Anna Casmere, jr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet: Katie Lewellyan (Kiera Petrucelli) 39:00 remaining
Deerfield – Emily Fox (Holly Deutsch) 25:14 remaining
Deerfield – Fox 2:23 remaining
Second half
Benet – Anna Casmere (Eleanor Mahan) 21:39 remaining
Benet – Casmere (Marianna Pinto) 8:18 remaining