SCN survives Benet rally to stay unbeaten
Stars advance in Naperville Invite with 2-1 win
By Dave Owen
NAPERVILLE -- In what could have been a matchup of future 2019 state champions, undefeated Class 3A power St. Charles North earned a 2-1 win in Thusday's Naperville Invitational quarterfinal match, and words of ultimate respect from Class AA title contender Benet.
“That St. Charles North team -- there’s a reason they haven’t lost since 2016 during the regular season,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “We knew coming in that we’re not playing a team the rest of the season that’s as good as this. Especially during the state tournament.”
A loss to eventual Class 3A champion Barrington in last year’s state tournament remains the only blemish on the Stars’ record in two years.
“This team continues to take it one game at a time,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said. “They stay focused, they stay driven. It’s been an enjoyable year for sure.”
The Stars, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, next face no. 4 New Trier at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Naperville Central.
To senior defender Mary Kate Hansen, the loss to the Stars (12-0-1) was part pain, but bigger part gain for the no. 9 Redwings.
“They’re a great side,” Hansen said. “But it was a fun game to play honestly. They’re tough. They challenged us in ways we hadn’t been challenged before, and it was good for our team I think.
“It’s always tough to lose but ... they’re a top team in the state, so it’s just going to make us better. Obviously we look to May and the state tournament, so a game like this is a good thing to have under our belt, win or lose.
“Props to them,” Hansen added. “They put them (goals) away when they needed to.”
The Stars’ putaways would take some time Thursday, as Benet (13-2-0) was able to withstand a flurry of St. Charles North threats for the majority of the first half.
Six minutes in, a Sami Rydberg 18-yard shot off a corner kick went over the net. Next, it was an intercepted throw-in by Benet’s Kate Flynn that diffused another Stars offensive zone threat.
Then in quick succession, the Stars were twice denied by Redwings goalkeeper Ava Rogers (nine saves in the match).
In the 13th minute, Rogers made a diving deflection wide of a Sarah Andrey 15-yarder. Just 80 seconds later, Rogers deflected an Alyssa Kraft high 28-yard drive over the crossbar to keep the score 0-0.
But the Stars’ steady pressure continued into the latter part of the first half and eventually produced a breakthrough.
In the 29th minute, Andrey’s shot off a Rydberg pass was deflected wide, setting up a corner kick.
A header out of the box by Hansen denied the initial set piece send. But Cece Wahlberg recovered the ball on the left sideline and sent a cross to Claudia Najera 6 yards out near the right post.
With teammate Maddie Rossi, a Benet defender and Rogers in the crease, Najera touched a low shot inside the right post to put the Stars up 1-0 with 11:23 left in the half.
“We practice a bunch of crosses and slot balls,” Najera said, “and just being on the back post is something we work on a lot.”
“A lot of our goals go in back post. So it was just a matter of finishing it. And Maddie was blocking the goalie, so I think that’s the reason it went in. It was an OK shot that Maddie helped me get through.”
The Stars kept up the pressure, with Rogers making late first half saves on an Andrey 22-yard shot in the 31st minute and a Najera 10-yard chip off a long free kick in the 34th minute.
Oconer summed up the challenge of facing St. Charles North from an opposing coach’s perspective.
“When you see the speed of play like this, it makes you have to process your decisions quicker,” Oconer said. “It makes you have to be sharper, more focused, so when you get into future games you’re a little more crisp with just the movement and the passing and everything functions just a little bit better.”
Hidden among the St. Charles North chances was a strong effort at the defensive end to keep Benet at bay.
After nicely defending a Benet corner kick nine minutes in, the Stars continued to make the box off limits to quality chances for much of the night.
In the 23rd minute, a combination play by Mia Tommasone to Mia Ullmer was denied by Ali Wessel’s long clear upfield.
Then in the 33rd minute, Mae Tully’s low 20-yard liner from the left side was partially deflected by Stars goalkeeper Sara Maleski, then cleared from the crease by Ullmer.
For the match, St. Charles North produced an 11-3 overall edge in shots on net.
“I’ve been really proud of the way our goalkeeper and our four defenders have stepped up and continue with every game to be solid and consistent,” Harks said. “That’s what you ask from your backline.
“They don’t do anything flashy or risky. It’s been nice to see them grow over the course of the season. And I think a lot of our defense starts with our offensive pressure.”
Rydberg was a big part of that offensive push, but she also saluted her team’s defensive unit.
“We kind of have a new defense this year with our sophomore center backs (Makenna Collins and Grace Baressi),” Rydberg said, “but they’ve definitely stepped up and are doing a really good job.”
Up 1-0 at halftime, the Stars’ offense went right to work to double that lead.
After Kraft lofted a 28-yard shot that angled down off the crossbar two minutes in, Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Najera was again a key part of a Stars finish.
With 37:23 left, Najera made a right side run and passed to Rydberg, whose low 15-yard drive inside the right post made it 2-0 St. Charles North.
“In practice we definitely make a big emphasis on taking the ball end line and looking for that slot,” Rydberg said. “That was a perfect example of it. I saw the gap in between, and my defender wasn’t paying full attention. And Claudia played a perfect ball.”
While Benet would fight back with a great final push, the quick strike was devastating to its comeback hopes.
“The goal right away in the second half was something we needed to prevent,” Hansen said. “We needed to come out a little stronger in the second half, but that’s something we’ll learn from I think.”
St. Charles North has been teaching opponents lessons on a routine basis.
“They (St. Charles North) played very direct, they had pressure on the ball at all times, and they were quick,” Hansen said.
Just 40 seconds after Rydberg’s goal, Rogers made a nice save at the right post of a Rossi right side rush and shot.
And the next four minutes featured three more threats: a Rogers catch of Wahlberg’s 30-yard free kick with 35:30 left; a Rydberg, Najera and Rossi rush that produced a goal that was nullified by an offside call; then a Rogers diving grab of a Wessel end line shot/cross.
“What really made the difference was that they (the Stars) anticipated everything,” Oconer said. “They jumped every pass we tried to make; they just read everything.
“And they were strong through every single ball, so we were never able to get any kind of offensive rhythm going until maybe the last five minutes or so.”
Those final minutes would be a testament to Benet’s own huge potential down the road.
The Redwings began to fight back with 24:15 left. An offensive end steal sprung Tully in right, but her shot was blocked by Collins near the end line.
Then after another Stars near miss (a Rydberg 28-yarder with 23:25 left that went mere inches wide of the left post), the Redwings’ comeback began to really take flight.
An extended chance off a Hansen 42-yard free kick with 18:05 left ended with a clear by Stars defender Bridget Wolf.
After Benet’s Abby Casmere was fouled, another strong Hansen 35-yard free kick with 10:50 to go was repelled by a Collins header block and Barresi clear.
With 7:05 left, the late push continued as a Tommasone corner kick resulted in a Tully 10-yard shot wide right.
“There’s a reason that Benet is at this point of the tournament,” Harks said. “They were a fast team, talented, and had a lot of dangerous weapons out there. It was nice to walk away with a win tonight.”
But even into the final minutes, that win wouldn’t come easy.
Collins’ nice block and clear 35 yards out on a brewing Benet chance with 3:35 left diffused another threat.
After two dangerous free kicks earlier in the half, Hansen’s 38-yard restart and ensuing downfield hustle would pay off with 2:15 left.
Hansen’s free kick was initially quieted by two Stars headers in the box. But Tully won control 12 yards out and passed to Hansen, whose short pass back was touched in by Tully to bring Benet within 2-1.
“Especially the last 20-25 minutes, on the left side Kate Flynn and Mae Tully really picked it up for us,” Oconer said. “The combination of those two really kind of led the comeback for us. In the last two weeks Mae has been so good for us in that (forward) spot.”
As defender and set piece architect, co-captain Hansen has been a key part of Benet’s success. And Thursday’s comeback against an elite foe only added to the Redwing's resume.
“It’s obviously something I’m really proud of with our team,” Hansen said. “We never gave up.
“We haven’t been down two (goals) all year, so it’s tough to see that up on the scoreboard 2-0. I’m proud of us. We never put our heads down. We fought to the end. I think that’s something that shows a lot about our character and willingness to compete.”
St. Charles North would turn to its offense to finally roadblock Benet’s further comeback hopes. The final minute of the match was spent entirely in the Stars’ offensive end of the field.
The end result: the Stars improved to 33-1-2 over the last two seasons, and move on to the next challenge in the rugged Naperville Invite.
“I think there was a little more pressure on us this year after losing Hailey (Rydberg) and Gia (Wahlberg),” Sami Rydberg said of 2018’s key seniors. “All of us collectively want to prove we’re just as strong as we were before.”
The proof is in an undefeated 2019.
“It’s awesome,” Najera said. “I think we’re doing really well this year. Our offense is connecting really well, and we’re scoring a lot more goals. And our defense is doing so well. We just want to continue pushing and working hard.
“I think it’s our chemistry,” Najera added of the Stars’ key to success. We’re so close on and off the field. And our communication is really good. We all have the same common goal of wanting to go far in playoffs and just do our best every day.”
As the Stars continue to thrive, Benet hardly left the field Thursday as losers.
“This game made us better definitely,” Hansen said. “We’ve got a lot to work on moving forward. If you win them all, it’s tough to learn.
“It’s tough to lose, but we were proud to get here. We had never made it here (this far in the Naperville tournament) before. To face teams like St. Charles North, of that caliber, that’s something. I had fun. Even though we lost, and I hate losing, that was a really fun game to play.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Ava Rogers
D: Brooke Pullen
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Kate Flynn
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
M: Mia Ullmer
M: Cami Picha
M: Kayla Brannigan
M: Abby Casmere
F: Mia Tommasone
F: Jaimee Cibulka
St. Charles North
GK: Sara Maleski
D: Grace Barresi
D: Ali Wessel
D: Makenna Collins
D: Bridget Wolf
M: Alyssa Kraft
M: Sami Rydberg
M: Cece Wahlberg
M: Maddie Rossi
F: Claudia Najera
F: Sarah Andrey
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Claudia Najera, sr. F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN- Claudia Najera (Cece Wahlberg), 29th minute
Second half
SCN- Sami Rydberg (Najera), 43rd minute
Ben- Mae Tully (Mary Kate Hansen), 78th minute
Stars advance in Naperville Invite with 2-1 win
By Dave Owen
NAPERVILLE -- In what could have been a matchup of future 2019 state champions, undefeated Class 3A power St. Charles North earned a 2-1 win in Thusday's Naperville Invitational quarterfinal match, and words of ultimate respect from Class AA title contender Benet.
“That St. Charles North team -- there’s a reason they haven’t lost since 2016 during the regular season,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “We knew coming in that we’re not playing a team the rest of the season that’s as good as this. Especially during the state tournament.”
A loss to eventual Class 3A champion Barrington in last year’s state tournament remains the only blemish on the Stars’ record in two years.
“This team continues to take it one game at a time,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said. “They stay focused, they stay driven. It’s been an enjoyable year for sure.”
The Stars, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, next face no. 4 New Trier at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Naperville Central.
To senior defender Mary Kate Hansen, the loss to the Stars (12-0-1) was part pain, but bigger part gain for the no. 9 Redwings.
“They’re a great side,” Hansen said. “But it was a fun game to play honestly. They’re tough. They challenged us in ways we hadn’t been challenged before, and it was good for our team I think.
“It’s always tough to lose but ... they’re a top team in the state, so it’s just going to make us better. Obviously we look to May and the state tournament, so a game like this is a good thing to have under our belt, win or lose.
“Props to them,” Hansen added. “They put them (goals) away when they needed to.”
The Stars’ putaways would take some time Thursday, as Benet (13-2-0) was able to withstand a flurry of St. Charles North threats for the majority of the first half.
Six minutes in, a Sami Rydberg 18-yard shot off a corner kick went over the net. Next, it was an intercepted throw-in by Benet’s Kate Flynn that diffused another Stars offensive zone threat.
Then in quick succession, the Stars were twice denied by Redwings goalkeeper Ava Rogers (nine saves in the match).
In the 13th minute, Rogers made a diving deflection wide of a Sarah Andrey 15-yarder. Just 80 seconds later, Rogers deflected an Alyssa Kraft high 28-yard drive over the crossbar to keep the score 0-0.
But the Stars’ steady pressure continued into the latter part of the first half and eventually produced a breakthrough.
In the 29th minute, Andrey’s shot off a Rydberg pass was deflected wide, setting up a corner kick.
A header out of the box by Hansen denied the initial set piece send. But Cece Wahlberg recovered the ball on the left sideline and sent a cross to Claudia Najera 6 yards out near the right post.
With teammate Maddie Rossi, a Benet defender and Rogers in the crease, Najera touched a low shot inside the right post to put the Stars up 1-0 with 11:23 left in the half.
“We practice a bunch of crosses and slot balls,” Najera said, “and just being on the back post is something we work on a lot.”
“A lot of our goals go in back post. So it was just a matter of finishing it. And Maddie was blocking the goalie, so I think that’s the reason it went in. It was an OK shot that Maddie helped me get through.”
The Stars kept up the pressure, with Rogers making late first half saves on an Andrey 22-yard shot in the 31st minute and a Najera 10-yard chip off a long free kick in the 34th minute.
Oconer summed up the challenge of facing St. Charles North from an opposing coach’s perspective.
“When you see the speed of play like this, it makes you have to process your decisions quicker,” Oconer said. “It makes you have to be sharper, more focused, so when you get into future games you’re a little more crisp with just the movement and the passing and everything functions just a little bit better.”
Hidden among the St. Charles North chances was a strong effort at the defensive end to keep Benet at bay.
After nicely defending a Benet corner kick nine minutes in, the Stars continued to make the box off limits to quality chances for much of the night.
In the 23rd minute, a combination play by Mia Tommasone to Mia Ullmer was denied by Ali Wessel’s long clear upfield.
Then in the 33rd minute, Mae Tully’s low 20-yard liner from the left side was partially deflected by Stars goalkeeper Sara Maleski, then cleared from the crease by Ullmer.
For the match, St. Charles North produced an 11-3 overall edge in shots on net.
“I’ve been really proud of the way our goalkeeper and our four defenders have stepped up and continue with every game to be solid and consistent,” Harks said. “That’s what you ask from your backline.
“They don’t do anything flashy or risky. It’s been nice to see them grow over the course of the season. And I think a lot of our defense starts with our offensive pressure.”
Rydberg was a big part of that offensive push, but she also saluted her team’s defensive unit.
“We kind of have a new defense this year with our sophomore center backs (Makenna Collins and Grace Baressi),” Rydberg said, “but they’ve definitely stepped up and are doing a really good job.”
Up 1-0 at halftime, the Stars’ offense went right to work to double that lead.
After Kraft lofted a 28-yard shot that angled down off the crossbar two minutes in, Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Najera was again a key part of a Stars finish.
With 37:23 left, Najera made a right side run and passed to Rydberg, whose low 15-yard drive inside the right post made it 2-0 St. Charles North.
“In practice we definitely make a big emphasis on taking the ball end line and looking for that slot,” Rydberg said. “That was a perfect example of it. I saw the gap in between, and my defender wasn’t paying full attention. And Claudia played a perfect ball.”
While Benet would fight back with a great final push, the quick strike was devastating to its comeback hopes.
“The goal right away in the second half was something we needed to prevent,” Hansen said. “We needed to come out a little stronger in the second half, but that’s something we’ll learn from I think.”
St. Charles North has been teaching opponents lessons on a routine basis.
“They (St. Charles North) played very direct, they had pressure on the ball at all times, and they were quick,” Hansen said.
Just 40 seconds after Rydberg’s goal, Rogers made a nice save at the right post of a Rossi right side rush and shot.
And the next four minutes featured three more threats: a Rogers catch of Wahlberg’s 30-yard free kick with 35:30 left; a Rydberg, Najera and Rossi rush that produced a goal that was nullified by an offside call; then a Rogers diving grab of a Wessel end line shot/cross.
“What really made the difference was that they (the Stars) anticipated everything,” Oconer said. “They jumped every pass we tried to make; they just read everything.
“And they were strong through every single ball, so we were never able to get any kind of offensive rhythm going until maybe the last five minutes or so.”
Those final minutes would be a testament to Benet’s own huge potential down the road.
The Redwings began to fight back with 24:15 left. An offensive end steal sprung Tully in right, but her shot was blocked by Collins near the end line.
Then after another Stars near miss (a Rydberg 28-yarder with 23:25 left that went mere inches wide of the left post), the Redwings’ comeback began to really take flight.
An extended chance off a Hansen 42-yard free kick with 18:05 left ended with a clear by Stars defender Bridget Wolf.
After Benet’s Abby Casmere was fouled, another strong Hansen 35-yard free kick with 10:50 to go was repelled by a Collins header block and Barresi clear.
With 7:05 left, the late push continued as a Tommasone corner kick resulted in a Tully 10-yard shot wide right.
“There’s a reason that Benet is at this point of the tournament,” Harks said. “They were a fast team, talented, and had a lot of dangerous weapons out there. It was nice to walk away with a win tonight.”
But even into the final minutes, that win wouldn’t come easy.
Collins’ nice block and clear 35 yards out on a brewing Benet chance with 3:35 left diffused another threat.
After two dangerous free kicks earlier in the half, Hansen’s 38-yard restart and ensuing downfield hustle would pay off with 2:15 left.
Hansen’s free kick was initially quieted by two Stars headers in the box. But Tully won control 12 yards out and passed to Hansen, whose short pass back was touched in by Tully to bring Benet within 2-1.
“Especially the last 20-25 minutes, on the left side Kate Flynn and Mae Tully really picked it up for us,” Oconer said. “The combination of those two really kind of led the comeback for us. In the last two weeks Mae has been so good for us in that (forward) spot.”
As defender and set piece architect, co-captain Hansen has been a key part of Benet’s success. And Thursday’s comeback against an elite foe only added to the Redwing's resume.
“It’s obviously something I’m really proud of with our team,” Hansen said. “We never gave up.
“We haven’t been down two (goals) all year, so it’s tough to see that up on the scoreboard 2-0. I’m proud of us. We never put our heads down. We fought to the end. I think that’s something that shows a lot about our character and willingness to compete.”
St. Charles North would turn to its offense to finally roadblock Benet’s further comeback hopes. The final minute of the match was spent entirely in the Stars’ offensive end of the field.
The end result: the Stars improved to 33-1-2 over the last two seasons, and move on to the next challenge in the rugged Naperville Invite.
“I think there was a little more pressure on us this year after losing Hailey (Rydberg) and Gia (Wahlberg),” Sami Rydberg said of 2018’s key seniors. “All of us collectively want to prove we’re just as strong as we were before.”
The proof is in an undefeated 2019.
“It’s awesome,” Najera said. “I think we’re doing really well this year. Our offense is connecting really well, and we’re scoring a lot more goals. And our defense is doing so well. We just want to continue pushing and working hard.
“I think it’s our chemistry,” Najera added of the Stars’ key to success. We’re so close on and off the field. And our communication is really good. We all have the same common goal of wanting to go far in playoffs and just do our best every day.”
As the Stars continue to thrive, Benet hardly left the field Thursday as losers.
“This game made us better definitely,” Hansen said. “We’ve got a lot to work on moving forward. If you win them all, it’s tough to learn.
“It’s tough to lose, but we were proud to get here. We had never made it here (this far in the Naperville tournament) before. To face teams like St. Charles North, of that caliber, that’s something. I had fun. Even though we lost, and I hate losing, that was a really fun game to play.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Ava Rogers
D: Brooke Pullen
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Kate Flynn
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
M: Mia Ullmer
M: Cami Picha
M: Kayla Brannigan
M: Abby Casmere
F: Mia Tommasone
F: Jaimee Cibulka
St. Charles North
GK: Sara Maleski
D: Grace Barresi
D: Ali Wessel
D: Makenna Collins
D: Bridget Wolf
M: Alyssa Kraft
M: Sami Rydberg
M: Cece Wahlberg
M: Maddie Rossi
F: Claudia Najera
F: Sarah Andrey
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Claudia Najera, sr. F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
SCN- Claudia Najera (Cece Wahlberg), 29th minute
Second half
SCN- Sami Rydberg (Najera), 43rd minute
Ben- Mae Tully (Mary Kate Hansen), 78th minute