Benet's 1st half barrage
too much for South Elgin
Redwings rise for 3 goals before the break,
Storm finds stride in scoreless 2nd half
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Benet coach Sean Wesley was a little concerned heading into Tuesday night’s Best of the West Tournament opener with South Elgin.
The Redwings did not bring four players to the match, including top striker Nico Picha and midfield playmaker Peter Hepburn.
Wesley’s worries dissipated, however, when another dynamic duo combined to score three goals in a 20-minute span of the first half that allowed the Redwings to take a 3-0 victory.
Star defender Nick Roe scored twice and forward Brayden Fagbemi added a goal and two assists for Benet (3-0-0), which is ranked 14th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We were down a few guys and played through it,” Wesley said. “I thought it was the best we’ve looked all year.
“Now hopefully when we add Peter and Nico back to the mix, we can just build on that.”
The play of Roe and Fagbemi certainly gave the Redwings a great foundation against the Storm (0-3-1), who were outshot 20-2.
“Those are two guys who hunt the ball in the box, which we need,” Wesley said. “That’s what we’re looking for.
“I think it’s one thing when a team has one player that is going after it. I think it helps Roe, and it helps Brayden that everybody is looking to mark both of them, and somebody seems to get open.”
Roe was the first to get open, taking Fagbemi’s cross from the right wing in the middle of the box, shrugging off challenges from two defenders and blowing a shot past goalkeeper Aaron Cacucciolo-Forbes just 3:36 after the opening whistle.
Roe also scored the third goal at the 16:27 mark off a similar play from Fagbemi, who created havoc on the right wing.
“You can see him he’s flying up and down the wing, beating people 1-v-1, which is something we didn’t really have last year,” Roe said. “Brayden’s got the touch, the speed, everything to be a great winger.
“I think he brings so much attacking and defending. He works really hard getting back and winning the ball as well.”
Roe, of course, is known for winning the ball in the back. But the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match also proved dangerous at doing so at the other end of the field.
The Division I prospect had a hand, or rather a head, in Benet’s second goal. With 27:19 to go, he rose up and nodded Nick Augustyn’s 36-yard free kick off the crossbar.
The ball landed inside the 6, where an alert Fagbemi ran in and buried a short shot.
“We talk all the time about being dangerous,” Wesley said. “(Fagbemi) is just dangerous.
“He gets the ball in the final third, and he wants to attack; and he wants to beat people, and he does.
“That’s what we were hoping he would do today. If you leave him out in space, he just glides.
“He has great pace, and he’s really shifty with the ball. He looks to take people on, so that’s good for us.”
It wasn’t so good for the Storm, who continued a pattern coach Jerzy Skowron is getting tired of seeing.
“Taking nothing away from Benet, but that’s kind of been our m.o.,” Skowron said. “We have a stretch of 10-15-20 minutes in the first half where we completely look disconnected and lost. And then, call it a spirited halftime thrashing on my part, and we come out and we look like world-beaters in every place but on the scoreboard.
“They’re a fantastic team, but I felt we were the better team in the second half. Maybe they were letting us play a little bit, trying to protect a 3-0 lead, but either way, if we can start games the way we start second halves, I think we would be better than 0-3-1 right now.
“We’re trying to find our groove.”
The Storm hasn’t found it yet, and junior forward Ryan Nguyen thinks he knows why.
“First half we always start out really rough,” Nguyen said. “The second half we always seem to fix it up.
“I think chemistry is one thing that we need to work on, because a lot of the players have not played with each other in the past. Chemistry is a huge thing.
“Their coach barely had to say anything, because their chemistry is really strong. Some of these kids haven’t played varsity, this is their first year.
“I also feel like confidence is a big part of the game, too. If you don’t have confidence, there is no point in playing.”
The Storm looked anything but confident in the first half but looked better in the second half. In the net, Cacucciolo-Forbes and Luke Bondi, who replaced him at halftime, combined to make seven saves and held the Redwings scoreless for the final 56 minutes.
That gives South Elgin something to build on.
“It’s going to take time,” Nguyen said. “There’s talent on the team, but we’ve got to play together or else there is no point in playing.
“If we just play by ourselves, we’re going to lose every single time. We have to play as a team if we want to win.”
Nguyen, a three-year starter, figures to play a prominent role, but he can’t do it alone.
“Ryan Nguyen is our most consistent player,” Skowron said. “In my opinion, he’s one of the top attackers in the state, and we’ve just got to find guys that are willing to step up and play with him.”
The Redwings have more than a few high-end players. Roe could prove to be one of the top two-way players in Illinois.
“It’s everything for our team,” Fagbemi said of Roe’s play. “He’s definitely the best defender in the state, it’s not even close. And couple that with attacking and scoring goals for us, it’s going to be hard for anybody to stop us.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Owen McGarry
D: Nick Nirtaut
D: Nick Roe
M: Jack Kuelthau
M: Danny Boyle
M: Ryan Augustyn
F: Colin McMahon
F: Brayden Fagbemi
F: Drew Fieldman
South Elgin
GK: Aaron Cacucciolo-Forbes
D: Vito DiVietro
D: Jose Ortiz-Gavina
D: Joseph Stueck
D: Nathan Zavala
D: Xavier Marquez
M: Brandon Pina
M: Justin Defensor
M: Guido Gonzalez-Ortiz
F: Ethan Scholl
F: Ashton Kerrigan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Roe, jr., D, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Nick Roe (Brayden Fagbemi) 36:21 remaining
Benet – Fagbemi (unassisted) 27:19 remaining
Benet – Roe (Fagbemi) 16:27 remaining
Second half
No scoring
too much for South Elgin
Redwings rise for 3 goals before the break,
Storm finds stride in scoreless 2nd half
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Benet coach Sean Wesley was a little concerned heading into Tuesday night’s Best of the West Tournament opener with South Elgin.
The Redwings did not bring four players to the match, including top striker Nico Picha and midfield playmaker Peter Hepburn.
Wesley’s worries dissipated, however, when another dynamic duo combined to score three goals in a 20-minute span of the first half that allowed the Redwings to take a 3-0 victory.
Star defender Nick Roe scored twice and forward Brayden Fagbemi added a goal and two assists for Benet (3-0-0), which is ranked 14th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“We were down a few guys and played through it,” Wesley said. “I thought it was the best we’ve looked all year.
“Now hopefully when we add Peter and Nico back to the mix, we can just build on that.”
The play of Roe and Fagbemi certainly gave the Redwings a great foundation against the Storm (0-3-1), who were outshot 20-2.
“Those are two guys who hunt the ball in the box, which we need,” Wesley said. “That’s what we’re looking for.
“I think it’s one thing when a team has one player that is going after it. I think it helps Roe, and it helps Brayden that everybody is looking to mark both of them, and somebody seems to get open.”
Roe was the first to get open, taking Fagbemi’s cross from the right wing in the middle of the box, shrugging off challenges from two defenders and blowing a shot past goalkeeper Aaron Cacucciolo-Forbes just 3:36 after the opening whistle.
Roe also scored the third goal at the 16:27 mark off a similar play from Fagbemi, who created havoc on the right wing.
“You can see him he’s flying up and down the wing, beating people 1-v-1, which is something we didn’t really have last year,” Roe said. “Brayden’s got the touch, the speed, everything to be a great winger.
“I think he brings so much attacking and defending. He works really hard getting back and winning the ball as well.”
Roe, of course, is known for winning the ball in the back. But the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match also proved dangerous at doing so at the other end of the field.
The Division I prospect had a hand, or rather a head, in Benet’s second goal. With 27:19 to go, he rose up and nodded Nick Augustyn’s 36-yard free kick off the crossbar.
The ball landed inside the 6, where an alert Fagbemi ran in and buried a short shot.
“We talk all the time about being dangerous,” Wesley said. “(Fagbemi) is just dangerous.
“He gets the ball in the final third, and he wants to attack; and he wants to beat people, and he does.
“That’s what we were hoping he would do today. If you leave him out in space, he just glides.
“He has great pace, and he’s really shifty with the ball. He looks to take people on, so that’s good for us.”
It wasn’t so good for the Storm, who continued a pattern coach Jerzy Skowron is getting tired of seeing.
“Taking nothing away from Benet, but that’s kind of been our m.o.,” Skowron said. “We have a stretch of 10-15-20 minutes in the first half where we completely look disconnected and lost. And then, call it a spirited halftime thrashing on my part, and we come out and we look like world-beaters in every place but on the scoreboard.
“They’re a fantastic team, but I felt we were the better team in the second half. Maybe they were letting us play a little bit, trying to protect a 3-0 lead, but either way, if we can start games the way we start second halves, I think we would be better than 0-3-1 right now.
“We’re trying to find our groove.”
The Storm hasn’t found it yet, and junior forward Ryan Nguyen thinks he knows why.
“First half we always start out really rough,” Nguyen said. “The second half we always seem to fix it up.
“I think chemistry is one thing that we need to work on, because a lot of the players have not played with each other in the past. Chemistry is a huge thing.
“Their coach barely had to say anything, because their chemistry is really strong. Some of these kids haven’t played varsity, this is their first year.
“I also feel like confidence is a big part of the game, too. If you don’t have confidence, there is no point in playing.”
The Storm looked anything but confident in the first half but looked better in the second half. In the net, Cacucciolo-Forbes and Luke Bondi, who replaced him at halftime, combined to make seven saves and held the Redwings scoreless for the final 56 minutes.
That gives South Elgin something to build on.
“It’s going to take time,” Nguyen said. “There’s talent on the team, but we’ve got to play together or else there is no point in playing.
“If we just play by ourselves, we’re going to lose every single time. We have to play as a team if we want to win.”
Nguyen, a three-year starter, figures to play a prominent role, but he can’t do it alone.
“Ryan Nguyen is our most consistent player,” Skowron said. “In my opinion, he’s one of the top attackers in the state, and we’ve just got to find guys that are willing to step up and play with him.”
The Redwings have more than a few high-end players. Roe could prove to be one of the top two-way players in Illinois.
“It’s everything for our team,” Fagbemi said of Roe’s play. “He’s definitely the best defender in the state, it’s not even close. And couple that with attacking and scoring goals for us, it’s going to be hard for anybody to stop us.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Evan Lucas
D: Matthew Benka
D: Owen McGarry
D: Nick Nirtaut
D: Nick Roe
M: Jack Kuelthau
M: Danny Boyle
M: Ryan Augustyn
F: Colin McMahon
F: Brayden Fagbemi
F: Drew Fieldman
South Elgin
GK: Aaron Cacucciolo-Forbes
D: Vito DiVietro
D: Jose Ortiz-Gavina
D: Joseph Stueck
D: Nathan Zavala
D: Xavier Marquez
M: Brandon Pina
M: Justin Defensor
M: Guido Gonzalez-Ortiz
F: Ethan Scholl
F: Ashton Kerrigan
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Roe, jr., D, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Nick Roe (Brayden Fagbemi) 36:21 remaining
Benet – Fagbemi (unassisted) 27:19 remaining
Benet – Roe (Fagbemi) 16:27 remaining
Second half
No scoring