Benet rides dominant defense into finals
Redwings top St. Laurence 2-0 for 19th shutout of fall
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Winning in the postseason requires a mix of the dependable and the unexpected.
Benet (19-1-2) used both elements to turn a chilly night in Friday’s Class AA semifinals into the latest chapter in its sizzling 18-game unbeaten streak: a 2-0 win over St. Laurence (19-5-1).
The Redwings advance to face defending AA champion Crystal Lake South in the title game at 1 p.m. Saturday. Benet seeks its first championship since 2001, which marked the second of back-to-back titles.
First, the dependable. Friday’s shutout ran the Redwings’ shutout streak to a perfect 480 minutes (six-consecutive games) of postseason soccer, with just four goals allowed all season.
“We’ve been good in the back all year,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said, “that just adds to the pressure and anxiety for the other team.
“I thought against Notre Dame (Peoria in a 2-0 super-sectional win) when we went up early, they started pressing trying to find a goal knowing that we’re good in the back. I think the same thing happened today, where they were suddenly pressing and maybe making choices they wouldn’t normally make because they’re were trying to break us down.
“We have a good reputation for being really strong in the back, and our goalies played well all year, which I think helps us as we go. Our reputation kind of precedes us.”
Providing a less familiar element to Benet’s success on Friday was Michael Rocco.
A reserve junior midfielder who entered with two goals and two assists this season, Rocco came up huge at the biggest time of all. His rebound goal off a T.J. McVey shot with 19:57 left in the first half gave Benet a 1-0 lead, and all the help that the vaunted Benet defense would need.
“I was doing what coach told me to do,” Rocco said, “to follow back post after a shot. And what do you know, it happened to come right to me, and I scored.
“It’s very special to score a goal in the state semifinal. I just hope I can do it again (Saturday).”
Benet created more offensive havoc off a set piece 6:57 before halftime, producing a key insurance goal.
Tom Miskin’s 35-yard free kick from the left sideline set up a Chris Mankowski shot in the box. Mankowski’s try was blocked, but the rebound spun to Nick Augustyn right of the goal for an 8-yard drive that angled inside the left post to make the score 2-0.
“We talk about making chances out of nothing,” Augustyn said, “and that was one where you’ve just got to anticipate and sometimes it drops and sometimes it doesn’t.
“That time it did. You’ve got to take your chance and make it count.”
Benet’s offense had begun to hit its stride in the 11th minute of play.
A McVey redirect over the net off a Hans Haenicke cross was followed 35 seconds later by a Mankowski break up the middle off a McVey feed that was denied on a sliding save by Vikings goalkeeper Fernando Cervantez.
“We kept pressing,” McVey said, “and good things are going to happen when you do that. We just kept getting chances and knew eventually we’d get one (a goal).”
But just after Augustyn’s goal made it 2-0, it didn’t take long for St. Laurence to show its grit.
Just 50 seconds later, a Vikings rush was denied by Anthony Klos’ blocked shot near the right post.
“(Defenders) Anthony Klos, Zack Serafin and Tom Miskin have been great for us,” Wesley said. “And we’ve rotated the right back and it doesn’t seem to matter, the guy gets the job done.”
That fourth defender spot loomed large with 2:10 left in the half.
A well-struck 40-yard free kick by St. Laurence’s Thomas Suchecki produced a major threat to the Benet defense.
Juan Carlos Martinez’s initial shot off the free kick send was blocked at the goal line by Redwings defender Conor Perkins. Klos then blocked a 6-yard rebound try, preserving the 2-0 lead and Benet momentum.
That late first half surge by the Vikings foreshadowed a solid second half. But Benet’s early strikes and defensive wall were too much to overcome.
“Obviously in the first half we didn’t play to the best that we know we could have,” St. Laurence senior Luke Arthurs said. “But at halftime we kind of just regrouped.
“Our coach (Kyle Boekeloo) told us we needed to step up and stop being afraid of the moment. We were more relaxed and kept pushing for that goal, but it didn’t happen.”
Andres Lemus twice threatened in a 50-second span, sending a shot just wide off an Arthurs pass with 25:30 left and following with a left side 16-yard drive that Benet goalkeeper Vytautas Staniskis dove to stop at the left post.
“They play really good team defense,” Boekeloo said of Benet. “We spoke before the game about their tendencies and how they like to press the wings.
“We told the boys ‘They’re going to be on us first touch.’ You have to be sure when they do press to get rid of that ball right away.
“They did what Benet does,” Boekeloo added. “They pressed hard and made us force things into the air, where they’re really good at winning balls.”
While Benet’s backline has been the foundation of the defensive success, everyone has been crucial to producing a 19-shutout season.
“The defense starts with the forwards,” Augustyn said, “and we defend as 11 guys which is a good way to defend. It’s the right way.”
Benet’s forwards were on the offensive with 27:05 to go, when Haenicke’s left side rush was narrowly denied by Cervantez’s diving catch at the post.
But the Redwings defense would be tested again on two St. Laurence set pieces.
With 13:20 to play, a 19-yard Vikings free kick left of the box led to a Jessie Cardiel 22-yard one-timer just over the crossbar.
Then four minutes later, Staniskis came up large with a leaping catch at the right post on Thomas Suchecki’s 34-yard free kick drive.
Benet reserve Preston Wray’s nice sideline steal 35 yards out with eight minutes left (resulting in a St. Laurence foul) dulled one of the Vikings’ final decent threats of the game.
Having navigated an elite regular season schedule that included Naperville North, Class 3A finalist West Chicago (a 0-0 tie) and Class 3A semifinalist St. Patrick (a 1-1 tie), the Redwings were battle tested for the postseason.
“Certainly our schedule is top notch with the 3A schools we play,” Wesley said, “and all year we’ve gotten results.
“These guys are super resilient. We’ve done it a lot of different ways: we’re not just counting on one guy to carry the load. We have 16-17-18 guys in every game that have made contributions.
Wesley’s first exposure to high school soccer came as a player on a regional championship team at Bolingbrook for the late Jim Paskiewicz, whose coaching success on the field came with class and laid-back attitude.
Now over 25 years later and himself a veteran coach, Wesley is one win away from the ultimate prize.
“We have a lot of pieces to the puzzle,” Wesley said. “And this year all those pieces fit together really nicely.”
Benet’s winning formula produced a decisive first half performance Friday, then a sometimes shaky but never wavering finish to the 2-0 win.
“The first half was really good,” Wesley said. “We were on the ball a lot, and I thought we were making good choices. Both on the left and right side we were getting behind them and creating dangerous opportunities.
“Once we got the second goal it got a little sloppy, and we’re not so proud of the way we finished the game; but I’m certainly happy with the result.”
And after withstanding St. Laurence’s best punches, Benet finished strong Friday.
Cervantez’s diving save denied a Nick Renfro right-side attack and shot with 4:50 left. And a McVey shot off an Evan Frazier pass with 3:40 to go was also saved by Cervantez.
A few minutes later, Benet’s system of defense and depth moved them to one win away from a state title.
“We all kind of came together, and we worked as 11,” Haenicke said. “We didn’t work as four in the back or three in the middle or three up-top.
“That’s why we’ve gone so far, because we just have such great chemistry as a team . We want to go all the way: we’ve said that since the beginning of the season. So we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
That test will be Crystal Lake South and electric scorer Alex Canfield (34 goals, 18 assists).
“We might triple-team him,” Wesley said with a smile. “He’s amazing, and we’ll need a collective effort to stop him.
“Certainly the coaches know what we’re up against, and I think if we can play great team defense and make wise choices with the ball in the back we can hopefully limit his chances. And if we do, we have a chance.”
For St. Laurence, the loss came in the program’s first trip to the state semifinals, part of a 37-10-2 run for second-year coach Boekeloo.
“I could probably take about 3 percent of the credit for how successful this program is,” Boekeloo said. “These boys have put in the work since the summer.
“We knew we were going to have to replace some kids, and needed some guys to step up. Once we got healthy we got to a good spot of where we needed to be.
“For us to be here and these guys to lay a foundation for the younger group, it means the world to us in terms of soccer,” Boekeloo added. “This is the stage you dream of.”
Said Arthurs: “It was amazing just being here, getting recognized by everyone at our school and in the area. Not many people gave us this chance at the start of the season. I’m happy we were able to show what we’re made of and make it here.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Vyto Staniskis
D: Zach Serafin
D: Conor Perkins
D: Anthony Klos
D: Tom Miskin
M: Nick Augustyn
M: Nick Renfro
M: Sam Hepburn
M: Chris Mankowski
F: T.J. McVey
F: Hans Haenicke
St. Laurence
GK: Fernando Cervantez
D: Thomas Suchecki
D: Julian Cardiel
D: Valente Lara
D: Jessie Cardiel
M: Luke Arthurs
M: Ruben Perez
M: Saul Camacho
M: Marcus Martinez
F: Pedro Pantoja
F: Andres Lemus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Augustyn, sr. M, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet- Michael Rocco, 20’
Benet- Nick Augustyn, 34’
Second half
No scoring
Redwings top St. Laurence 2-0 for 19th shutout of fall
By Dave Owen
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Winning in the postseason requires a mix of the dependable and the unexpected.
Benet (19-1-2) used both elements to turn a chilly night in Friday’s Class AA semifinals into the latest chapter in its sizzling 18-game unbeaten streak: a 2-0 win over St. Laurence (19-5-1).
The Redwings advance to face defending AA champion Crystal Lake South in the title game at 1 p.m. Saturday. Benet seeks its first championship since 2001, which marked the second of back-to-back titles.
First, the dependable. Friday’s shutout ran the Redwings’ shutout streak to a perfect 480 minutes (six-consecutive games) of postseason soccer, with just four goals allowed all season.
“We’ve been good in the back all year,” Benet coach Sean Wesley said, “that just adds to the pressure and anxiety for the other team.
“I thought against Notre Dame (Peoria in a 2-0 super-sectional win) when we went up early, they started pressing trying to find a goal knowing that we’re good in the back. I think the same thing happened today, where they were suddenly pressing and maybe making choices they wouldn’t normally make because they’re were trying to break us down.
“We have a good reputation for being really strong in the back, and our goalies played well all year, which I think helps us as we go. Our reputation kind of precedes us.”
Providing a less familiar element to Benet’s success on Friday was Michael Rocco.
A reserve junior midfielder who entered with two goals and two assists this season, Rocco came up huge at the biggest time of all. His rebound goal off a T.J. McVey shot with 19:57 left in the first half gave Benet a 1-0 lead, and all the help that the vaunted Benet defense would need.
“I was doing what coach told me to do,” Rocco said, “to follow back post after a shot. And what do you know, it happened to come right to me, and I scored.
“It’s very special to score a goal in the state semifinal. I just hope I can do it again (Saturday).”
Benet created more offensive havoc off a set piece 6:57 before halftime, producing a key insurance goal.
Tom Miskin’s 35-yard free kick from the left sideline set up a Chris Mankowski shot in the box. Mankowski’s try was blocked, but the rebound spun to Nick Augustyn right of the goal for an 8-yard drive that angled inside the left post to make the score 2-0.
“We talk about making chances out of nothing,” Augustyn said, “and that was one where you’ve just got to anticipate and sometimes it drops and sometimes it doesn’t.
“That time it did. You’ve got to take your chance and make it count.”
Benet’s offense had begun to hit its stride in the 11th minute of play.
A McVey redirect over the net off a Hans Haenicke cross was followed 35 seconds later by a Mankowski break up the middle off a McVey feed that was denied on a sliding save by Vikings goalkeeper Fernando Cervantez.
“We kept pressing,” McVey said, “and good things are going to happen when you do that. We just kept getting chances and knew eventually we’d get one (a goal).”
But just after Augustyn’s goal made it 2-0, it didn’t take long for St. Laurence to show its grit.
Just 50 seconds later, a Vikings rush was denied by Anthony Klos’ blocked shot near the right post.
“(Defenders) Anthony Klos, Zack Serafin and Tom Miskin have been great for us,” Wesley said. “And we’ve rotated the right back and it doesn’t seem to matter, the guy gets the job done.”
That fourth defender spot loomed large with 2:10 left in the half.
A well-struck 40-yard free kick by St. Laurence’s Thomas Suchecki produced a major threat to the Benet defense.
Juan Carlos Martinez’s initial shot off the free kick send was blocked at the goal line by Redwings defender Conor Perkins. Klos then blocked a 6-yard rebound try, preserving the 2-0 lead and Benet momentum.
That late first half surge by the Vikings foreshadowed a solid second half. But Benet’s early strikes and defensive wall were too much to overcome.
“Obviously in the first half we didn’t play to the best that we know we could have,” St. Laurence senior Luke Arthurs said. “But at halftime we kind of just regrouped.
“Our coach (Kyle Boekeloo) told us we needed to step up and stop being afraid of the moment. We were more relaxed and kept pushing for that goal, but it didn’t happen.”
Andres Lemus twice threatened in a 50-second span, sending a shot just wide off an Arthurs pass with 25:30 left and following with a left side 16-yard drive that Benet goalkeeper Vytautas Staniskis dove to stop at the left post.
“They play really good team defense,” Boekeloo said of Benet. “We spoke before the game about their tendencies and how they like to press the wings.
“We told the boys ‘They’re going to be on us first touch.’ You have to be sure when they do press to get rid of that ball right away.
“They did what Benet does,” Boekeloo added. “They pressed hard and made us force things into the air, where they’re really good at winning balls.”
While Benet’s backline has been the foundation of the defensive success, everyone has been crucial to producing a 19-shutout season.
“The defense starts with the forwards,” Augustyn said, “and we defend as 11 guys which is a good way to defend. It’s the right way.”
Benet’s forwards were on the offensive with 27:05 to go, when Haenicke’s left side rush was narrowly denied by Cervantez’s diving catch at the post.
But the Redwings defense would be tested again on two St. Laurence set pieces.
With 13:20 to play, a 19-yard Vikings free kick left of the box led to a Jessie Cardiel 22-yard one-timer just over the crossbar.
Then four minutes later, Staniskis came up large with a leaping catch at the right post on Thomas Suchecki’s 34-yard free kick drive.
Benet reserve Preston Wray’s nice sideline steal 35 yards out with eight minutes left (resulting in a St. Laurence foul) dulled one of the Vikings’ final decent threats of the game.
Having navigated an elite regular season schedule that included Naperville North, Class 3A finalist West Chicago (a 0-0 tie) and Class 3A semifinalist St. Patrick (a 1-1 tie), the Redwings were battle tested for the postseason.
“Certainly our schedule is top notch with the 3A schools we play,” Wesley said, “and all year we’ve gotten results.
“These guys are super resilient. We’ve done it a lot of different ways: we’re not just counting on one guy to carry the load. We have 16-17-18 guys in every game that have made contributions.
Wesley’s first exposure to high school soccer came as a player on a regional championship team at Bolingbrook for the late Jim Paskiewicz, whose coaching success on the field came with class and laid-back attitude.
Now over 25 years later and himself a veteran coach, Wesley is one win away from the ultimate prize.
“We have a lot of pieces to the puzzle,” Wesley said. “And this year all those pieces fit together really nicely.”
Benet’s winning formula produced a decisive first half performance Friday, then a sometimes shaky but never wavering finish to the 2-0 win.
“The first half was really good,” Wesley said. “We were on the ball a lot, and I thought we were making good choices. Both on the left and right side we were getting behind them and creating dangerous opportunities.
“Once we got the second goal it got a little sloppy, and we’re not so proud of the way we finished the game; but I’m certainly happy with the result.”
And after withstanding St. Laurence’s best punches, Benet finished strong Friday.
Cervantez’s diving save denied a Nick Renfro right-side attack and shot with 4:50 left. And a McVey shot off an Evan Frazier pass with 3:40 to go was also saved by Cervantez.
A few minutes later, Benet’s system of defense and depth moved them to one win away from a state title.
“We all kind of came together, and we worked as 11,” Haenicke said. “We didn’t work as four in the back or three in the middle or three up-top.
“That’s why we’ve gone so far, because we just have such great chemistry as a team . We want to go all the way: we’ve said that since the beginning of the season. So we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
That test will be Crystal Lake South and electric scorer Alex Canfield (34 goals, 18 assists).
“We might triple-team him,” Wesley said with a smile. “He’s amazing, and we’ll need a collective effort to stop him.
“Certainly the coaches know what we’re up against, and I think if we can play great team defense and make wise choices with the ball in the back we can hopefully limit his chances. And if we do, we have a chance.”
For St. Laurence, the loss came in the program’s first trip to the state semifinals, part of a 37-10-2 run for second-year coach Boekeloo.
“I could probably take about 3 percent of the credit for how successful this program is,” Boekeloo said. “These boys have put in the work since the summer.
“We knew we were going to have to replace some kids, and needed some guys to step up. Once we got healthy we got to a good spot of where we needed to be.
“For us to be here and these guys to lay a foundation for the younger group, it means the world to us in terms of soccer,” Boekeloo added. “This is the stage you dream of.”
Said Arthurs: “It was amazing just being here, getting recognized by everyone at our school and in the area. Not many people gave us this chance at the start of the season. I’m happy we were able to show what we’re made of and make it here.”
Starting lineups
Benet
GK: Vyto Staniskis
D: Zach Serafin
D: Conor Perkins
D: Anthony Klos
D: Tom Miskin
M: Nick Augustyn
M: Nick Renfro
M: Sam Hepburn
M: Chris Mankowski
F: T.J. McVey
F: Hans Haenicke
St. Laurence
GK: Fernando Cervantez
D: Thomas Suchecki
D: Julian Cardiel
D: Valente Lara
D: Jessie Cardiel
M: Luke Arthurs
M: Ruben Perez
M: Saul Camacho
M: Marcus Martinez
F: Pedro Pantoja
F: Andres Lemus
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Nick Augustyn, sr. M, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet- Michael Rocco, 20’
Benet- Nick Augustyn, 34’
Second half
No scoring