Glenbard E. can't halt relentless Benet
Redwings march to sectional semifinals with 5-0 win
By Dave Owen
LISLE – Benet’s season-long dominance continued in Friday’s Class 3A Morton Sectional regional final match, but not without roadblocks from Sarah Liljestrand, Sophia Sommesi and the rest of the Glenbard East Rams.
The Redwings entered the match with a perfect 16-0-0 record and a nearly as flawless 76-7 scoring advantage. The home team and 2019 Class AA state champion needed to dig deep for a well-timed gamble and then used multiple incredible offensive plays to eventually pull away to a 5-0 win over Glenbard East (8-4-2).
“A great team, great top to bottom,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said of Benet, “and the most impressive thing is, there’s no drop off when they sub.”
Said senior defender Kendall Crackel: “They were able to get it over the top of us, get through-balls. And they had some fast forwards with long touches, which I think was where they came at us the hardest.”
Benet’s perfect record and scoring margin dominance came with late year momentum: the Redwings’ last 11 wins entering Friday were by three goals or more.
But even with a strong first half wind at their backs, the Redwings’ relentless attack was frustrated early by fast-learning Rams goalkeeper Sophia Sommesi.
A usual freshman forward who was forced into action for the first time ever at goalkeeper by an injury to starting netminder Zoe Romano early in the regional semifinal match, Sommesi was up to the Benet challenge early Friday.
Just one minute in, Benet’s Mariana Pinto tested the Rams with a low 18-yard liner, but Sommesi answered with a nice, low block save. Then just 40 seconds later, Sommesi nicely dove on an Anna Casmere cross to beat Pinto to the send to the box.
“She (Sommesi) was a beast in the goal,” Liljestrand said. “She was ready to step up and do her best, and she did amazing.”
Liljestrand put forth an incredible performance of her own. Tasked with marking Benet superstar forward Jaimee Cibulka on Friday, Liljestrand drew praise from all sides.
“They did a great job of putting some pressure on us and making things difficult on us in the first half,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said, “and they really made Jaimee work for everything she got. I thought number 2 (Liljestrand) was outstanding on Jaimee. But at a certain point you can only do that for so long, before she gets loose.”
Cibulka eventually scored twice, but both came while Liljestrand was off the field.
“Obviously Cibulka is an incredible player, but I thought Sarah Liljestrand did such a great job,” Overbey said. “She (Cibulka) had one really good shot in the first half, a goal when Sarah was off for a break. Unfortunately, I’ll rue that coaching decision.
“But I thought honestly Sarah outplayed her. Cibulka’s an incredible talent, but Sarah is a big-time player too, and fast.”
After the game, Liljestrand was also quick to humbly share credit for her performance.
“I thought she (Cibulka) was doing really good,” Liljestrand said, “but I would do my best to stop her. And luckily every time that I missed, my team would be there to back me up. I tried to shut her own, but she still got around, because she’s such a good player.”
Steals near the box by Maddie Kiefer (fifth minute) and Natalie Borcean (a sliding denial in the seventh minute) also frustrated the Redwings early on, and Crackel nicely blocked a shot on a strong Pinto counterattack in the 10th minute.
Sommesi was also sharp, making a high grab in traffic of a Katie Lewellyan chip off a corner kick in the 12th minute and a diving grab of a Cibulka 12-yarder just 20 seconds later.
Goalkeepers with hundreds of career games in the nets have had fits against teams like Benet. With less than 100 career minutes in goal, Sommesi stood tall but would endure a few understandable glitches under the endless pressure.
One came with 26:12 left in the half. After Casmere sent a 10-yard right-side shot off the crossbar and over, Sommesi’s ensuing goal kick was intercepted by alert Benet forward Paige Neri. Off a dribble attack, Neri drove a 6-yard shot low inside the right post and the Redwings led 1-0.
“I just came in with the right attitude,” Neri said. “I really wanted to get that goal and get this win. I saw her (Sommesi) make the bad touch, and I just went for it as fast as I could.”
Said Overbey: “We were playing well. Then a slip on the goal kick, and they jumped on it. But clearly Sommesi held us in the game.”
Sommesi continued to show great poise, coming off her line to grab a 30-yard Cibulka free kick in the 18th minute. Then moments later, she calmly handled a Cibulka high end line cross with a one-handed tip into the air and then the catch.
“As a coach, she did every single thing you would want her to say and do,” Overbey said of Sommesi. “She was ready to go, willing to learn. Yesterday at practice trying to get some basics. She’s everything you could ask for, a great teammate and a great competitor.
“We were hoping Zoe would be back, but there was never a question that Sophia was ready to go and up to the challenge. She played amazing. It’s just unfortunate that we gave up too many chances. That had a little bit to do with us shuffling our roster the last couple of weeks, but that (Benet) is a great team.”
As happened to Redwing opponents all season, Benet’s ability to produce big chances out of thin air was too much for the Rams.
With 18:48 left in the first half, Pinto improbably won a ball from two defenders left of the box, deflected the ball to a sliver of open space and lined an 8-yard shot into the upper right corner of the net to up the Benet lead to 2-0.
“We just tend to wear teams down,” Oconer said, “because there’s only so much you can do against our speed and athleticism on a big, open field on a hot day.”
But after Pinto’s nice goal, Glenbard East’s offense responded. Late first half chances into the wind included a Hope McKenna free kick headed away from trouble by the Benet defense, a Liljestrand 20-yard drive denied on a high catch by Redwings goalkeeper Shannon Clark and a Borcean free kick grabbed by Clark in the 36th minute.
At the other end, Sommesi continued her brilliance. The highlight was a diving one-handed block and control of a low Pinto drive in the 34th minute. Three minutes later, she had another solid diving stop on Rachel Burns 15-yard shot.
But just when it seemed the Rams would enter the second half down just 2-0 and have the wind in their favor, Cibulka struck.
She won a 50/50 ball off a Benet defensive clear to just past midfield. Maneuvering through and past two defenders on a left-side attack, Cibulka angled a 10-yard drive just under the crossbar upper right to up the lead to 3-0 just 44 seconds before halftime.
“I just went to the ball,” Cibulka said. “In games like this if you don’t give it your all you could potentially be playing your last game of the season. It was just that I wanted it, and I found a way to score on it.”
Benet followed that goal with another impressive strike just 1:11 into the second half. Taking a pass from Casmere, Burns powered a 25-yard shot under the crossbar to put the Redwings up 4-0 and in total command.
“I just think that we have so many great players,” Cibulka said. “Whoever is on the field, we have 11 people we trust and can make plays. It was just feeding the ball to different people, switching it quick. A lot of different girls had good looks on goal. It was truly a team effort.”
Cibulka made the score 5-0 with 20:52 to play, spinning past a defender on the left side to produce a breakaway liner inside the right post.
“We went into it knowing they (Benet) were the returning state champions,” Crackel said, “and we knew it was going to be a tough one. We knew we had to stay on and mark 14 (Cibulka) and 17 (Burns). I think we played hard, but it just wasn’t the best today.”
Somewhat overshadowed by the offensive flash and dash was another in a season of strong defensive efforts by the Redwings.
“Honestly it’s the effort,” Benet defender Annastacia Thiel said. “That’s the one thing this team has that’s almost better than any other team. We get on the field, we do what we have to do and just leave it all on the field. Everyone attacks, everyone defends, and we just work as one. That’s really important.”
Glenbard East’s offensive chances increased in the second half. They started with a 20-yard shot by Sarah Conroy with 34:30 left that was saved by Clark.
A nice defensive end 1-v-1 steal by Haley Tu set up a nice counterattack with 30:20 to play. But an offensive end threat by Liljestrand and Maia Zatarski was denied on a Brooke Pullen header and Brinkley Douglas clear.
A Brielle DeForest 50/50 ball win with 25:50 to go would ignite perhaps the Rams’ biggest scoring chance. Jasmine Dhamers nicely outmaneuvered two defenders to line an 18-yard shot, but her effort was denied on Clark’s diving save at the left post.
“Shannon’s incredible,” Thiel said. “I can’t say enough good things about her. The four of us on the backline and Shannon have a relationship that’s unmatched. I think that’s what makes us different too. Shannon and I actually play club together too, so it’s great. She’s awesome, a superstar.”
Clark preserved the shutout with two minutes left, just beating Dhamers to a send to the box.
While Benet moves on to sectionals, Glenbard East also has plenty of good things to look forward to.
“With only graduating two seniors (from the starting lineup), we’re going to come back next year even stronger and just give it our all again,” junior Liljestrand said.
“We started off kind of rough (a 2-2-1 record), then I think we all just clicked at the end and all started playing our best.”
While their junior years were wiped out by the COVID-19 shutdown, senior starters Crackel and Sophia Heatley made major impacts as varsity standouts since freshman year.
“It (soccer) has meant a lot,” said Heatley. “It kept me motivated. It helped me get through high school and stay focused, and have kind of a new family to look forward to after school. You’re never going to get that experience again after high school.”
Heatley shifted from her usual midfield spot to defender for the postseason.
“Our other center back Hope McKenna had food poisoning last game, so we were working through a lot,” Crackel said. “Heatley did a great job being there with me stepping to the ball.”
Crackel ends her Rams career with great memories of both teammates and coaches.
“Coach Overbey was amazing,” she said. “He’s been a great coach through all this (pandemic), making sure we’re doing our contact tracing so we could be out here and have a season.
“And he just motivates us. We knew going into this game it would be a tough fight, but he was very optimistic about it. That helped us going out there.”
Senior forward Eveleen Guemez served the team off the bench. She is the only other departing Ram.
“In terms of the group coming back, it’s a pretty good situation to be in,” Overbey said. “Crackel was a three-year starter, same with Heatley. Defensively we have some issues to sort out. We have to replace Crackel which will be difficult, and Heatley at midfield is a great player.
“But we have numerous freshmen and sophomores champing at the bit to move up, and getting Zoe back (at goalkeeper) for one more year will be huge. With Sophia (Sommesi) back up the field with Sarah Conroy and Jasmine Dhamers, as long as we can sort the defense out, I’m very happy.
“This was a great group of girls, with a great attitude,” Overbey added. “They took all the bumps and the COVID quarantine; they just took it in stride and every player stepped up and had a great year. I’m looking forward to next year for sure.”
Benet looks forward to turning its own missed 2020 season into a quest for a delayed state title repeat.
“It’s a huge motivator, just knowing that we’re defending that title after missing that one year,” Thiel said. “We know we can defend it, but it’s staying positive and keeping ourselves in line too. Recognizing where we are and the effort we have to put into it. It’s not just going to come to us. We have to work for it.”
Added Neri: “It’s just about keeping the right attitude. Not being cocky or anything, just playing hard and trying to win as much as we can.”
Cibulka had the last word on many Benet scoring chances, and here as well.
“We know what it takes (to win state),” Cibulka said. “It’s not easy. We’ll enjoy this for a day and next day we’ll go back to practice and get ready for our next opponent. It’s all about being ready for the game in front of you and not getting too ahead of yourself.”
Glenbard East
GK Sophia Sommesi
D Kendall Crackel
D Sophia Heatley
D Hope McKenna
D Maddie Kiefer
MF Brielle DeForest
MF Maia Zatarski
MF Sarah Conroy
MF Natalie Borcean
MF Sarah Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Brooke Pullen
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
D Sadie Sterbenz
MF Mariana Pinto
MF Brinkley Douglas
MF Katie Lewellyen
F Rachel Burns
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Anna Casmere
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Jaimee Cibulka, sr. F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet- Paige Neri, 14th min
Benet- Mariana Pinto, 22nd min
Benet- Jaimee Cibulka, 40th min
Second half
Benet- Rachel Burns (Anna Casmere assist), 42nd min
Benet- Cibulka, 61st mindit.
Redwings march to sectional semifinals with 5-0 win
By Dave Owen
LISLE – Benet’s season-long dominance continued in Friday’s Class 3A Morton Sectional regional final match, but not without roadblocks from Sarah Liljestrand, Sophia Sommesi and the rest of the Glenbard East Rams.
The Redwings entered the match with a perfect 16-0-0 record and a nearly as flawless 76-7 scoring advantage. The home team and 2019 Class AA state champion needed to dig deep for a well-timed gamble and then used multiple incredible offensive plays to eventually pull away to a 5-0 win over Glenbard East (8-4-2).
“A great team, great top to bottom,” Rams coach Kent Overbey said of Benet, “and the most impressive thing is, there’s no drop off when they sub.”
Said senior defender Kendall Crackel: “They were able to get it over the top of us, get through-balls. And they had some fast forwards with long touches, which I think was where they came at us the hardest.”
Benet’s perfect record and scoring margin dominance came with late year momentum: the Redwings’ last 11 wins entering Friday were by three goals or more.
But even with a strong first half wind at their backs, the Redwings’ relentless attack was frustrated early by fast-learning Rams goalkeeper Sophia Sommesi.
A usual freshman forward who was forced into action for the first time ever at goalkeeper by an injury to starting netminder Zoe Romano early in the regional semifinal match, Sommesi was up to the Benet challenge early Friday.
Just one minute in, Benet’s Mariana Pinto tested the Rams with a low 18-yard liner, but Sommesi answered with a nice, low block save. Then just 40 seconds later, Sommesi nicely dove on an Anna Casmere cross to beat Pinto to the send to the box.
“She (Sommesi) was a beast in the goal,” Liljestrand said. “She was ready to step up and do her best, and she did amazing.”
Liljestrand put forth an incredible performance of her own. Tasked with marking Benet superstar forward Jaimee Cibulka on Friday, Liljestrand drew praise from all sides.
“They did a great job of putting some pressure on us and making things difficult on us in the first half,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said, “and they really made Jaimee work for everything she got. I thought number 2 (Liljestrand) was outstanding on Jaimee. But at a certain point you can only do that for so long, before she gets loose.”
Cibulka eventually scored twice, but both came while Liljestrand was off the field.
“Obviously Cibulka is an incredible player, but I thought Sarah Liljestrand did such a great job,” Overbey said. “She (Cibulka) had one really good shot in the first half, a goal when Sarah was off for a break. Unfortunately, I’ll rue that coaching decision.
“But I thought honestly Sarah outplayed her. Cibulka’s an incredible talent, but Sarah is a big-time player too, and fast.”
After the game, Liljestrand was also quick to humbly share credit for her performance.
“I thought she (Cibulka) was doing really good,” Liljestrand said, “but I would do my best to stop her. And luckily every time that I missed, my team would be there to back me up. I tried to shut her own, but she still got around, because she’s such a good player.”
Steals near the box by Maddie Kiefer (fifth minute) and Natalie Borcean (a sliding denial in the seventh minute) also frustrated the Redwings early on, and Crackel nicely blocked a shot on a strong Pinto counterattack in the 10th minute.
Sommesi was also sharp, making a high grab in traffic of a Katie Lewellyan chip off a corner kick in the 12th minute and a diving grab of a Cibulka 12-yarder just 20 seconds later.
Goalkeepers with hundreds of career games in the nets have had fits against teams like Benet. With less than 100 career minutes in goal, Sommesi stood tall but would endure a few understandable glitches under the endless pressure.
One came with 26:12 left in the half. After Casmere sent a 10-yard right-side shot off the crossbar and over, Sommesi’s ensuing goal kick was intercepted by alert Benet forward Paige Neri. Off a dribble attack, Neri drove a 6-yard shot low inside the right post and the Redwings led 1-0.
“I just came in with the right attitude,” Neri said. “I really wanted to get that goal and get this win. I saw her (Sommesi) make the bad touch, and I just went for it as fast as I could.”
Said Overbey: “We were playing well. Then a slip on the goal kick, and they jumped on it. But clearly Sommesi held us in the game.”
Sommesi continued to show great poise, coming off her line to grab a 30-yard Cibulka free kick in the 18th minute. Then moments later, she calmly handled a Cibulka high end line cross with a one-handed tip into the air and then the catch.
“As a coach, she did every single thing you would want her to say and do,” Overbey said of Sommesi. “She was ready to go, willing to learn. Yesterday at practice trying to get some basics. She’s everything you could ask for, a great teammate and a great competitor.
“We were hoping Zoe would be back, but there was never a question that Sophia was ready to go and up to the challenge. She played amazing. It’s just unfortunate that we gave up too many chances. That had a little bit to do with us shuffling our roster the last couple of weeks, but that (Benet) is a great team.”
As happened to Redwing opponents all season, Benet’s ability to produce big chances out of thin air was too much for the Rams.
With 18:48 left in the first half, Pinto improbably won a ball from two defenders left of the box, deflected the ball to a sliver of open space and lined an 8-yard shot into the upper right corner of the net to up the Benet lead to 2-0.
“We just tend to wear teams down,” Oconer said, “because there’s only so much you can do against our speed and athleticism on a big, open field on a hot day.”
But after Pinto’s nice goal, Glenbard East’s offense responded. Late first half chances into the wind included a Hope McKenna free kick headed away from trouble by the Benet defense, a Liljestrand 20-yard drive denied on a high catch by Redwings goalkeeper Shannon Clark and a Borcean free kick grabbed by Clark in the 36th minute.
At the other end, Sommesi continued her brilliance. The highlight was a diving one-handed block and control of a low Pinto drive in the 34th minute. Three minutes later, she had another solid diving stop on Rachel Burns 15-yard shot.
But just when it seemed the Rams would enter the second half down just 2-0 and have the wind in their favor, Cibulka struck.
She won a 50/50 ball off a Benet defensive clear to just past midfield. Maneuvering through and past two defenders on a left-side attack, Cibulka angled a 10-yard drive just under the crossbar upper right to up the lead to 3-0 just 44 seconds before halftime.
“I just went to the ball,” Cibulka said. “In games like this if you don’t give it your all you could potentially be playing your last game of the season. It was just that I wanted it, and I found a way to score on it.”
Benet followed that goal with another impressive strike just 1:11 into the second half. Taking a pass from Casmere, Burns powered a 25-yard shot under the crossbar to put the Redwings up 4-0 and in total command.
“I just think that we have so many great players,” Cibulka said. “Whoever is on the field, we have 11 people we trust and can make plays. It was just feeding the ball to different people, switching it quick. A lot of different girls had good looks on goal. It was truly a team effort.”
Cibulka made the score 5-0 with 20:52 to play, spinning past a defender on the left side to produce a breakaway liner inside the right post.
“We went into it knowing they (Benet) were the returning state champions,” Crackel said, “and we knew it was going to be a tough one. We knew we had to stay on and mark 14 (Cibulka) and 17 (Burns). I think we played hard, but it just wasn’t the best today.”
Somewhat overshadowed by the offensive flash and dash was another in a season of strong defensive efforts by the Redwings.
“Honestly it’s the effort,” Benet defender Annastacia Thiel said. “That’s the one thing this team has that’s almost better than any other team. We get on the field, we do what we have to do and just leave it all on the field. Everyone attacks, everyone defends, and we just work as one. That’s really important.”
Glenbard East’s offensive chances increased in the second half. They started with a 20-yard shot by Sarah Conroy with 34:30 left that was saved by Clark.
A nice defensive end 1-v-1 steal by Haley Tu set up a nice counterattack with 30:20 to play. But an offensive end threat by Liljestrand and Maia Zatarski was denied on a Brooke Pullen header and Brinkley Douglas clear.
A Brielle DeForest 50/50 ball win with 25:50 to go would ignite perhaps the Rams’ biggest scoring chance. Jasmine Dhamers nicely outmaneuvered two defenders to line an 18-yard shot, but her effort was denied on Clark’s diving save at the left post.
“Shannon’s incredible,” Thiel said. “I can’t say enough good things about her. The four of us on the backline and Shannon have a relationship that’s unmatched. I think that’s what makes us different too. Shannon and I actually play club together too, so it’s great. She’s awesome, a superstar.”
Clark preserved the shutout with two minutes left, just beating Dhamers to a send to the box.
While Benet moves on to sectionals, Glenbard East also has plenty of good things to look forward to.
“With only graduating two seniors (from the starting lineup), we’re going to come back next year even stronger and just give it our all again,” junior Liljestrand said.
“We started off kind of rough (a 2-2-1 record), then I think we all just clicked at the end and all started playing our best.”
While their junior years were wiped out by the COVID-19 shutdown, senior starters Crackel and Sophia Heatley made major impacts as varsity standouts since freshman year.
“It (soccer) has meant a lot,” said Heatley. “It kept me motivated. It helped me get through high school and stay focused, and have kind of a new family to look forward to after school. You’re never going to get that experience again after high school.”
Heatley shifted from her usual midfield spot to defender for the postseason.
“Our other center back Hope McKenna had food poisoning last game, so we were working through a lot,” Crackel said. “Heatley did a great job being there with me stepping to the ball.”
Crackel ends her Rams career with great memories of both teammates and coaches.
“Coach Overbey was amazing,” she said. “He’s been a great coach through all this (pandemic), making sure we’re doing our contact tracing so we could be out here and have a season.
“And he just motivates us. We knew going into this game it would be a tough fight, but he was very optimistic about it. That helped us going out there.”
Senior forward Eveleen Guemez served the team off the bench. She is the only other departing Ram.
“In terms of the group coming back, it’s a pretty good situation to be in,” Overbey said. “Crackel was a three-year starter, same with Heatley. Defensively we have some issues to sort out. We have to replace Crackel which will be difficult, and Heatley at midfield is a great player.
“But we have numerous freshmen and sophomores champing at the bit to move up, and getting Zoe back (at goalkeeper) for one more year will be huge. With Sophia (Sommesi) back up the field with Sarah Conroy and Jasmine Dhamers, as long as we can sort the defense out, I’m very happy.
“This was a great group of girls, with a great attitude,” Overbey added. “They took all the bumps and the COVID quarantine; they just took it in stride and every player stepped up and had a great year. I’m looking forward to next year for sure.”
Benet looks forward to turning its own missed 2020 season into a quest for a delayed state title repeat.
“It’s a huge motivator, just knowing that we’re defending that title after missing that one year,” Thiel said. “We know we can defend it, but it’s staying positive and keeping ourselves in line too. Recognizing where we are and the effort we have to put into it. It’s not just going to come to us. We have to work for it.”
Added Neri: “It’s just about keeping the right attitude. Not being cocky or anything, just playing hard and trying to win as much as we can.”
Cibulka had the last word on many Benet scoring chances, and here as well.
“We know what it takes (to win state),” Cibulka said. “It’s not easy. We’ll enjoy this for a day and next day we’ll go back to practice and get ready for our next opponent. It’s all about being ready for the game in front of you and not getting too ahead of yourself.”
Glenbard East
GK Sophia Sommesi
D Kendall Crackel
D Sophia Heatley
D Hope McKenna
D Maddie Kiefer
MF Brielle DeForest
MF Maia Zatarski
MF Sarah Conroy
MF Natalie Borcean
MF Sarah Liljestrand
F Jasmine Dhamers
Benet
GK Shannon Clark
D Brooke Pullen
D Annastacia Thiel
D Nora Hanson
D Sadie Sterbenz
MF Mariana Pinto
MF Brinkley Douglas
MF Katie Lewellyen
F Rachel Burns
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Anna Casmere
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Jaimee Cibulka, sr. F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet- Paige Neri, 14th min
Benet- Mariana Pinto, 22nd min
Benet- Jaimee Cibulka, 40th min
Second half
Benet- Rachel Burns (Anna Casmere assist), 42nd min
Benet- Cibulka, 61st mindit.